The Times Literary Supplement
| The Times Literary Supplement | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publisher | London: The Times Literary Supplement Limited |
| Format | Magazine |
| Pages | 32 |
| ISSN | 0307661 |
The Times Literary Supplement is a literary journal.
Notable issues[edit | edit source]
1954[edit | edit source]
Upon the publication of The Fellowship of the Ring, in the article "Heroic Endeavour" of 27 August 1954 (p. 541), an anonymous reviewer thought that Tolkien managed to balance between the "Light Programme" and the "Domain of the Nibelungs", seeming like the former intruding into the latter. Considering the book an allegory of the Cold War, some criticism was that the Good is not defined, as the protagonists function unter "the warrior's code of courage".[1]
With the publication of The Two Towers, a reviewer wrote the article "The Epic of Westernesse" for the 17 December issue (p. 817). According to the review, the "allegory" of this 'prose epic in praise of courage', was becoming plainer. The reviewer considered convincing and delightful the described imaginary places; but also criticised the lack of some realistic elements of the Secondary World, such as jobs and money, the role of women, the Sea, while nowhere is explained how evil is Sauron.[2]
1955[edit | edit source]
The Return of the King was reviewed in the article "The Saga of Middle Earth" on 25 November 1955 (p. 704). The reviewer considered the work memorable, but not readable more than once; he likened the whole story to a shiny and magnificent edifice, stretching beyond view, with "further spacious halls as yet unvisited", but also criticised how Good and Evil were distibguished.
In the issue of 9 December (p. 743), responding to a reader's letter, the reviewer wrote that all the book was about the good and the bad, both brave, only trying to kill each other and that "Morally there seems nothing to choose between them".[3]
2012[edit | edit source]
The issue of 14 September 2012 (published online two days earlier) includes the article "A vision of Middle-earth: Mary Fairburn — Tolkien illustrator" by Paul Tankard, about the artist Mary Fairburn, her illustrations inspired by Middle-earth, and friendship with J.R.R. Tolkien. Several quotations from formerly unpublished letters by Tolkien are provided.
References
- ↑ Quoted in Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, p. xxxv
- ↑ Quoted in Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, p. xxxvi
- ↑ Quoted in Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull (eds), The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, p. xxxvii
External links[edit | edit source]
- The Times Literary Supplement at Wikipedia
- "An unknown vision of Middle-earth" (online version)
- Literary Detective Dr. Paul Tankard at Radio New Zealand
