The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays
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- Author：J.R.R. Tolkien
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Summary
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。
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。
Reviews
Freddy
，
（Only read the title essay since I don't actually have the book）。 An excellently argued case that picks apart common criticism of 'Beowulf' - although I don't completely agree with Tolkien's POV， I do see more of the beauty of the poem than I did on a first read of it。 As well as being a cohesive essay， the prose of it is so beautiful， and you can tell how much Tolkien loves the poem: "In its simplest terms it is a contrasted description of two moments in a great life， rising and setting; an ela （Only read the title essay since I don't actually have the book）。 An excellently argued case that picks apart common criticism of 'Beowulf' - although I don't completely agree with Tolkien's POV， I do see more of the beauty of the poem than I did on a first read of it。 As well as being a cohesive essay， the prose of it is so beautiful， and you can tell how much Tolkien loves the poem: "In its simplest terms it is a contrasted description of two moments in a great life， rising and setting; an elaboration of the ancient and intensely moving contrast between youth and age， first achievement and final death。" 。。。more
Ivan Lanìa
，
Avevo in casa The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays sin da quand'ero ragazzino ma sinora l'avevo solo sfogliato， e del resto non avevo la testa per capirlo; è servito il primo anno di lavoro per tuffarmici come si deve in cerca di sapere， e la nuotata è valsa la pena; ovviamente non posso sapere se in aula il prof。 Tolkien fosse sempre il fine parlatore che traspare da queste conferenze scritte a tavolino， ma a naso la qualità delle sue lezioni sembra davvero alta e probabilmente mol Avevo in casa The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays sin da quand'ero ragazzino ma sinora l'avevo solo sfogliato， e del resto non avevo la testa per capirlo; è servito il primo anno di lavoro per tuffarmici come si deve in cerca di sapere， e la nuotata è valsa la pena; ovviamente non posso sapere se in aula il prof。 Tolkien fosse sempre il fine parlatore che traspare da queste conferenze scritte a tavolino， ma a naso la qualità delle sue lezioni sembra davvero alta e probabilmente molti suoi allievi pagavano volentieri la retta solo già per i suoi corsi — un'esposizione tecnica così limpida e sempre radicata nei dati concreti， sentimentale spesso ma non prolissa， è la cifra del vero luminare universitario rispetto alla cariatide prolissa， e suscita ancora più ammirazione in noi Italofoni che siamo stati condannati alle auliche scorregge spitzeriane di Gianfranco Contini。Lodi generali a parte， che hanno di buono i singoli saggi？ Nell'ordine:- The Monsters and the Critics ci spiega che il Beowulf è un'elegia su re Beowulf （uomo o mito？ non importa） in cui l'Anonimo Poeta accosta in un dittico il battesimo del sangue di Beowulf contro Grendel e la sua estrema impresa senile contro il drago， in una sintesi e transizione fra il vecchio mondo degli eroi germani in cerca di Bella Morte e quello che diverrà il cavaliere del mondo nuovo pienamente cristianizzato。 Favoloso， e da solo vale il prezzo del biglietto。-On translating Beowulf ci insegna qualche nozione basilare e ben comprensibile sul lessico dell'Anglosassone， in particolare la tanto chiacchierata figura retorica del "kenning"， e offre pure una panoramica tanto affascinante quanto complicata sulla prosodia e metrica del poema。 Intenso。-Sir Gawain and the Green Knight è un'esposizione molto tecnica sulla struttura della materia e lo sviluppo tematico del poema trecentesco in esame; accessibile il discorso di etica， ovviamente i rapporti con il resto della tradizione Medio Inglese richiedono conoscenze specifiche （e non medievistica generale）。 -On Fairy-Stories è l'altro gioiello della corona， trattasi del testo programmatico in cui Tolkien ha enunciato la sua definizione di "racconto di fate" （o meglio ancora， "racconto fatato" o "racconto fantastico"） come attività di "sub-creazione" che produce un "mondo secondario" e vi colloca storie basate sui grandi temi morali， per fornire "escapismo propositivo" ed "eucatastrofe" – e mi sto limitando ai concetti principali， perché il testo è una miniera di spunti e probabilmente se ne potrebbe tirare fuori tutta una ermeneutica。-English and Welsh confesso di averla saltata， perché va bene l'accessibilità ai profani， ma questo è materiale per Celtisti e Germanisti！ -A Secret Vice è un gradevole testo minore che tesse l'elogio della creazione di lingue artificiali come arte di nicchia， il pezzo forte sono i poemi in elfico （presumo Quenya） per gli estimatori。