Patrick Curry before 2017
Patrick Curry, Ph.D. (born 1951 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada) is a professor, independent scholar, and writer known for his 1997 book Defending Middle-earth: Tolkien: Myth and Modernity, defending J.R.R. Tolkien's use of fantasy against modernist stigmas and discussing spirituality.
He gives commentary about Tolkien's life and work in documentary features of the Extended Edition of The Lord of the Rings films (2001 - 2003) such as J.R.R. Tolkien - The Legacy of Middle-earth.
In 2014, Curry's collection Deep Roots in a Time of Frost: Essays on Tolkien was published, addressing critiques of Tolkien and studying themes of enchantment - distinct from magic - in the Middle-earth legendarium. He has written other essays for collections of Tolkien scholarship, often addressing enchantment, nature, or modernity, as well as two reviews of secondary Tolkien literature.
Curry attained his Ph.D. in History and Philosophy of Science from University College London in 1987, having received an M.Sc. in Logic and Scientific Method at London School of Economics in 1980. He resides in London, England.
Articles & reviews (selected)[]
- "The Critical Response to Tolkien's Fiction" in A Companion to J.R.R. Tolkien (2014 / 2022)
- “Iron Crown, Iron Cage: Tolkien and Weber on Modernity and Enchantment” in Thomas Honegger & Eduardo Segura's Myth and Magic: Art according to the Inklings (2008) and The Ring Goes Ever On: Proceedings of the Tolkien 2005 Conference
- Seven entries in Michael D. C. Drout's The J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment (2007)
- "Middle-earth" in Bron Taylor & Jeffrey Kaplan's Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature (2004)
- "Modernity in Middle-earth" in Joseph Pearce's Tolkien: A Celebration (1999)
- "Tolkien and his Critics: A Critique" in Thomas Honegger's Root & Branch: Approaches towards Understanding Tolkien (1999)
- "'Less Noise and More Green': Tolkien's Ideology for England", presented in 1992 and included in Proceedings of the J.R.R. Tolkien Centenary Conference (1995)
- Review of M. Dickerson & J. Evans' 2007 book, Ents, Elves and Eriador: The Environmental Vision of J.R.R. Tolkien
- Review of Robert Eaglestone's Reading The Lord of the Rings: New Writings on Tolkien's Classic (from Tolkien Studies, vol. 4)
- Review of Helen O'Brian & G. Hynes' 2013 book, J.R.R. Tolkien: The Forest and the City
Documentaries[]
- J.R.R. Tolkien - Creator of Middle-earth (2002)
- J.R.R. Tolkien - Origins of Middle-earth (2003)
- The Real Middle-earth (2003)
- Secrets of Middle-Earth: Inside Tolkien's The Return of the King (2003)
- Secrets of Middle-Earth: Inside Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring (2003)
- J.R.R. Tolkien: The Legacy of Middle-earth (2004)
External links[]
