An interesting analysis of the mindset of Tolkien in writing the Lord of the Rings. It clearly points out how an author's worldview affects his writing. In particular, Tolkien's views of morality, the freedom of choice and the nature of evil are expressed in his work. The book explores the Hobbit, the Lord of the Rings, as well as his poetry and shorter tales. Sauron's evil is seen in his desire that all who come under his domination do his bidding against their wills. For this reason, Tolkien emphasizes that the members of the Fellowship must freely choose their actions. Major chapters are on the Hobbit, Tolkien's view of the cosmic order, Sauron and the nature of evil, the free peoples, and Aragorn. The book is well worth reading to gain a perspective on Tolkien's writing.

This was published before the Silmarillion, which made for interesting reading, as I've read the Silmarillion a few times and know a fair bit about Middle-Earth. There were some suppositions and guesses in this book that have since been answered, both by the publication of the Silmarillion and by others. I did enjoy this very much though.

I particularly liked the chapter on Aragorn, which presented a way of looking at his character in a way that I've never imagined. The fact is that he is the 'hero' character and would most likely have been the main character had this been written by any other author. The analysis of his character in this volume digs beneath the superficial presentation of a good man who is doing his best to fulfill his destiny and win the hand of Arwen. There are many interesting aspects to his character that I've never considered - such as feelings of frustration, desire, ambition. I've always seen him as wise and patient and, essentially, passive. The analysis of his discussion of Narsil/Anduril and his position with Boromir during the council is also well worth reading and will colour my next reading of it (Sadly, I'm already at the end of book 3, about to look into the palantir with Pippin in my current reading).

The final chapter, Seven leaves, was very interesting for the simple reason that I've never considered much of Tolkien's other writing in relation to his writings on Middle Earth. It's very interesting to see the familiar imagery and parallels that pervade his other writings.

Even though this is old and in some places out-dated, I'd definitely recommend it to anyone interested in Tolkien's work.

The 1977 paperback edition of a 1972 book, one of the earlier works on Tolkien from an academic point of view. An entertaining read though I gather rather dated in the face of multiple volumes since written on Tolkien, Middle Earth, etc. I enjoyed most of it, as with many academic volumes it sometimes seemed to go on too long but that's true of much that has been written about the subject by both fans and academics. This has earned a place on the shelves with LOTR, The Hobbit, and the Silmarion, etc. - but I don't feel driven either to search for the books the author referenced or for the books since written to explain how wrong the author was in this book. If you are doing serious work on the subject, this needs to be in your bibliography at the least.

Unexpectedly beautiful, yet cut off at its greatness.

Long before Peter Jackson's famous trilogy, people were already raving about Tolkien's work. Take Kocher for example, who went about it clear-sighted and tactfully.

For me, as hardcore fan and avid Tolkien fan, Kocher's reflections on the Lord of the Rings were impeccable, such as the nature of evil, and the subtle religious undertones conveyed by the spiritual providence that characters seem to intuit and live by.

However, right at the peak of this work, the author transitions to Tolkien's smaller works, which I don't outright detest, but do resent if it meant making way for more meat on the menu on his masterpiece. My criticism is that it's simply too short! And, although my interest is woken for The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth, and appreciation was kindled for Leaf and Smith of Wootton Major in alluding to the tension field between Faery realm and man's, my passion remains the mythology of the epic, and this book covers that too little in my personal view.

Despite delivering many insights, I simply wish for more, and this book does not by any stretch of the imagination represent the definitive go-to for literary analysis of his life's work, it does however, tie together the various themes of his life and compares it to his publications, in an attempt to display how Tolkien thought about morality and religion, besides demonstrating his passion for Norse/Old English sagas and philology.

An enlightening read, though too short/incomplete to feel satisfying.

Highly recommended to writers, storytellers and fans of the spiritual aspects and meaning of the Lord of the Rings.

This book is kind of a collection of essays analyzing Tolkien's writings surrounding the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. It was very interesting to look at a scholars take on these classics of literature. My favorite section was the one on Aragorn in which he describes in great detail why Aragorn is one of the most key players in the series. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to die-hard Lord of the Rings fans. I will admit that I did not read the last section in which the author describes several of Tolkien's writings that I was not familiar with.

Some of the conclusions in this book are so weird and evidently wrong, perhaps due to the early date of the book. Still, some of the author's thoughts and perspectives were quite interesting and I'll most likely use them.

Expertly written, a great analysis of many of Tolkien's works.

Up until the very last chapter I was completely taken by this book.

I don't typically read literary critisism but, because I've become a little obsessed with Middle Earth recently, I absolutely ploughed through this one. The chapters on Aragorn and how fate/choice is approached in LOTR were highlights and I'll go back and read those a few times I'd imagine.

Sadly there were a couple of times Hocher lost me. Never on times where The Silmarillion contradicted his opinions (actually those I found extremely interesting!!) but the last chapter on how the various poetry linked into Middle Earth fell a little flat to me. As was his clear dismissal of The Hobbit as a children's novel. The latter was mainly disappointing because I wished aspects of it had been included in other, relevant, chapters.

Overall though a solid 4.5 out of 5.

This is the second book Of Tolkien commentary that I’ve read in the last year, or at least the second book which digs into the Lord of the Rings in order to understand the epic critically. Unlike Tom Shippey, who’s "Author of the Century" made a foundational criticism from which later Tolkien scholars and fans would begin their defense and validation of the “old professor’s” work, Kocher it seems has not had the same level of success. And I’m not sure why this is.

Kocher’s book is a marvelous companion material to The Lord of the Rings, because of the way the man manages to dig into the material of the novels and try to gleam some lovel of serious critical insight. Rather than look at the inividual books however Kocher looks at elements of the texts dedicating chapters to the various races and organisms, Sauron and the very quality of evil which exists in the novels, the character of Aragorn, and the precursor novel The Hobbit. Each of these chapters provides a general body of material before it digs into the analyses, and it’s to Korcher’s benefit that I never got tired of hours writing.

Unlike some commentary books, where authors become wrapped up and overly immersed in their criticism and analysis, Kocher keeps his writing approachable. Anyone who has read the books, or even just heard of The Lord of the Rings could pick this up and understand his work. For this reason alone Korcher’s text is a valuable addition to Lord of the Ring studies.

I should note that I gave the book four stars however because the last chapter ends on an analysis of the poems associated with Tolkien’s character Niggle rather than another element of the trilogy. The last chapter isn’t terrible, but it distracts from what had been an amazing book up to that time.

Korcher, much like Michael D.C. Drout and Tom Shippey before him gave me a new perspective in which to observe Middle Earth and the characters I’ve spent my entire life immersed in. This book was marvelous.

Execellent collection of essays on the works of JRR Tolkien, first published on the early 1970s. I found the chapter on Aragorn to be the best of the lot, and worth the price of the book.

Very interesting essays on "Sauron and the Nature of Evil", "Aragon" and "Cosmic Order" in Tolkien's works. A lot of things I had not thought of previously in the epic.