In his Preface, Robert Morse states that both Vergil and Tolkien present myth as an aspect of an historical continuum. For these authors, myth does not seem to represent a falsehood, but rather it seems to narrate a record of experience from which humanity learns. Thus, myth is...a form of memory.

In Evocation of Vergil in Tolkien's Art, Robert Morse asks the question: does this syncretism of myth and history serve a similar purpose in each author?

Includes an index of proper names from both authors' works, an index of passages, and a selected bibliography.