-Il Valedictory Address è nientemeno che il vecchio Tolkien alla festa di pensionamento che decide di ritirarsi con il botto e smitraglia i suoi nemici accademici con tutte le frecciate conservate in cartuccera per quarant'anni， buona parte delle quali tristemente applicabile anche ad altre facoltà， di altri atenei， in altri tempi e luoghi （tutto il mondo è paese）。 Novantadue minuti di applausi per il paragrafo "Lit e Lang sono le due parti dello stesso gemello siamese: questa è la facoltà non di Lingua e Letteratura Inglese bensì di Inglese punto"。 La degna conclusione non solo della cavalcata professionale del prof。 John Ronald， ma anche delle nostre lezioni postume。 。。。more
Luke
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 To glean insights into the lives of authors， read their letters and essays。 Tolkien proves himself to be not only a superb story-teller through his fictional tales， but also a brilliant communicator through his lectures and addresses。 His thoughts and ideas underlining his fiction are all laid out here — this is the blueprint。 He is an adamant advocator for the magic of words。 I love his concluding remarks in the essay “A Secret Vice” where he pens， “Language has both strengthened imagination an To glean insights into the lives of authors， read their letters and essays。 Tolkien proves himself to be not only a superb story-teller through his fictional tales， but also a brilliant communicator through his lectures and addresses。 His thoughts and ideas underlining his fiction are all laid out here — this is the blueprint。 He is an adamant advocator for the magic of words。 I love his concluding remarks in the essay “A Secret Vice” where he pens， “Language has both strengthened imagination and been freed by it。 Who shall say whether the free adjective has created images bizarre and beautiful， or the adjective been freed by strange and beautiful pictures in the mind？” （219）。 The phrases “green sun” and “dead life” will send your imagination leaping！ 。。。more
Abby Jones
，
This was grand。 Granted， much of it was challenging and some of it directly went over my head， but I still enjoyed it。 Tolkien's beauty， humor， and passion are easily seen。 The more I read his other work， the more depth I find in the already deep wonder that is Lord of the Rings。 I will say， the article on Faerie Stories stands out like a beacon。 I will regularly return to read it again。 This was grand。 Granted， much of it was challenging and some of it directly went over my head， but I still enjoyed it。 Tolkien's beauty， humor， and passion are easily seen。 The more I read his other work， the more depth I find in the already deep wonder that is Lord of the Rings。 I will say， the article on Faerie Stories stands out like a beacon。 I will regularly return to read it again。 。。。more
Melinda
，
Reading "On Fairy-Stories" for book club。Excellent reading。 I need to visit the other essays in the book too！ Reading "On Fairy-Stories" for book club。Excellent reading。 I need to visit the other essays in the book too！ 。。。more
Taylor Simpson
，
I’m giving no rating for this book since I’ve only read a few of the essays from it。 I did not read the essays related to Beowulf and Sir Gawain as I have not read those stories。 I started the first essay on Beowulf and was a little lost， so I didn’t even bother finishing it or starting the other essays on those subjects。 I did， however， read ‘On Fairy Stories’， ‘A Secret Vice’， and the valedictory address。 I won’t go into a detailed review; some of these were over my head in places， to be frank I’m giving no rating for this book since I’ve only read a few of the essays from it。 I did not read the essays related to Beowulf and Sir Gawain as I have not read those stories。 I started the first essay on Beowulf and was a little lost， so I didn’t even bother finishing it or starting the other essays on those subjects。 I did， however， read ‘On Fairy Stories’， ‘A Secret Vice’， and the valedictory address。 I won’t go into a detailed review; some of these were over my head in places， to be frank， although there were really good parts in each。 ‘OFS’ is a must-read anyone wishing to dive a little more into Tolkien’s thoughts on writing and ‘fantasy’。 ‘ASV’ is incredibly interesting and really obscure and niche for one who doesn’t go in for studying languages。 I can’t imagine there are many people who have written on the topic of ‘invented languages’， and this one is by a person that many people would probably consider to be the epitome of this study。 Fascinating。 The valedictory address was a little out of my league and I was confused through a lot of it， not really being familiar with the mid-twentieth-century Oxford culture， nor familiar with the many references Tolkien makes throughout。 There are some interesting nuggets in there， however。 I look forward to revisiting this volume after reading the stories I’m currently unfamiliar with （but Tolkien clearly loved）， and reading some supplementary work on the other essays by people who are really knowledgeable of these things。 （Here I’m thinking of people like The Tolkien Professor。）No review; no rating; but I’m glad I own this。 。。。more
