J.R.R. Tolkien was a literary genius who passed away before all of his works were published. His son, Christopher Tolkien, appointed the executor of his father's literary works, has been editing his manuscripts and has published another portion of the many legends and stories of Middle Earth in his father's collection.
This particular book is a set of two related poems, The New Lay of the Volsüngs and The New Lay of Gudrún. It begins with a foreword and an introduction by Christopher Tolkien to set the background for these legends. He also explains the "verse-form of short stanzas" that characterize the poems in order to help the reader understand their structure. Given the unusual format, I think this is a good idea. Each of the poems is followed by a commentary and there is also an Appendix at the end of the book. As far as the story, the hero Sigurd, slayer of an infamous dragon, is the protagonist of the first poem. The second poem deals with Gudrun's despair after her brother is killed by his own blood-brothers. She is forced to marry Atli, ruler of the Huns.
J.R.R. Tolkien's legend embodies the ancient style of the "Poetic Edda" of Norway and Iceland. Although I appreciate his genius in incorporating these ancient languages and styles, I found it difficult to sustain interest in the plot while reading the story in short lines and stanzas. A sustained effort and study of each stanza is necessary to decipher the meaning. However, the fluency and rhythm of each line does have its own beauty when read aloud. Like Shakespeare, an in-depth analysis of these works would definitely help the reader appreciate their beauty.
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