Book Description
C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien were members of a writing group known as the Inklings, a group that also included novelist Charles Williams, historian Warren Lewis, and philosopher Owen Barfield. In this groundbreaking book, Diana Glyer invites readers into the heart of their meetings, showing how encouragement, criticism, and collaboration changed The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, and dozens of other important works. While this book is a must for those who read Lewis or Tolkien, it will also appeal to those who are interested in the writing process, small-group interaction, the nature of creativity, and the various ways that artists challenge, correct, and encourage one another as they work together in community.
Customer Reviews:
The literary community as a source of Tolkein's and Lewis's fantasy classics.......2007-09-19
The fantasy literature of C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkein is so imaginative and idiosyncratic that one accepts that they wrote such lasting works somewhat obstinately and mainly privately almost as a hobby with little hope they would ever be published, much less popular. The picture of J. R. Rowling writing the beginnings of the first Harry Potter book sitting along at a table in an English shop comes to mind with this image of the earlier authors. Lewis and Tolkein are known to be good friends as well as professional colleagues at Oxford University. But as professor of English at Azusa Pacific U. in California Glyer puts forward, Lewis and Tolkein were part of a circle of academics and writers who had a large, discernible, and often documented influence on their works. From diaries, memoirs, letters, and other sources, Glyer finds that this influence is most evident with Tolkein. This circle which acquired the name "The Inklings," "modeled the behavior of poets and storytellers, provided feedback on his drafts, helped him develop his own critical faculties, recommended reading material that supported and shaped his imagination, and suggested that certain pieces be started, reworked, completed, or submitted for publication." Glyer continues, "It is no small matter that all of this early influence took place within a highly interactive group setting." What the author says with respect to Tolkein applies as well to Lewis, though not quite so overtly recognizably. In their turn, Tolkein and Lewis were active participants in the group offering the same support and suggestions to its other members. Shortly after arriving at Oxford as a student, Tolkein founded the literary society named the "Apolausticks."
In an appendix by a David Bratman, relevant background on 17 members of the Inklings besides Tolkein and Lewis is given. Most became university professors of English or medieval literature or of language studies, with most doing scholarly writings on literary criticism. This work of literary criticism and author biography is obviously timely given the current interest in these authors as evidenced by widely-popular movies made from books of theirs.
A book I wish I could write.......2007-04-27
This book shows scholarly intellect, hard work, dedication, and insightful thought that I have only achieved in lofty dreams. Diana Glyer presents interesting, insiteful, and inspiring information about the Inklings that you will not find anywhere else. I have never read a book that so skillfully puts scholarship in such an accessable read. For anyone who is a fan of the Inklings, Lewis, Tolkien, Williams, or anyone remotely related to these men do yourself a favor and read this book.
Warning! Homework distraction!.......2007-04-24
If you're interested in community, the writing process, or Tolkien and Lewis, this is the best book out this year. I have to be careful not to pick up the book when I'm supposed to be doing homework. It's entertaining reading full of fascinating facts and an inside look at how works like Lord of the Rings got written.
Keeping Company with The Inklings.......2007-04-02
Diana Pavlac Glyer does a great service to both the history and understanding of literature and to budding writers (and friends of writers), who may have been misled by previous theories about the interaction by the Inklings. The former gain a well-documented investigation of who the Inklings were as well as how and when they influenced each other's writers. The latter gain a practical guide of the ways and means by which writers in community. As Glyer approvingly quotes Karen Burke LeFevre, "Certain acts of invention--or certain phases of the inventive acts--are best understood if we think of them as being made possible by other people." Glyer makes a good case that Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" might never have been written, let alone published had it not been for the support of other Inklings.
"The Company They Keep" is a must read for writers as well as enthusiasts of the Inklings.
