On p. 47, Julian Dibbell refers to a work by Old English professor T. Shippey: "But while his indignation gets a little out of hand, his argument is a sober one, aimed at setting Tolkien alongside such epic poets of the 20th-century condition as Orwell, Joyce, and Pynchon." http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0123/dibbell.shtml d.