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{{book
{{book
|title=The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays
|title=The Monsters and the Critics, and Other Essays
|image=[[Image:The Monsters and the Critics.jpg|225px]]
|image=[[Image:The Monsters and the Critics 1983.png|275px]]
|author=[[J.R.R. Tolkien]], Christopher Tolkien (editor)
|author=[[J.R.R. Tolkien]]
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|editor=[[Christopher Tolkien]]
|date=[[1983]] (1st edition)
|publisherUK=[[George Allen and Unwin]]
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|publisherUS=[[Houghton Mifflin]]
|pages=
|dateUK=[[3 March]] [[1983]]
|isbn=
|dateUS=[[1 April]] [[1984]]
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|format=Hardcover; paperback
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|pages=240
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'''''The Monsters and the Critics, and Other Essays''''' is a collection of [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]'s scholarly linguistic essays and lectures. The book was edited by [[Christopher Tolkien]] and published posthumously in [[1983]].
All of them were initially delivered as lectures to academics, with the exception of ''On Translating Beowulf'', which Christopher Tolkien notes in his foreword is not addressed to an academic audience.


'''''The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays''''' is a collection of [[J.R.R. Tolkien]]'s scholarly linguistic essays and lectures. The book was published posthumously in [[1983]], edited by [[Christopher Tolkien]].  
==Contents==
Seven Tessays are included in the book, some of which had been published before, while others were presented for the first time in print.


==Content==
* Foreword by Christopher Tolkien


Some of the essays included in ''The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays'' had been published before, while some appeared for the first time in print.
* "[[Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics]]" — lecture delivered in [[1936]], looks at the critics' understanding of ''[[Beowulf (poem)|Beowulf]]'', and proposes a fresh take on the poem.


*Previuosly published:
* "[[On Translating Beowulf]]" published in [[1940]], looks at the difficulties in translating the poem from Old English.
**"[[Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics]]" (lecture delivered in [[1936]]; published separately in [[1937]])
**"[[On Translating Beowulf]]" (published in [[1940]] as "[[Prefatory Remarks on Prose Translation of "Beowulf"|Prefatory Remarks on Prose Translation of 'Beowulf']]")
**"[[English and Welsh]]" (lecture delivered in [[1955]] and published in ''[[Angles and Britons: O'Donnell Lectures]]'' in [[1963]])
**"[[On Fairy-Stories]]" (lecture delivered in [[1939]] and published in ''[[Essays Presented to Charles Williams]]'' in [[1947]])
*Previuosly unpublished:
**"[[A Secret Vice]]" (lecture delivered in [[1931]])
**"[[Sir Gawain and the Green Knight]]" (lecture delivered in [[1953]])
**"[[Valedictory Address to the University of Oxford|Valedictory Address]]" (lecture delivered in [[1959]]; edited from a different manucript than that published in ''[[J.R.R. Tolkien: Scholar and Storyteller]]'' in [[1979]]<ref>Scull, Christina & Hammond, Wayne G., ''[[The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide]]: Chronology'', p.817.</ref>)


The book also contains a foreword by Christopher Tolkien.
* "[[On Fairy-stories]]" — lecture delivered in [[1939]], a defence of the fantasy genre.


==Relation to the Legendarium==
* "[[A Secret Vice]]" — lecture delivered in [[1931]], talks about creating imaginary languages, giving background to Tolkien's [[Quenya]] and [[Sindarin]].


As these essays are of a scholarly nature, there are scarcely any direct references to the [[legendarium]] of Tolkien. However, the essay "A Secret Vice" contains a final section of ''Notes'' by Christopher Tolkien, where he points to references to ''[[The Book of Lost Tales]]'' and also reprints  a later version of one of the Elvish poems, being "one of the major pieces of [[Quenya]]"<ref>Chistopher Tolkien, "Foreword", p.4.</ref>.
* "[[Sir Gawain and the Green Knight]]" — [[W.P. Ker Lecture|lecture]] delivered in [[1953]], a study of the medieval poem of the same name.


==Editions, selection==
* "[[English and Welsh]]" — lecture delivered in [[1955]], a survey of the historical relationship between the two tongues, including an analysis of the word ''Welsh''.


*[[1983]]: ''The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays''. London: George Allen & Unwin.
* "[[Valedictory Address to the University of Oxford]]" — lecture delivered in [[1959]], given upon Tolkien's retirement from Oxford.
*[[1984]]: ''The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays''. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
*[[1997]]: ''The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays''. [[HarperCollins]]. ISBN: 026110263X. Paperback, 256 pages.


