contemporary authors 1940 - present

Significant Authors and Works

Contemporary Times 1940 – Present

Presented by : Mark O.Mondano 05/01/2023 ENGLISH AMERICAN LIT. MARK O. MONDANO BSED III STI-WNU

05/01/2023 ENGLISH AMERICAN LIT. MARK O. MONDANO BSED III STI-WNU

A four-time Pulitzer Prize winner in poetry, American Robert Frost depicted realistic New England life through language and situations familiar to the common man.

Born on March 26, 1874, Robert Frost spent his first 40 years as an unknown. He exploded on the scene after returning from England at the beginning of WWI. Winner of four Pulitzer Prizes and a special guest at President John F. Kennedy’s inauguration, Frost became a poetic force and the unofficial "poet laureate" of the United States.

Robert Lee Frost

(March 26, 1874 –

January 29, 1963)


Literary Legacy In the late 1950s, Frost, along with Ernest Hemingway and T. S. Eliot, championed the release of his old acquaintance Ezra Pound, who was being held in a federal mental hospital for treason due to his involvement with fascists in Italy during World War II. Pound was released in 1958, after the indictments were dropped. In 1960, Congress awarded Frost the Congressional Gold Medal. A year later, at the age of 86, Frost was honored when asked to write and recite a poem for President John F. Kennedy's inauguration. His sight now failing, he was not able to see the words in the sunlight and substituted the reading of one of his poems, "The Gift Outright," which he had committed to memory.

http://www.biography.com/people/ernest-hemingway-9334498

http://www.biography.com/people/ts-eliot-9286072

http://www.biography.com/people/john-f-kennedy-9362930


In 1962, Frost visited the Soviet Union on a goodwill tour. However, when he accidentally misrepresented a statement made by Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev following their meeting, he unwittingly undid much of the good intended by his visit. On January 29, 1963, Frost died from complications related to prostate surgery. He was survived by two of his daughters, Lesley and Irma, and his ashes are interred in a family plot in Bennington, Vermont.

http://www.biography.com/people/nikita-khrushchev-9364384


Robert Frost wrote “The Road Not Taken” as a joke for a friend, the poet Edward Thomas. When they went walking together, Thomas was chronically indecisive about which road they ought to take and—in retrospect—often lamented that they should, in fact, have taken the other one. Soon after writing the poem in 1915, Frost griped to Thomas that he had read the poem to an audience of college students and that it had been “taken pretty seriously … despite doing my best to make it obvious by my manner that I was fooling. … Mea culpa.” However, Frost liked to quip, “I’m never more serious than when joking.” As his joke unfolds, Frost creates a multiplicity of meanings, never quite allowing one to supplant the other—even as “The Road Not Taken” describes how choice is inevitable.

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/44272

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poets/detail/edward-thomas


The Road Not TakenBy Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel bothAnd be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I couldTo where it bent in the undergrowth;

•

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poets/detail/robert-frost



Then took the other, as just as fair,And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

•





And both that morning equally layIn leaves no step had trodden black.Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,I doubted if I should ever come back.

•





I shall be telling this with a sighSomewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

•




J.R.R. Tolkien

is an internationally renowned fantasy writer. He is best known

for authoring The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

“If you really want to know what Middle-earth is based on, it's my wonder and delight in the earth as it is, particularly the natural

earth.”—J.R.R. Tolkien


John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892-1973) was a major scholar of the English language, specialising in Old and Middle English. Twice Professor of Anglo-Saxon (Old English) at the University of Oxford, he also wrote a number of stories, including most famously The Hobbit (1937) and The Lord of the Rings (1954-1955), which are set in a pre-historic era in an invented version of our world which he called by the Middle English name of Middle-earth. This was peopled by Men (and women), Elves, Dwarves, Trolls, Orcs (or Goblins) and of course Hobbits. He has regularly been condemned by the Eng. Lit. establishment, with honourable exceptions, but loved by literally millions of readers worldwide.


SynopsisBorn on January 3, 1892, in Bloemfontein, South Africa, J.R.R. Tolkien settled in England as a child, going on to study at Exeter College. While teaching at Oxford University, he published the popular fantasy novels The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The works have had a devoted international fan base and been adapted into award-winning blockbuster films. Tolkien died in 1973 at 81.

Early LifeJohn Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa, on January 3, 1892, to Arthur Tolkien and Mabel Suffield Tolkien. After Arthur Tolkien died from complications of rheumatic fever, Mabel settled with 4-year-old J.R.R. (then called Ronald) and his younger brother, Hilary, in the country hamlet of Sarehole, in Birmingham, England.