Gabrielle de R
，
I really enjoyed this collection of essays and will have to dive back in again - when I'm reading for pleasure， not my 489。 I especially loved his defence of Beowulf and of Gawain， his passion comes across so well despite being confined to a speech transcript/essay。 His essay on translating Beowulf is also fascinating （from what little I dipped into）， particularly his claim that Beowulf， Gawain etc all need to be read in their original language before you can claim to have studied them。 Definite I really enjoyed this collection of essays and will have to dive back in again - when I'm reading for pleasure， not my 489。 I especially loved his defence of Beowulf and of Gawain， his passion comes across so well despite being confined to a speech transcript/essay。 His essay on translating Beowulf is also fascinating （from what little I dipped into）， particularly his claim that Beowulf， Gawain etc all need to be read in their original language before you can claim to have studied them。 Definitely something to come back to once I've made progress in Anglo-Saxon！ 。。。more
Susan Ferguson
，
Very interesting， although I didn't always get the technical terms used in philology。 But I did enjoy the thoughts and ideas of language， the use and sound of words。 There are several different essays included in this and each one is a different focus， but I did like them all。 Quite a few interesting tidbits and development of words revealed。 Very interesting， although I didn't always get the technical terms used in philology。 But I did enjoy the thoughts and ideas of language， the use and sound of words。 There are several different essays included in this and each one is a different focus， but I did like them all。 Quite a few interesting tidbits and development of words revealed。 。。。more
Nathaniel Spencer
，
A collection thoroughly worth the attention of any Tolkienist， expert or novice。The philology essays were of great interest to me， embarking as I am on my first real attempt to learn a new language （German）。 You get the sense that for JRRT， Anglo-Saxon and other Northern European languages were never best described as objects of academic study， but of delight; of， first and foremost， the indulgence of strong， particular tastes， the drudgery of his profession being an unhappy compromise。Neverthel A collection thoroughly worth the attention of any Tolkienist， expert or novice。The philology essays were of great interest to me， embarking as I am on my first real attempt to learn a new language （German）。 You get the sense that for JRRT， Anglo-Saxon and other Northern European languages were never best described as objects of academic study， but of delight; of， first and foremost， the indulgence of strong， particular tastes， the drudgery of his profession being an unhappy compromise。Nevertheless， for me， “On Fairy Stories” remains the most compelling of this volume， though now having read the title essay， I see the two are inextricable。 Insight moving from the hilarious to the sublime:”In describing a fairy-story which they think adults might possibly read for their own entertainment， reviewers frequently indulge in such waggeries as: ‘this book is for children ages six to sixty。’ But I have never yet seen the puff of a new motor-model that began thus: ‘this toy will amuse infants from seventeen to seventy’; though that to my mind would be much more appropriate。” “The Evangelium has not abrogated legends， it has hallowed them; especially the ‘happy ending。’ The Christian has still to work， with mind as well as body， to suffer， hope， and die; but he may now perceive that all his bents and faculties have a purpose， which can be redeemed。 So great is the bounty with which he has been treated that he may now， perhaps， fairly dare to guess that in Fantasy he may actually assist in the effoliation and multiple enrichment of creation。” 。。。more
Myrto Charalambous
，
