John Steinbeck in 1939 Born

Publications

Further information: J. R. R. Tolkien bibliography

"Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics"

Main article: Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics

In addition to writing fiction, Tolkien was an author of academic literary criticism. His seminal 1936 lecture, later published as an article, revolutionized the treatment of the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf by literary critics. The essay remains highly influential in the study of Old English literature to this day.^[126] Beowulf is one of the most significant influences upon Tolkien's later fiction, with major details of both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings being adapted from the poem.^[127]