The Lord of the Rings ― Popular Culture in Global Context

Much more than a successful film trilogy, Lord of the Rings has become an unparalleled media phenomenon. Through its impact on regional as well as global industries, and stretching from a British origin over Hollywood to a New Zealand appropriation it has challenged our thinking about the commercial contexts of popular culture. Lord of the Rings: Popular Culture in Global Context brings together leading scholars in the fields of media and film studies to explore the various strategies and implications underlying the global presence of Lord of the Rings. Chapters address how the trilogy has been planned and received as a media business; how it was received by critics and fans, and how spin-offs, franchises, associated media, and indeed the text itself have been affected by its success and appeal. The book covers different national contexts and presents a lively and diverse combination of textual, historical and empirical study.

Ernest Mathijs is assistant professor in film and theatre studies at the University of British Columbia, Canada. He is the editor of Cinema of the Low Countries and coeditor of Big Brother International: Formats, Critics and Publics and Alternative Europe: Eurotrash and Exploitation Cinema Since 1945 (all Wallflower Press, 2004).