A very influential critical article on the beautiful medieval poem， Beowulf。 This was an interesting read， which I enjoyed。 Undeniably， this was one of the first significant essays written on Beowulf that opened doors to later critics for new ways of interpreting this text。 I believe that this is why I found Tolkien’s essay to be more explorative rather than argumentative。 Even though， later arguments by critics like Andy Orchard and Kathryn Powell might offer， for me at least， even stronger way A very influential critical article on the beautiful medieval poem， Beowulf。 This was an interesting read， which I enjoyed。 Undeniably， this was one of the first significant essays written on Beowulf that opened doors to later critics for new ways of interpreting this text。 I believe that this is why I found Tolkien’s essay to be more explorative rather than argumentative。 Even though， later arguments by critics like Andy Orchard and Kathryn Powell might offer， for me at least， even stronger ways of approaching this text — hence the reason why I’ve given this a 4-star rating — I appreciate its value as the first and， I dare say， most influential work on Beowulf。 。。。more
GullveigRollo
，
Il titolo scelto in italiano， non rende giustizia a questa raccolta di saggi del Professore， che rende chiaro cosa significa per lui la fiaba， e di come l'evasione di un prigioniero non sia così male （leggetelo e capirete di cosa parlo）。 Il titolo scelto in italiano， non rende giustizia a questa raccolta di saggi del Professore， che rende chiaro cosa significa per lui la fiaba， e di come l'evasione di un prigioniero non sia così male （leggetelo e capirete di cosa parlo）。 。。。more
Deborah
，
Un libro veramente interessante， letto per l'università， che mi ha permesso di tuffarmi nell'incredibile mente di Tolkien。 Ho apprezzato quasi tuttii saggi， in particolare "On Fairy-Stories" e "A Secret Vice"。 Avendolo letto in lingua originale ho trovato alcuni passaggi un po' difficili da seguire （soprattutto nel trattato "English and Welsh"） ma la colpa è solo del mio livello di inglese， che ha inciampato su argomenti così tecnici。 Un libro veramente interessante， letto per l'università， che mi ha permesso di tuffarmi nell'incredibile mente di Tolkien。 Ho apprezzato quasi tuttii saggi， in particolare "On Fairy-Stories" e "A Secret Vice"。 Avendolo letto in lingua originale ho trovato alcuni passaggi un po' difficili da seguire （soprattutto nel trattato "English and Welsh"） ma la colpa è solo del mio livello di inglese， che ha inciampato su argomenti così tecnici。 。。。more
Ross Higgins
，
The Master of the Critics
Sonstepaul
，
An essential collection of anyone who wishes a glimpse into the study of Tolkien the scholar。 Some of his more philosophical ideas may be a bit tough to digest， and his harsher criticism is always cushioned in a very British false humility that modern and N。 American readers may find odd at times， but his introduction to the concepts of some of the major works of Old English such as Beowulf and Sir Gawain is indispensable for anyone interested in this period。
Heideblume
，
Yes yes yes！ Finalmente una versione ebook！
Karen Kohoutek
，
The title essay， basically arguing against the idea that the presence of monsters is a flaw in the seriousness of "Beowulf，" is well-worth reading， and gives support to genre fans everywhere！ The follow-up essay "On Translating Beowulf，" which is strangely unconnected from Tolkien's own translation， which I haven't read yet， is interesting， but states firmly that the one thing one should never do in a translation is give it modern， "snappy" language: the very thing that Maria Dahvana Headley doe The title essay， basically arguing against the idea that the presence of monsters is a flaw in the seriousness of "Beowulf，" is well-worth reading， and gives support to genre fans everywhere！ The follow-up essay "On Translating Beowulf，" which is strangely unconnected from Tolkien's own translation， which I haven't read yet， is interesting， but states firmly that the one thing one should never do in a translation is give it modern， "snappy" language: the very thing that Maria Dahvana Headley does in her excellent new translation。 That gave me a real LOL。 All the essays are on elements of language and literature， and a few them get a little technical， or contain untranslated snippets of Old English， which I'm not ashamed to admit I skimmed over。 But I enjoyed that sense of entering into the scholarship of an earlier age， and really liked the concluding speech， about the changes he saw in the university， and its approaches to the study of English， during his career。 His description of the departments turning into "hydroponics，" growing without roots， separated from their natural environment in the world， was a pretty good metaphor that I might steal！ For some reason， even though this book has been floating around on my periphery forever， I had a hard time tracking down a physical copy selling new and "in print。" Hopefully there's just a new edition in the offing， and it isn't going to become actually scarce from the publisher。 I did find it available for e-book。 FYI。 。。。more
Sean Brenon
，
