|
''The Lord of the Rings'' is an epic high-fantasy novel written by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 fantasy novel ''The Hobbit'', but eventually developed into a much larger work. Written in stages between 1937 and 1949, ''The Lord of the Rings'' is the second best-selling novel ever written, with over 150 million copies sold. The title of the novel refers to the story's main antagonist, the Dark Lord Sauron, who had in an earlier age created the One Ring to rule the other Rings of Power as the ultimate weapon in his campaign to conquer and rule all of Middle-earth. From quiet beginnings in the Shire, a hobbit land not unlike the English countryside, the story ranges across Middle-earth, following the course of the War of the Ring through the eyes of its characters, the hobbits Frodo Baggins, Samwise "Sam" Gamgee, Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck and Peregrin "Pippin" Took, but also the hobbits' chief allies and travelling companions: the Men Aragorn son of Arathorn, a Ranger of the North, and Boromir, a Captain of Gondor; Gimli son of Glóin, a Dwarf warrior; Legolas Greenleaf, an Elven prince; and Gandalf, a Wizard. The work was initially intended by Tolkien to be one volume of a two-volume set, the other to be ''The Silmarillion'', but this idea was dismissed by his publisher. For economic reasons ''The Lord of the Rings'' was published in three volumes over the course of a year from 29 July 1954 to 20 October 1955.〔 The three volumes were titled ''The Fellowship of the Ring'', ''The Two Towers'', and ''The Return of the King''. Structurally, the novel is divided internally into six books, two per volume, with several appendices of background material included at the end of the third volume. Some editions combine the entire work into a single volume. ''The Lord of the Rings'' has since been reprinted numerous times and translated into 38 languages. Tolkien's work has been the subject of extensive analysis of its themes and origins. Although a major work in itself, the story was only the last movement of a larger epic Tolkien had worked on since 1917, in a process he described as ''mythopoeia''. Influences on this earlier work, and on the story of ''The Lord of the Rings'', include philology, mythology, religion and the author's distaste for the effects of industrialization, as well as earlier fantasy works and Tolkien's experiences in World War I.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=World War I and World War II )〕 These inspirations and themes have often been denied by Tolkien himself. ''The Lord of the Rings'' in its turn is considered to have had a great effect on modern fantasy; the impact of Tolkien's works is such that the use of the words "Tolkienian" and "Tolkienesque" have been recorded in the ''Oxford English Dictionary''. The enduring popularity of ''The Lord of the Rings'' has led to numerous references in popular culture, the founding of many societies by fans of Tolkien's works, and the publication of many books about Tolkien and his works. ''The Lord of the Rings'' has inspired, and continues to inspire, artwork, music, films and television, video games, and subsequent literature. Award-winning adaptations of ''The Lord of the Rings'' have been made for radio, theatre, and film.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=The Lord of the Rings )〕 In 2003, it was named Britain's best-loved novel of all time in the BBC's The Big Read. ==Plot summary== Thousands of years before the events of the novel, the Dark Lord Sauron had forged the One Ring to rule the other Rings of Power and corrupt those who wear them: the leaders of Men, Elves and Dwarves. He was later vanquished in battle by an alliance of Elves and Men led by Elendil and Gil-galad. Isildur, a ruler of Men, cut the One Ring from Sauron's finger, claiming it as an heirloom for his line, and Sauron lost his physical form. When Isildur was later ambushed and killed by Orcs, the Ring was lost in the River Anduin at Gladden Fields. Over two thousand years later, the Ring was found by one of the river-folk called Déagol. His friend〔 They are popularly thought to be cousins, but Tolkien only calls them "friends" in ''The Lord of the Rings''. In a later letter (''The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien'', #214), he writes that they were "evidently relatives".〕 Sméagol immediately fell under the Ring's influence and strangled Déagol to acquire it. Sméagol was banished and hid under the Misty Mountains, where the Ring extended his lifespan and transformed him over the course of hundreds of years into a twisted, corrupted creature called Gollum. He lost the Ring, his "precious", and, as recounted in ''The Hobbit'', Bilbo Baggins found it. Meanwhile, Sauron re-assumed physical form and took back his old realm of Mordor. Gollum set out in search of the Ring, but was captured by Sauron, who learnt from him that "Baggins" in the Shire had taken it. Gollum was set loose, and Sauron, who needed the Ring to regain his full power, sent forth his powerful servants, the Nazgûl, to seize it. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Lord of the Rings」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|