September 7, 2001

Shot From the Canon

J.R.R. Tolkien may be the "author of the century," according to a poll done by Waterstone's bookstores, but you won't find him in the literary canon. Despite their legion of enthusiasts worldwide, Tolkien's novels have been dismissed by critics as juvenile, moralistic, and escapist (not to mention, badly written). With fans eagerly awaiting the movie The Fellowship of the Ring in December, we asked several experts to analyze why the Oxford philologist gets no academic respect.

Tom A.

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