A Longer Review & Some Comments from the Real Critics.......2007-01-16
"This is an admirably balanced overview of the web of intellectual and literary interactions of the Inklings that is sure to become an invaluable resource for future readers and scholars. I found myself captured by her engaging writing style, the breadth of her research, and the cogency of her argument. Her own work will itself influence the texture of Inklings scholarship for years to come. It's good, very good indeed."
Verlyn Flieger, professor of English, University of Maryland at College Park, Author of _Splintered Light_ and _A Question of Time_
"Not only does _The Company They Keep_ provide a much-needed fresh look at the Inklings, but it also affords rich insights into the creative and collaborative process itself. There is much to learn and much to enjoy in this excellent volume. This engaging study deserves a place in the library of all those who value the works of the Inklings and is also a worthwhile volume for any who are interested in examining the craft of writing and the impact of creating within the community."
Marjorie Lamp Mead, associate director of the Marion E. Wade Center, Wheaton College
"_The Company They Keep_ is an astonishingly thorough work, lucidly and boldly illuminating the collaborative writing process of Lewis, Tolkien, and their colleagues during the most fruitful period of their careers. Diana Glyer's impressive achievement supersedes in scope and authority all previous treatments of the Inklings and will perhaps become the new standard by which rhetoricians and literary critics should judge the cogency of subsequent research into the phenomenon of writing in community."
Bruce L. Edwards, professor of English, Bowling Green State University
In 1978, Humphrey Carpenter published _Inklings: C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Charles Williams and Their Friends_. Although Carpenter's book is perhaps more a biography of C. S. Lewis than anything else, it remains an important and seminal work. However, if Carpenter erred in anything in his book, it was his persistent conviction that the Inklings did not influence one another. For instance, he states matter-of-factly, "It must be remembered that the word `influence', so beloved of literary investigators, makes little sense when talking about their [the Inklings'] association with each other. Tolkien and Williams owed almost nothing to the other Inklings, and would have written everything they wrote had they never heard of the group" (160).
Wholeheartedly disagreeing with Carpenter, Diana Glyer sets out in _The Company They Keep_ to show how and why the Inklings did, in fact, influence one another. Her work is a conglomerate of biography, composition theory, and literary criticism. She not only illuminates your understanding of this remarkable writing group but also expands your concept of the word influence. She persuasively argues that through encouragement, opposition, editing, and collaboration, the Inklings influenced each other's writing in a rich and profound way.
Had this been the book's only strength, I would say that Glyer's book had achieved more than any work written on the Inklings in the last three decades. However, the book's remarkable appeal does not stop there. Another great feat of this book is the amount of time and effort the author poured into her research. To say that the author was exhaustive in her research is perhaps an understatement. There are very few primary and secondary sources she leaves unexplored. In addition, there is a significant amount of previously unpublished material. To put this project in perspective, her Works Cited is 20 pages.
Again, this would be enough to encourage most readers to purchase this book. However, I would add one final note. The beauty of this book lies in the clarity and eloquence of the author's prose. It is one of those extraordinary academic works that is actually easy and enjoyable to read.
Amazon.com
By design, the U.S. Army's Special Forces--we call them Green Berets, but they tend to avoid that term--are very secretive. As a result, there isn't much to counterbalance their popular Ramboesque image. This book does a lot to set the record straight. Simons, a Harvard Ph.D. in anthropology, befriended some SFers while she was doing fieldwork in Somalia. Later, back in the States, she married one of them. The Company They Keep was written once she had the unrivaled access of a Special Forces team-member's wife; it covers more than a year in the life of some SF soldiers, covering every phase of their initiation and training. The reader will feel reassured as the narrative makes it clear that these forces America increasingly relies on in low-intensity scenarios such as Somalia and Haiti emphasize not individual bravado, but smooth functioning as a members of a team; so much so that loyalty to the team tends to take precedence over personal concerns and family. The divorce rate is high.
