"In The Tower and the Ruin, Michael Drout explains what sets Tolkien's work apart from all other modern literature. Drout's argument starts with the observation that reading Tolkien's books, particularly The Lord of the Rings, feels more like having an experience than just reading another book. Along with more easily described characteristics -- the richness and complexity of the world of Middle-earth, the aesthetic beauty of Tolkien's invented languages, the intricacy of the narrative, and the sophistication of the moral vision -- this experiential quality is the foundation of his books' enduring popularity and cultural influence. It is also what makes them more personally significant to many readers than any other secular texts. Taking us into Tolkien's life and his many books -- from The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and The Silmarillion to lesser-known works such as The Fall of Gondolin and The Book of Lost Tales -- Drout shows how Tolkien, over a period of decades, crafted a fully coherent world. But the greater achievement, Drout argues, was how he drew from Beowulf, the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala, and other foundational myths to create of a set of stories that felt, to readers, as though they were much, much older than they actually were; that read as compilations of already existing material; and that appeared to be the product of many different authors. Throughout, Drout demonstrates how Tolkien has shaped his own life, helping him during periods of intense sorrow. As he writes, "The effects of the Ring on Frodo and Gollum are the most profound metaphorical exploration of addiction that has ever been written, capturing the experience so perfectly that when my father finally told me about his struggles with alcoholism, he said 'I could not take off the Ring,' and I understood." Sweeping and hugely perceptive, The Tower and the Ruin defines Tolkien anew." --