" J.R.R. Tolkien's zeal for medieval literary, religious, and cultural ideas deeply influenced his entire life and provided the seeds for his own fiction. In Tolkien's Art , Chance discusses not only such classics as The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings , and The Silmarillion , but focuses on his minor works as well, outlining in detail the sources and influences-from pagan epic to Christian legend-that formed the foundation of Tolkien's masterpieces, his "mythology for England."