==From the cover/back==
==From the publisher==
{{blockquote|The seven 'essays' by J.R.R. Tolkien assembled in this new paperback edition were with one exception delivered as general lectures on particular occasions; and while they mostly arose out of Tolkien's work in medieval literature, they are accessible to all. Two of them are concerned with ''Beowulf'', including the well-known lecture whose title is taken for this book, and one with ''Sir Gawain and the Green Knight'', given in the University of Glasgow in 1953.<br>
Also included in this volume is the lecture ''English and Welsh''; the ''Valedictory Address to the University of Oxford'' in 1959; and a paper on Invented Languages delivered in 1931, with exemplification from poems in the Elvish tongues. Most famous of all is ''On Fairy-Stories'', a discussion of the nature of fairy-tales and fantasy, which gives insight into Tolkien's approach to the whole genre.<br>
The pieces in this collection cover a period of nearly thirty years, beginning six years before the publication of ''The Hobbit'', with a unique 'academic' lecture on his invention (calling it ''A Secret Vice'') and concluding with his farewell to professorship, five years after the publication of ''The Lord of the Rings''.}}


The seven 'essays' by J.R.R. Tolkien assembled in this new paperback edition were with one exception delivered as general lectures on particular occasions; and while they mostly arose out of Tolkien's work in medieval literature, they are accessible to all. Two of them are concerned with ''Beowulf'', including the well-known lecture whose title is taken for this book, and one with ''Sir Gawain and the Green Knight'', given in the University of Glasgow in 1953.
==Relation to the legendarium==
As these essays are of a scholarly nature, there are scarcely any direct references to the [[legendarium]] of Tolkien. However, the essay "A Secret Vice" contains a final section of ''Notes'' by Christopher Tolkien, where he points to references to ''[[The Book of Lost Tales Part Two|The Book of Lost Tales]]'' and also reprints  a later version of one of the Elvish poems, being "one of the major pieces of [[Quenya]]".<ref>Chistopher Tolkien, "Foreword", p.4.</ref>


Also included in this volume is the lecture ''English and Welsh''; the ''Valedictory Address to the University of Oxford'' in 1959; and a paper on Invented Languages delivered in 1931, with exemplification from poems in the Elvish tongues. Most famous of all is ''On Fairy-Stories'', a discussion of the nature of fairy-tales and fantasy, which gives insight into Tolkien's approach to the whole genre.
==Publication history and gallery==
;UK Editions
{{Gallery
|width=125
|height=125
|lines=2
|File:The Monsters and the Critics 1983.png|1983 hardcover
|File:The Monsters and the Critics 1997.png|1997 paperback
|File:The Monsters and the Critics 2006.png|2006 paperback
}}
*[[George Allen and Unwin]] hardcover ([[1983]]), pp. 240. ISBN 0048090190
*[[HarperCollins]] paperback ([[1997]]), pp. 256. ISBN 026110263X
*[[HarperCollins]] paperback ([[2006]]), ISBN 026110263X


The pieces in this collection cover a period of nearly thirty years, beginning six years before the publication of ''The Hobbit'', with a unique 'academic' lecture on his invention (calling it ''A Secret Vice'') and concluding with his farewell to professorship, five years after the publication of ''The Lord of the Rings''.
==See also==
*''[[Om Beowulfsagan]]'' ("On the Tale of Beowulf", a 1975 Swedish edition)
*''[[Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary, together with Sellic Spell]]''
*''[[Tolkien On Fairy-stories]]''
*''[[A Secret Vice: Tolkien on Invented Languages]]''
*''[[Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, and Sir Orfeo]]''


{{references}}
{{references}}
 
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[[Category:Books by J.R.R. Tolkien|Monsters and the Critics]]
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[[Category:Books by Christopher Tolkien|Monsters and the Critics]]
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[[Category:Books by Christopher Tolkien]]
[[Category:Books by J.R.R. Tolkien]]
[[Category:Linguistic books]]
[[Category:Posthumous publications]]
[[Category:Publications by title]]
[[de:Die Ungeheuer und ihre Kritiker]]
[[fr:tolkien/biblio/mc]]
[[fi:The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays]]

Revision as of 14:52, 6 March 2023

The Monsters and the Critics, and Other Essays
The Monsters and the Critics 1983.png
AuthorJ.R.R. Tolkien
EditorChristopher Tolkien
PublisherGeorge Allen and Unwin (UK)
Houghton Mifflin (US)
Released3 March 1983 (UK)
1 April 1984 (US)
FormatHardcover; paperback
Pages240
ISBN0048090190

The Monsters and the Critics, and Other Essays is a collection of J.R.R. Tolkien's scholarly linguistic essays and lectures. The book was edited by Christopher Tolkien and published posthumously in 1983.

All of them were initially delivered as lectures to academics, with the exception of On Translating Beowulf, which Christopher Tolkien notes in his foreword is not addressed to an academic audience.