Book Description
The Real Life Behind the Legend of the Army's Most Elite Force
U.S. Special Forces soldiers disdain the Hollywood "Green Beret" label, but they are still among the most fascinating and highly trained figures in today's military. They use expertise, intelligence, and self-reliance, whether conduction reconnaissance missions behind enemy lines, training ragtag bands of guerrillas, or simply honing their skills in backwoods training areas.
Anthropologist A.J. Simons obtained unprecedented access to a SF unit. From field exercises to the inner worlds of team rooms and base camps, and finally into the private spheres of soldiers' marriages and family lives, she shows how these unique soldiers think and function independently while belonging to small and close-knit teams.
Teams are the hear and the soul of SF, yet increasingly they are being pressured to conform to military bureaucracy. Conventionalism, and not an external enemy, could well destroy these most unconventional units. A soldier's-eye profile of what may be the most effective and unusual military organization anywhere, this is an enduring record of military excellence and unparalleled soldierly achievement.
Customer Reviews:
De Oppresso Liber.......2006-06-19
The motto of Special Forces translates out to "Liberate The Oppressed" that is what they do. It isn't just about going in blowing something up and leaving. It is about providing medical care for the indigenous peoples, building infrastructure, and helping them achieve better lives as a means of Warfare. While the general military is about winning battles these guys (sorry but it is still and all male unit)are winning friends while defeating our enemies behind their own lines. Some of the finest individuals I have ever met wore the Beret. This book gives a much clearer picture than most that I have read.
Are all of the "A Reader" revies by the same person?.......2005-08-18
They all sound alike. Gee, a military-hater claiming that the author is biased while using multiple uninformative, anonymous reviews to try to run the book down? How original is that?
Anyway, I read this book when it was new. It is not about combat stories or Rambo wannbes are anything like that. It is the story of one woman's quest to better understand her husband. It succeeds quite well at that.
Inadvertantly, she reveals how far the current SF guys have fallen from the original high standards and how much their mission had changed by the time of the writing. (They and their new missions have changed just as much since this was published as they have become even the step-and-fetchits of the State Department and feel-goodism.) Instead of the level of excellence that the SF founders were (let's face it, most of those guys had 5-10 years of actual combat experience hundreds of miles behind enemy lines in occupied Europe before their ever was a SF)or the shake-and-bakes that were created to expand SF and replace casualties from 1964-65 or so onward. These guys are modern Americans in every sense.
Her descriptions of them reveal that they are flawed with all of the same shortcomings that characterize today's society from which they come. They frequently lack the age of experience that made the old SF what it was. They typically come through the Airborne/Ranger "Super Soldier" pipeline. They are still Type A personalities; some of them not-so tempered, either. And they are still very bright fast-learners.
Their standards are about what should be the minimum for a professional soldier. And that is what puts them so far ahead of anybody's average and makes them "elite" in comparison to the others. They are soldiers while the masses are just that, masses of uniform fillers.
Since this book was published the guys at SF have been adapting to new wrinkles on old missions. They still get more than their share of Ranger-type assignments; but they are getting to interact more with indigenious people than they were. They aren't training guerilla forces as stay-behinds against to harass the invading Red Army in Europe. And a lot of other units are also training people and attempting to engage them in constructive ways. With their relatively recent popularity (since the formation the joint special warfare command structure and the realization among the promotion-hungry types that in SOF is where they want to do their hiding behind "authority" and beneath desks act)come unrealistic expectations and delibitating interference as everyone wants to take credit for success.
Other things remain the same; changing only when they become worse. The strains of constant deployment upon the dream of having a family have always been difficult for any military; but it isn't as "easy" for today's guys to find understanding and supporting mates. Emails and videos home may not be too difficult for a REMF in a walled compound with electricity, mattresses, DVD players and refrigerators; but what about the guy humping the mountains on foot for weeks or months at a time with 180-200 pounds of mission essential equipment?
