The Manley arts: too good.(The Lord of the Ring series and The Fellowship of the Ring motion picture)(Brief Article)

Publication: Booklist

Publication Date: 01-APR-02

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COPYRIGHT 2002 American Library Association

Several years ago, in the midst of a literary midlife crisis, I asked the readers of B00klist to send me the titles of five books that they felt everyone should read before they died. I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised that J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings series ended up right near the top of the list, behind only Shakespeare and the Bible. This master of fantasy clearly cast an enchanting spell upon an entire generation of readers. Using elements of Celtic, Nordic, and English folklore, Tolkien created an elaborate legendary world that many Booklist readers indicated was like a favorite vacation spot they visited every five years or so. In this fanciful world, which he called Middle Earth, Tolkien spun an engaging story around an unlikely hobbit named Frodo, who, against his will, is charged with the grave duty of destroying a powerful ring that the evil tyrant Sauron intends to use...

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