TOM SHIPPEY

Tolkien ha sido coronado como el autor más influyente del siglo XX. Esta tesis del profesor Shippey, centra su estudio en El Señor de loa anillos, y todo el fénomeno que conlleva, mediante un análisis de la naturaleza del mal en una trama de diferentes historias. Ademas examina obras como El Silmarillion, El Hobbit, Egido, El granjero de Ham y Arbol y hoja.

This is the definitive collection of the twentieth-century''s most characteristic genre--science fiction. The tales are organized chronologically to give readers a sense of how the genre''s range, vitality, and literary quality have evolved over time. Each tale offers a unique vision, an altered reality, a universe all its own. Readers can sample H.G. Well''s 1903 story ''''The Land Ironclads'''' (which predicted the stalemate of trench warfare and the invention of the tank), Jack Williamson''s ''''The Metal Man,'''' a rarely anthologized gem written in 1928, Clifford D. Simak''s 1940s classic, ''''Desertion,'''' set on ''''the howling maelstrom that was Jupiter,'''' Frederik Pohl''s 1955 ''''The Tunnel Under the World'''' (with its gripping first line, ''''On the morning of June 15th, Guy Burckhardt woke up screaming out of a dream''''), right up to the current crop of writers, such as cyberpunks Bruce Sterling and William Gibson, whose 1982 story ''''Burning Chrome'''' foreshadows the idea of virtual reality, and David Brin''s ''''Piecework,'''' written in 1990. In addition, Shippey provides an informative Introduction, examining the history of the genre, its major themes, and its literary techniques. These 30 SF tales, arranged chronologically from 1903 to 1990, cover a typically wide and uneven range in the genre. The omission of some authors might raise eyebrows--notably Isaac Asimov, Harlan Ellison, and Robert A. Heinlein, all known for their short fiction. Only three women are represented: C. L. Moore (whose The Piper''s Son is written under the collaborative pseudonym Lewis Padgett), Ursula K. Le Guin and Racoona Sheldon (Alice Sheldon, better known under the James Tiptree Jr. pseudonym). Only Sheldon''s The Screwfly Solution, a devastatingly scary story about misogyny gone mad, dates from the past 20 years, during which women have made serious progress in the genre; thus, the final third of the book is less representative than it might be. Standouts include Le Guin''s 0. Henry-esque The Dowry of the Angyar, Gene Wolfe''s frightening How the Whip Came Back, H. G. Wells''s anticipation of modern weapons in The L

An anthology of fantasy stories selected by the eminent Medievalist and Fantasy scholar Tom Shippey, The Oxford Book of Fantasy Stories gathers together thirty-one tales brimming over with imagination. This rich and intriguing collection of fantasy stories features classic figures--the Devil, trolls and werewolves, sorcerers and dragons--that have long been a part of the human psyche. The authors of these marvelous tales draw upon a deep well of images, characters, and landscapes with great imagination and subtlety. Featuring writers as diverse as John Buchan and Mervyn Peake, Angela Carter and Terry Pratchett, this is an anthology for the newcomer and dedicated fan alike. Shippey has done an admirable job of collecting entertaining, exotic and readable tales that fairly represent the varied trends in fantasy over the last century, bringing back some long out-of-print stories. The book has a strong comic slant, beginning with Richard Garnett''s ''The Demon Pope'' (ca. 1888), a truly amusing take on the time-honored theme of soul selling, and ending with Terry Pratchett''s ''Troll Bridge,'' in which ''Cohen the Barbarian'' bemoans the fading away of magic (and his own advancing decrepitude) but refuses to give up the hero biz. Strange tales by Lord Dunsany and H. P. Lovecraft share space with sword and sorcery offerings from Robert Howard and Catherine L. Moore. Though the anthology contains Peter Beagle''s wonderful ''Lila the Werewolf'' and Theodore Sturgeon''s classic ''The Silken-Swift,'' there are several puzzling absences--notably J.R.R. Tolkien, Patricia McKillip and Ursula Le Guin. But taken in toto this collection offers insights into the breadth of the field, its historical development and its many beauties.

Un volumen complementario del mundo de J.R.R. Tolkien.El estudio crítico definitivo de las mejores obras de Tolkien realizado por el respetado y mundialmente reconocido experto en Tolkien, el profesor T.A. Shippey. El respetado academico y estudioso de Tolkien de renombre mundial, el profesor Tom Shippey, nos presenta este volumen complementario del mundo de J.R.R. Tolkien, centrandose en particular en El Hobbit, El Señor de los Anillos y El Silmarillion. Escrito en un estilo claro y accesible, J. R. R. Tolkien: Autor del Siglo revela por que todos estos libros seran atemporales y muestra como incluso obras tan complejas como El Silmarillion pueden leerse con placer. Discrepando de las criticas desinformadas que a menudo se han dirigido a Tolkien y a la fantasia en general, el profesor Shippey ofrece una nueva aproximacion a Tolkien, a la fantasia y a la importancia del lenguaje en la literatura, y demuestra como sus libros forman parte de la tradicion de la narracion oral que tiene sus raices en los cuentos de hadas de Grimm, las Eddas o Beowulf. La exploracion de Shippey de los temas de Tolkien, especialmente la naturaleza del mal, es magnifica Independent

Un volumen complementario del mundo de J.R.R. Tolkien.El estudio crítico definitivo de las mejores obras de Tolkien realizado por el respetado y mundialmente reconocido experto en Tolkien, el profesor T.A. Shippey.El respetado academico y estudioso de Tolkien de renombre mundial, el profesor Tom Shippey, nos presenta este volumen complementario del mundo de J.R.R. Tolkien, centrandose en particular en El Hobbit, El Señor de los Anillos y El Silmarillion. Escrito en un estilo claro y accesible, J. R. R. Tolkien: Autor del Siglo revela por que todos estos libros seran atemporales y muestra como incluso obras tan complejas como El Silmarillion pueden leerse con placer.Discrepando de las criticas desinformadas que a menudo se han dirigido a Tolkien y a la fantasia en general, el profesor Shippey ofrece una nueva aproximacion a Tolkien, a la fantasia y a la importancia del lenguaje en la literatura, y demuestra como sus libros forman parte de la tradicion de la narracion oral que tiene sus raices en los cuentos de hadas de Grimm, las Eddas o Beowulf.La exploracion de Shippey de los temas de Tolkien, especialmente la naturaleza del mal, es magnifica Independent