Psychoanalysis and The Lord of the Rings?offers a psychoanalytical perspective on The Lord of the Rings, informed by the Kleinian school within psychoanalysis, especially the work of Donald Meltzer.?
Just as Freuds commentaries on?Oedipus Rex?and?Hamlet?transformed readers experience of those plays, Adrian Smiths bold reading of J. R. R. Tolkiens?The Lord of the Rings?in light of Donald Meltzers ideas will transform and deepen readers experience of this much-loved text, in line with the psychoanalytic ethos of taking fantasy seriously. Readers drawn to the book because of an interest in Meltzers work will also find that its exploration via Frodos journey provides a valuable guide to navigation of Meltzers notoriously difficult contributions.
--Elizabeth Allison, DPhil, Director, UCL Psychoanalysis Unit
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Adrian Smiths ambitious and scholarly study brings together his appreciative reading of Tolkiens?The Lord of the Rings?with his interest in psychoanalytic understandings of the inner world of dream and fantasy, and particularly the contributions of Donald Meltzer. He takes his readers on a dizzying journey following Frodos travels from the Shire to Mordor and home again, exploring the correlation between the landscapes and peoples he and his companions encounter, and must get to know, with the internal landscapes met within clinical practice and described by Meltzer. Smith argues that this conjunction illuminates the imaginative vision of both Tolkien and Meltzer, mutually enriching to both.
He writes beautifully, clearly inspired by a passion to share the discoveries he has made. It is truly a tour de force to weave together so eloquently such totally different kinds of writing about fundamental human problems. Lovers (andl“-
![Psychoanalysis and The Lord of the Rings: A Meltzerian Perspective on Frodos Jo [Hardcover]](/itemImage/2/5/9/8/2_7270199.jpg "Psychoanalysis and The Lord of the Rings: A Meltzerian Perspective on Frodos Jo [Hardcover]")