Poetry and Song in the works of J.R.R. Tolkien

<p>Poetry and Song in the Works of J.R.R. Tolkien: proceedings of the Tolkien Society Seminar 2017.</p><p>J.R.R. Tolkien regarded himself ‘chiefly as a poet’ (Carpenter <em>The Inklings</em> p. 29) and the importance of poetic diction and its most potent form song provides a powerful leitmotif to his mythological universe. Following the publication of Tolkien’s two verse works: <em>The Lay of Atrou and Itroun</em> (2016) and <em>Beren and Luthien </em>(2017) the Tolkien Society called for papers re-examining the importance of poetry and song in Tolkien’s writing. A series of presentations both on the author’s poems and on verse incorporated into his worldbuilding were given in Leeds on the 2<sup>nd</sup> of July 2017. Published under the auspices of the Society’s Peter Roe Memorial Fund this book features a collection of four papers delivered on the day by aspiring and established Tolkien scholars alike.</p>