Career as a Scholar and Writer

Continuing his linguistic studies, Tolkien joined the faculty of the University of Leeds in 1920 and a few years later became a professor at Oxford University. While there he started a writing group called The Inklings, which counted among its members C.S. Lewis and Owen Barfield. It was also at Oxford, while grading a paper, that he spontaneously wrote a short line about "a hobbit."

The award-winning fantasy novel The Hobbit—about the small, furry-footed Bilbo Baggins and his adventures—was published in 1937 and was regarded as a children’s book, though Tolkien would state the book wasn’t originally intended for children. He also created more than 100 drawings to support the narrative.


Legacy The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings series are grouped among the most popular books in the world, having sold tens of millions of copies. The Rings trilogy was also adapted by director Peter Jackson into a highly popular, award-winning trio of films starring Ian McKellen, Elijah Wood, Cate Blanchett and Viggo Mortensen, among others. Jackson is also at the helm of a three-part Hobbit movie adaptation starring Martin Freeman, with the first installment being released at the end of 2012. Tolkien's son Christopher has edited several works that weren't completed at the time of his father's death, including The Silmarillion and The Children of Húrin, which were published posthumously. The Art of the Hobbit was published in 2012, celebrating the novel's 75th anniversary by presenting Tolkien's original illustrations.


Over the years, while working on scholarly publications, Tolkien developed the work that would come to be regarded as his masterpiece—the Lord of the Rings series, partially inspired by ancient European myths, with its own sets of maps, lore and languages.

Tolkien released part one of the series, The Fellowship of the Ring, in 1954; The Two Towers and The Return of the King followed in 1955, finishing up the trilogy. The books gave readers a rich literary trove populated by elves, goblins, talking trees and all manner of fantastic creatures, including characters like the wizard Gandalf and the dwarf Gimli.

While Rings had its share of critics, many reviewers and waves upon waves of general readers took to Tolkien’s world, causing the books to become global best sellers, with fans forming Tolkien clubs and learning his fictional languages.


The Lord of the Rings trilogy consists of three parts: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King. Each of these books were written by John Ronald Reuel Tolkien—or as he’s better known as, J.R.R Tolkien (Carpenter).

The Oxford professor wrote the trilogy between 1937 and 1949 as a follow-up to a children’s book he wrote called The Hobbit in 1937 (Carpenter). Although The Hobbit was considered a children’s story, his Lord of the Rings books broke new ground in creating a whole new take on myth and legend. Though written in the late 30s and 40s, his books would not be published until 1954 and 1955 (Carpenter).

Outing the geek We have been fascinated with the world that Tolkien has created ever since I was able to lift one of his gigantic books. The beauty and darkness that Tolkien created made mythical characters like powerful wizards and gruesome orks come to life. The passion and deep admiration for The Lord of the Rings sparked my interest in the trasmediation from the books, to the movies and to a parody featured on MTV and youtube, and how they were able to reach different audiences while changing the how the story is experienced.


The Lord of the Rings- The Novels

Published in 1954 and 1955, J.R.R Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy is a fantasy fiction tale set in the world of Middle Earth. The book—being a sequel to The Hobbit—focuses on a “ring of power” that must be destroyed before an evil Lord Sauron can get a hold of it and gain power over the land.

The ring falls into the hands of a young Hobbit named Frodo. Realizing the dangers of the ring and all who come in contact with it, a group forms to aid Frodo in his journey to destroy the magical ring at Mount Doom. The fellowship includes different races from all corners of Middle Earth, including an axe wielding dwarf, an sharp shooting elf, a powerful wizard, bumbling hobbits and a couple of sword wielding humans as well.


The Lord of the Rings- The Novels

Along the treacherous journey, Frodo, the ring and his hobbit friend Sam are separated from the group, fending for themselves and putting the weight of the future of their world on their stubby shoulders. Epic battles and countless struggles befall the fellowship as they counter the ork ridden armies of Sauron, still desperate to find the ring. In the end Frodo is able to destroy the ring, thus defeating Lord Sauron and any chance of his evil consuming the land.

Epic battles and beautiful dialog enriched these books, giving the reader vast amounts of knowledge and background of the history and characters of Middle Earth. Tolkien put a great amount of detail and art into making the reader understand and almost believe this world existed. Readers back in the 50s and 60s could pick up a copy of Tolkien's books and immerse themselves in a fantasy induced, yet complex read found no where else. It was because of The Lord of the Rings books that the genre of fantisy fiction was able to flourish, as well as develop.


The Lord of the Rings- The Movies2001 marked the beginning of the blockbuster hit that is The Lord of the Rings. Director Peter Jackson helped move The Lord of the Rings from paper to the cinemas (Wiki).

