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A Sense of Tales Untold: Exploring the Edges of Tolkien's Literary Canvas is a book by Peter Grybauskas concerning J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth writings and aspects of his worldbuilding. It was published by The Kent State University Press in November, 2021.
- "The untold tales that are simply implied or referenced in the text are essential to Tolkien's achievement in world-building, Peter Grybauskas argues, and counter the common but largely spurious image of Tolkien as a writer of bloated prose. Instead, A Sense of Tales Untold highlights Tolkien's restraint―his ability to check the pen to great effect. The book begins by identifying some of Tolkien's principal sources of inspiration and his contemporaries, then summarizes theories and practices of the literary impression of depth. The following chapters offer close readings of key untold tales in context, ranging from the shadowy legends at the margins of The Lord of the Rings to the nexus of tales concerning Túrin Turambar, the great tragic hero of the Elder Days. In his frequent retellings of the Túrin legend, Tolkien found a lifelong playground for experimentation with untold stories."
- —The publisher
- "Peter Grybauskas offers, in thoughtful and engaging prose, a close examination of a subtle but important phenomenon in Tolkien’s writings: that what is unsaid is often at least as important as what is said. The unelaborated glimpses and untold tales of things far off, in time as well as distance, give to the reader the palpable sense that Tolkien’s legendary world has a deep and significant history preceding and informing the narrative present―a sense that is often remarked upon though not often examined, and that is an important part of the emotional and intellectual allure of The Lord of the Rings."
- —Carl F. Hostetter
External links[]
- Official page
- Barnes & Noble
- Baker & Taylor
- Amazon.com
- Review by Łukasz Neubauer for Edinburgh University Press