Contents

Seven Tessays are included in the book, some of which had been published before, while others were presented for the first time in print.

  • Foreword by Christopher Tolkien
  • "English and Welsh" — lecture delivered in 1955, a survey of the historical relationship between the two tongues, including an analysis of the word Welsh.

From the publisher

The seven 'essays' by J.R.R. Tolkien assembled in this new paperback edition were with one exception delivered as general lectures on particular occasions; and while they mostly arose out of Tolkien's work in medieval literature, they are accessible to all. Two of them are concerned with Beowulf, including the well-known lecture whose title is taken for this book, and one with Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, given in the University of Glasgow in 1953.

Also included in this volume is the lecture English and Welsh; the Valedictory Address to the University of Oxford in 1959; and a paper on Invented Languages delivered in 1931, with exemplification from poems in the Elvish tongues. Most famous of all is On Fairy-Stories, a discussion of the nature of fairy-tales and fantasy, which gives insight into Tolkien's approach to the whole genre.

The pieces in this collection cover a period of nearly thirty years, beginning six years before the publication of The Hobbit, with a unique 'academic' lecture on his invention (calling it A Secret Vice) and concluding with his farewell to professorship, five years after the publication of The Lord of the Rings.

Relation to the legendarium

As these essays are of a scholarly nature, there are scarcely any direct references to the legendarium of Tolkien. However, the essay "A Secret Vice" contains a final section of Notes by Christopher Tolkien, where he points to references to The Book of Lost Tales and also reprints a later version of one of the Elvish poems, being "one of the major pieces of Quenya".[1]

Publication history and gallery

UK Editions
1983 hardcover  
1997 paperback  
2006 paperback  

See also

References

  1. Chistopher Tolkien, "Foreword", p.4.
A J.R.R. Tolkien book guide
Books by or mainly by Tolkien
Of Arda Authored by
J.R.R. Tolkien
The Hobbit · The Lord of the Rings
(i.The Fellowship of the Ring · ii.The Two Towers · iii.The Return of the King) ·
The Road Goes Ever On · Bilbo's Last Song
Edited by Christopher Tolkien The Silmarillion · Unfinished Tales · The History of Middle-earth series
(i.The Book of Lost Tales: Part One · ii.The Book of Lost Tales: Part Two · iii.The Lays of Beleriand · iv.The Shaping of Middle-earth · v.The Lost Road and Other Writings · vi.The Return of the Shadow · vii.The Treason of Isengard · viii.The War of the Ring · ix.Sauron Defeated · x.Morgoth's Ring · xi.The War of the Jewels · xii.The Peoples of Middle-earth · Index) ·
The Children of Húrin · Beren and Lúthien · The Fall of Gondolin
Edited by others The Annotated Hobbit · The History of The Hobbit · The Nature of Middle-earth ·
The Fall of Númenor · The Maps of Middle-earth
Not of Arda Short stories
and poems
Leaf by Niggle · Farmer Giles of Ham · Smith of Wootton Major · The Adventures of Tom Bombadil ·
Letters from Father Christmas · Mr. Bliss · Roverandom ·
Tree and Leaf (compilation) · Tales from the Perilous Realm (compilation)
Fictional works The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún · The Fall of Arthur · The Story of Kullervo · The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun
Translations and academic works Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, and Sir Orfeo · Finn and Hengest ·
The Monsters and the Critics, and Other Essays · Beowulf and the Critics · Tolkien On Fairy-stories ·
Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary · A Secret Vice · The Battle of Maldon
Collected letters and poems The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien · The Collected Poems of J.R.R. Tolkien
Edited old texts A Middle English Vocabulary · Sir Gawain and the Green Knight · Ancrene Wisse · The Old English Exodus
Books by other authors
Biographies J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography · The Inklings · Tolkien and the Great War
Reference works The Complete Guide to Middle-earth · The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide
Scholarly studies The Road to Middle-earth · The Keys of Middle-earth · The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion ·
The Ring of Words · A Companion to J.R.R. Tolkien · Tolkien's Lost Chaucer ·
Tolkien's Library · Tolkien on Chaucer, 1913-1959
Scholarly journals Tolkien Studies · (The Chronology)
Other works by Tolkien
Linguistic journals Vinyar Tengwar various issues · Parma Eldalamberon issue 11-22
Collections of artwork
and manuscripts
Pictures by J.R.R. Tolkien · J.R.R. Tolkien: Life and Legend · J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist and Illustrator ·
The Art of The Hobbit · The Art of The Lord of the Rings · Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth ·
Tolkien: Treasures · J.R.R. Tolkien: The Art of the Manuscript
This list is only a selection of works, for a fuller bibliography of Tolkien see here or here. See also a timeline and an index.