Filmed in the breathtaking landscape of New Zealand, the first The Lord of the Rings gave new breath to an already acclaimed series of books. With the popularity of the 2001 movie, the following two books were also given the green light for movie adaptations--The Two Towers in 2002 and The Return of the King in 2003.

All three movies were widely popular, both at the box office and with critics as well. All together the film trilogy grossed over $2.91 billion worldwide and earned 17 Academy Awards (Wiki).


The Lord of the Rings- The MoviesThe differences in the movies vs the books is the lack of detail and time put into the characters and plot of the story in the movies. While this is common for book to movie adaptations, many subplots were either completely cut, or reworked into the script. Though where the movie fails in cutting parts of the story, it makes up for it's special effects and great action packed sequences. The movies were able to bring the imagery and epic scale of Middle Earth from our imaginations to actual visual imagery.

This "Super Trailer" helps reiterate the great visuals and special effects that help make the story appealing to a wider audiance (not to mention how awesome CGI Gollum is):


Why Did J.R.R. Tolkien Write The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings?

Fantasy fiction has taken its place as king among literary genres, displacing the Western, Science Fiction, Thrillers, and even Historical Romance. No other literary genre has inspired so much derivative work in the past 15 years than Fantasy literature. And everyone gives credit to J.R.R. Tolkien for laying the groundwork that helped make Fantasy literature as successful as it is today.


Why Did J.R.R. Tolkien Write The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings?

• But why did J.R.R. Tolkien write The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings anyway? It could not have been because he saw a future in Fantasy literature because back in his day the biggest Fantasy stories had been written decades or centuries before he took up the pen and typewriter. Everyone was familiar with Arthurian fantasy and even the books of George MacDonald, who wrote The Princess and the Goblin. But there was no huge market for Fantasy literature in the 1930s, not the way we have one today. And certainly no vast array of comic books and movies and stage plays.


• The usual explanation for why Tolkien wrote The Hobbit is that it began as a story he made up to amuse his sons. This must have been around 1929 or 1930. According to Martinez there is disagreement over exactly when J.R.R. Tolkien began talking about hobbits to his children but by 1933 the story was written down well enough to be passed on to a publisher. So The Hobbit was probably written down just to keep the story straight as it must have changed over time. The exact reasons and timing of all this have excited fan discussions for years. There will never be an end to the constant asking of “why”. And that is part of the fun of reading the story.

http://www.minastirith.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=3;t=000302


Harry will experience many life threatening situations during his first year. These situations will arise as he comes to learn more about Voldemort and those that follow him. Every experience Harry, Hermione, and Ron will find themselves in, will bring Harry closer to the one that must not be named, Voldemort.


Synopsis of the Harry Potter Stories

The story of Harry Potter begins as he is about to celebrate is eleventh birthday. Up until this time, Harry’s birthdays have come and gone like any other day; they have been nothing worth celebrating. You see, Harry has lived in a cupboard under the stairs in his Uncle Vernon’s and Aunt Petunia’s house. He has never received a birthday present worth remembering. His very few possessions have been the hand-me-downs of his cousin Dudley. Harry has never known why the Dursley’s have never treated him well. All he knows is that his mother and father died in a car crash and he came to live with the Dursley’s when he just one year old.

But all things will forever change on Harry’s eleventh birthday. He learns from a letter, given to him by an unknown, very large person name Hagrid, that he is not just a regular person. He learns that like his mother and father, he too is a wizard. Harry’s life changes in an instant. The letter he receives is an acceptance and invitation to study at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.


Upon arriving at Hogwarts, Harry is sorted into the Gryffindor House by the Sorting Hat. At Hogwarts, Harry will learn what it means to be Wizard. He will learn many things about wizardry from his teachers and Head Master, Dumbledore. He will learn that not all people come from wizard families. Some, called Muggles, will also study at Hogwarts. For the first time, he will meet and make friends. Hermione Granger (Muggle born) and Ron Weasley (Wizard ), will help Harry through a most challenging first year at Hogwarts.

Harry’s first year at Hogwarts will be challenging as he comes to learn more about his past and the death of his parents. Not only did Harry learn on his eleventh birthday that he was a wizard, but he also learned that his parents died at the hands of a wizard practicing dark magic:Voledmort. And although, Voldemort attempted to kill Harry, something saved him. Instead of Harry dying, Voldemort lost his powers. Harry is reminded of that fateful night each time he looks in the mirror and sees a lightening bolt scar on his forehead and as others greet him famously wherever he goes.

contemporary authors 1940 - present

Education