In case you’re wondering （and you probably aren’t）， Tolkien singlehandedly saved Beowulf from obscurity。 This is the essay that did it。
Ellen
，
I can't believe I'm giving Tolkien less than five stars， but it's more a reflection on me than him。 There are seven essays in this collection， one of which I've read before （"On Fairy Stories"） and while they all demonstrate his wit and depth of knowledge， some of them went over my head。 Obviously the intended audience for the essay about translating Beowulf are students of philology and Old English。 On the other hand， I really enjoyed the essay on "Welsh and English" even though again it was a I can't believe I'm giving Tolkien less than five stars， but it's more a reflection on me than him。 There are seven essays in this collection， one of which I've read before （"On Fairy Stories"） and while they all demonstrate his wit and depth of knowledge， some of them went over my head。 Obviously the intended audience for the essay about translating Beowulf are students of philology and Old English。 On the other hand， I really enjoyed the essay on "Welsh and English" even though again it was a little over my head。 I ended up googling quite a bit about the history of languages in Britain。 My favorite essays were the ones about Sir Gawain and the Green Knight--I read Tolkien's version last year and this was a nice refresher of its plot and themes-On Fairy Stories， always a classic， and his "A Secret Vice" where he talks about his love of making up languages and why he thinks that appeals to people。 Glad to have this added to my library！ 。。。more
Tess
，
The Monsters & the Critics was a wonderful essay。 I want to model my style after his， because he is not only humorous and sarcastic at times， but also very insightful， knowledgeable about Northern mythology， and defends Beowulf， a story he clearly loved。
Vee
，
I did not read every essay but as a fan of Tolkien， his creative process， and the fascinating world of languages modern and ancient， I very much enjoyed those I did read。 I skipped Sir Gawain and the Green Knight。 I’m not well versed in Beowulf so I got little from the titular essay but was deeply interested in On Translating Beowulf， through which I learned a great deal about Old English。 A Secret Vice and On Fairy Stories are probably the most accessible to Middle-earth fans。 With the exceptio I did not read every essay but as a fan of Tolkien， his creative process， and the fascinating world of languages modern and ancient， I very much enjoyed those I did read。 I skipped Sir Gawain and the Green Knight。 I’m not well versed in Beowulf so I got little from the titular essay but was deeply interested in On Translating Beowulf， through which I learned a great deal about Old English。 A Secret Vice and On Fairy Stories are probably the most accessible to Middle-earth fans。 With the exception of the Valedictory Address， all of the essays are “weedsy”， making them fairly dry。 Recommended if you want to learn more about Tolkien in his own words， but I highly recommend starting with his Letters。 R。I。P。 to Christopher Tolkien， who passed away only 2 days ago as I’m writing this。 J。R。R。 Tolkien are forever in his debt for his lifelong dedication to his father’s work。 。。。more
Rei
，
Un gran libro me llevo mucho tiempo leerlo， lo disfrute cada párrafo es un texto maravilloso que nos muestra el lado de Tolkien como catedrático de Oxford y no solo como el escritor de literatura fantástica。 Un libro que nos muestra su manera de ver los textos en ingles antiguo。 La verdad lo disfrute mucho。
Kayleigh
，
I only read Beowulf the monsters and the critics and I really loved it。 I don't know that Tolkien could make that many references to dragons。 I have read Beowulf myself and I kinda enjoyed the poem。 Loved to read his views on it。 I only read Beowulf the monsters and the critics and I really loved it。 I don't know that Tolkien could make that many references to dragons。 I have read Beowulf myself and I kinda enjoyed the poem。 Loved to read his views on it。 。。。more
Jake Creighton
，
Good for me， not really a Tolkien fan but it was cool hearing about how he structured his stories on what was essentially the good ole days
Logan
，
