A major contribution to the growing body of Tolkien scholarship With the release of Peter Jacksons The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy and forthcoming film version of The Hobbit, J. R. R. Tolkiens popularity has never been higher. In Green Suns and Faerie, author Verlyn Flieger, one of worlds foremost Tolkien scholars, presents a selection of her best articles--some never before published--on a range of Tolkien topics. The essays are divided into three distinct sections. The first explores Tolkiens ideas of sub-creation-the making of a Secondary World and its relation to the real world, the second looks at Tolkiens reconfiguration of the medieval story tradition, and the third places his work firmly within the context of the twentieth century and modernist literature. With discussions ranging from Tolkiens concepts of the hero to the much-misunderstood nature of Bilbos last riddle in The Hobbit, Flieger reveals Tolkien as a man of both medieval learning and modern sensibility--one who is deeply engaged with the past and future, the regrets and hopes, the triumphs and tragedies, and above all the profound difficulties and dilemmas of his troubled century. Taken in their entirety, these essays track a major scholars deepening understanding of the work of the master of fantasy. Green Suns and Faerie is sure to become a cornerstone of Tolkien scholarship.