But as much as the SF mission changes and as much as it's practicioners reflect the ever-changing society from which they are drawn; one thing remains constant: SF guys have to better than most and able to accomplish a greater variety of missions in a greater variety of roles with less support and more responsibilty and, ususally, more criticism. I'm willing to bet that you will find guys in today's SF who are just like the guys in her book.
In my opinion, that speaks well for the it.
Company the keep.......2003-06-29
Great Book explores all aspects of the life of Special Forces folk from the myth that surrods them to the reality that is SF. Great read,one will not put the book down until it is finished.
Definitely an Anthropological point of view.......2003-05-14
Very detailed and good book, but definitely written by an outsider. I read it quickly and it moves nicely. There are better books if you are looking to be a soilder, but there are certainly worse. If you are really interested on the anthropology than this is for you.
Coming of Age on Smoke Bomb Hill.......2002-06-15
Anna Simons, a Harvard-trained anthropologist, studies the dynamics of the U. S. Army Special Forces in THE COMPANY THEY KEEP. And she gets it totally right. This is one of the finest books written about Special Forces, the U. S. Army, and the role of the officer/NCO relationship in the American Armed Forces.
"The third Special Forces soldier I met I would up marrying." That's the hook for the book's Prologue. Given almost unlimited access to 3rd SF Group over an 18 month period. We see the team rooms, patrol bases, Q Course, the plain hard work that goes into training, analyzed from a professional outsider's point of view.
And Simons gets it right -- she joins the select group of outsiders -- Ward Just, Maureen Mylander, Mark Bowden, Rick Atkinson, among others -- who really understand the American military.
Book Description
Friendship is one of life's most essential and rewarding forms of interaction--a feature of every culture that most persons experience daily. While most research efforts on friendship have concentrated on such issues as peer acceptance and dyadic properties, there has been little exploration of friendship's role in a child's social and emotional growth. The Company They Keep provides a forum in which a group of internationally recognized scholars presents the major conceptual issues, themes, goals, methodological strategies and findings from their research on friendship. Contributors explore a variety of topics, including cultural variations in childrens' and adolescents' friendships, the association between friendship and cognitive and personality development, the effect of friendship on adjustment, and the links between experience within the family and relationships with friends.
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Association Management, published by American Society of Association Executives on August 1, 2004. The length of the article is 3752 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: 10 1/2 big myths of the moment: numerous inaccurate beliefs keep boards and CEOs from working together as productively as they should.
Author: Glenn Tecker
Publication:
Association Management (Magazine/Journal)
Date: August 1, 2004
Publisher: American Society of Association Executives
Volume: 56
Issue: 8
Page: 66(7)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Food Logistics, published by Cygnus Business Media on July 1, 2004. The length of the article is 3720 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Bottled up: to keep up with the explosion in SKUs they sell, soft drink producers are upgrading warehouse and delivery practices.(Beverage Logistics)(Cover Story)
Author: Havis Dawson
Publication:
Food Logistics (Magazine/Journal)
Date: July 1, 2004
Publisher: Cygnus Business Media
Issue: 70
Page: 29(5)
Article Type: Cover Story
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Fairfield County Business Journal, published by Westfair Communications, Inc. on October 13, 2003. The length of the article is 595 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Carl Palmieri: prepearing lunch everyday keeps CEO and company healthy: succesful business people have many dimensions, they even manage to have some fun.(Profits & Passions)
Author: Elizabeth Hlotyak
Publication:
Fairfield County Business Journal (Magazine/Journal)
Date: October 13, 2003
Publisher: Westfair Communications, Inc.
