Joseph Loconte

This book is definitely worth reading, for anyone who has enjoyed either of the books, or any books, by the authors referenced in the title. Loconte has many insights into the Great War of 1914-18 and how surviving it was a formative experience for Tolkien and Lewis. Just one example: I've read many books that (possibly cribbing from each other) assert that Mordor was influenced, primarily, by the industrialization of England in the early 20th century, which never seemed an adequate explanation. Loconte draws the parallel, which one immediately sees as true, with the wasteland of France and Flanders during the War. Of course. The Shire in its new-and-improved Sarumaniac glory was the place influenced by industrialization. There are many, many other ways in which the War and the experience of battle are expressed in many of Lewis's and Tolkien's books. A hobbit, a wardrobe and a Great War is a book to reread.… (mehr)