J.R.R. Tolkien’s Utopianism and the Classics, by Hamish Williams. Reviewed by Łukasz Neubauer.

Authors

Łukasz Neubauer

Document Type

Book Review

Publication Date

7-21-2025

Abstract

At first glance, the concept of looking at the works of Tolkien through the prism of Classical studies may strike one as eccentric, even misguided. After all, he dedicated his academic life to the study of medieval literature, teach-ing courses in early English poetry as well as Norse myths and sagas. Likewise in his literary oeuvre, the majority of Tolkien’s inspirations are of indisputably medieval character, from the more topical concerns, such as the quest to reclaim the lost treasure in The Hobbit, to the recurrent puns and word-plays in Farmer Giles of Ham.

Source

This book review appeared in Mythprint 413.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

Neubauer, Łukasz, "J.R.R. Tolkien’s Utopianism and the Classics, by Hamish Williams. Reviewed by Łukasz Neubauer." (2025). Mythprint Book Reviews. 32.
https://dc.swosu.edu/mpr_rev/32