Volume: 42
Issue: 41
Page: 28(1)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Average customer rating:
|
Disabled and thriving: each of these young people lives without at least one limb, but they refuse to let their disabilities keep them down.(Jessica Long, ... story): An article from: Scholastic Choices
Karen Fanning
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
 Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
| Audiobooks
| Automotive
| Books on CD
| Books on Cassette
| Crime & Criminals
| Current Events
| Economics
| Education
| Foreign Language Nonfiction
| Government
| Holidays
| Law
| Philosophy
| Politics
| Social Sciences
| Transportation
| True Accounts
| Urban Planning & Development
| Women's Studies
General
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Management
| Management & Leadership
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| e-Docs
| Formats
| Books
Management
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| e-Docs
| Formats
| Books
General
| Business & Investing
| HTML
| Formats
| e-Docs
| Formats
| Books
Management
| Business & Investing
| HTML
| Formats
| e-Docs
| Formats
| Books
General
| Nonfiction
| HTML
| Formats
| e-Docs
| Formats
| Books
ASIN: B000RY9FD2
Release Date: 2007-06-13 |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Scholastic Choices, published by Thomson Gale on April 1, 2007. The length of the article is 2398 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Disabled and thriving: each of these young people lives without at least one limb, but they refuse to let their disabilities keep them down.(Jessica Long, Mike Wright, Nikki Kunkle)(Interview)(Cover story)
Author: Karen Fanning
Publication:
Scholastic Choices (Magazine/Journal)
Date: April 1, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 22
Issue: 6
Page: 6(7)
Article Type: Cover story, Interview
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Dance Magazine, published by Thomson Gale on July 1, 2007. The length of the article is 1121 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Dwana's abs, Maria's legs, Irina's back, Larissa's arms: 4 top dancers talk about how they keep all body parts expressive.(BODY TALK: dancers on healthy bodies, healthy minds)(Irina Dvorovenko, Larissa Ponomarenko, Dwana Smallwood, Maria Kowroski)
Author: Lauren Kay
Publication:
Dance Magazine (Magazine/Journal)
Date: July 1, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 81
Issue: 7
Page: 56(4)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Entrepreneur, published by Entrepreneur Media, Inc. on March 1, 2005. The length of the article is 378 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Go live: they've got questions, you've got answers. Now you can reach out to your prospects and keep them happy with live chat on your site.(Net Sales)
Author: Catherine Seda
Publication:
Entrepreneur (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 1, 2005
Publisher: Entrepreneur Media, Inc.
Volume: 33
Issue: 3
Page: 90(1)
Distributed by Thompson Gale
Books:
- The Complete Visual Dictionary of Star Wars: The Ultimate Guide to Characters and Creatures from the Entire Star Wars Saga
- The Cousins' Wars: Religion, Politics, and the Triumph of Anglo-America
- The Face of Battle: A Study of Agincourt, Waterloo, and the Somme
- The Killer Angels
- The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir
- The Limits of Expertise: Rethinking Pilot Error and the Causes of Airline Accidents
- The Long Road Home: A Story of War and Family
- The March: A Novel
- The Matchlock Gun
- The Oxford Illustrated History of the Crusades (Oxford Illustrated Histories)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Maui Revealed: The Ultimate Guidebook
- Clear and Present Danger
- Tadao Ando at Naoshima: Art, Architecture, Nature
- The Philosophical Diseases of Medicine and Their Cure: Philosophy and Ethics of Medicine, Vol. 1: Fo
- YOU: The Owner's Manual: An Insider's Guide to the Body that Will Make You Healthier and Younger
- Co-Active Coaching, 2nd Edition: New Skills for Coaching People Toward Success in Work and, Life
- Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage
- The Houses of Old Cuba
- Theaters of Conversion: Religious Architecture and Indian Artisans in Colonial Mexico
- Flavonoids and Bioflavonoids, 1985: Proceedings of the 7th Hungarian Bioflavinoid Symposium, Szeged,
The Plants of Middle-Earth: Botany And Sub-creation
The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide: Reader's Guide: Volume 2: Reader's Guide
The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide, Volume 1: Chronology
The Ring of Words: Tolkien and the Oxford English Dictionary
Ents, Elves, And Eriador: The Environmental Vision of J. R. R. Tolkien (Culture of the Land)