The title essay， I would say is one of the most useful essays I've ever read in thinking about writing and/or literary criticism。 Many people reference the Secret Vice essay which is later in the book， but I think this first one does a fantastic job of highlighting how quickly literary criticism can become garbage （not Tolkien's words） when the folks doing the critique are too far removed or ignorant to the full scope of the language and the literary history （not just wars， dates and figures his The title essay， I would say is one of the most useful essays I've ever read in thinking about writing and/or literary criticism。 Many people reference the Secret Vice essay which is later in the book， but I think this first one does a fantastic job of highlighting how quickly literary criticism can become garbage （not Tolkien's words） when the folks doing the critique are too far removed or ignorant to the full scope of the language and the literary history （not just wars， dates and figures history） of the time the piece was written。 This idea is echoed in the closing essay about a degree program at Oxford and an ongoing feud between Language and Literature one both cannot exist without the other and neither can be fully understood and appreciated without the other。 Overall， this is a great book， but for those who aren't on Tolkien's genius level when it comes to philology， polygot-ness， and vocab （like myself）， it is also a dense， challenging read。 Highly recommend having a smartphone nearby so you can translate bits of Old English， Latin， Welsh， etc as well as look up English words that you never knew existed。 。。。more
Max Eichelberger
，
I started this book early this year perhaps even February。 After reading about Beowulf I put it down。 I picked it up again and again when I needed a quick entertainment。 I finished the last essay on a sleepy day in September at my desk in the office。 I admit to skimming the Valedictory Address。 I appreciate that abusing postgraduates is a time honored tradition; sending them like "mice" to fetch "morsels" to finish half baked ideas plucked from professors' bags of curiosities。 I started this book early this year perhaps even February。 After reading about Beowulf I put it down。 I picked it up again and again when I needed a quick entertainment。 I finished the last essay on a sleepy day in September at my desk in the office。 I admit to skimming the Valedictory Address。 I appreciate that abusing postgraduates is a time honored tradition; sending them like "mice" to fetch "morsels" to finish half baked ideas plucked from professors' bags of curiosities。 。。。more
Jon Beadle
，
Brilliant
Lynne
，
This review only covers the 1936 edition， which contained only this one lecture。 It was given by an academic， to academics - have your facing-page translation of the poem handy， unless you already read Old English; also have your Latin dictionary and classical mythology references standing by。 This is the original lecture that Tolkien gave to the British Academy about the effect of Beowulf on English literature through history， but especially in the 19th Century。 His main focus is on how the cri This review only covers the 1936 edition， which contained only this one lecture。 It was given by an academic， to academics - have your facing-page translation of the poem handy， unless you already read Old English; also have your Latin dictionary and classical mythology references standing by。 This is the original lecture that Tolkien gave to the British Academy about the effect of Beowulf on English literature through history， but especially in the 19th Century。 His main focus is on how the critics never seemed to look at Beowulf as a poem; instead focusing on whether it was historical or mythical， pagan or Christian。 He analyses the poem as a poem， and why the poet was successful at his craft。 He points out quite a bit of stuff previous critics have overlooked in their various analyses， and calls them out on it， especially their attitude towards the mythological elements - the monsters。 There are Tolkien's notes at the end of the lecture， about various references and previous （to 1936） editions of the poem。This lecture became an enormous influence on future editions and translations of Beowulf， and is still a great influence on scholarship of the poem to this day - Google "impact of Beowulf: the Monsters and the Critics" to see what I mean， if you're curious。 Be prepared to read all day。Or you could read a more recent addition that has the translations included。 But it was fun to read the original transcript published by the Oxford University Press。 I enjoyed reading it， but it's dense enough that it took a while to get all the way through a mere 53 pages。 I also enjoyed his excursions into humor， of the dry academic sort， but they made me chuckle。 。。。more
Rossrn Nunamaker
，
This is a collection of essays and lectures by Tolkien including Beowulf， On Translating Beowulf， Sir Gawain and the Green Knight， and on Fairy-Stories， among others。While more academic， it is noted that most of these were addressed to audiences who did not have advanced backgrounds in the field。I found them intriguing and yet another window into how Tolkien understood and observed these works and the impact they had on his own writing。
Maga Torres
，
Un ensayo impecable。 Lectura obligatoria para los docentes de literatura de todas las edades。
Beverlyb
，