Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Number 44 - Winter 1985

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

No abstract provided.

Tolkien On Fantasy In Smith Of Wootton Major, Margaret Sammons

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Analyzes Smith of Wootton Major as a statement of Tolkien’s theories on fantasy writing, particularly on the nature of Faerie, and notes autobiographical elements related to Tolkien’s writing career, especially his concern about finishing his legendarium in the time left to him. (Note: the issue gives her first name as Margaret, which is incorrect.)

Reviews, Nancy-Lou Patterson, Sarah Beach

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Boxen. C. S. Lewis, edited by Walter Hooper. Reviewed by Nancy-Lou Patterson.

The Discovery of King Arthur. Geoffrey Ashe. Reviewed by Sarah Beach.

Letters to Children. C.S. Lewis, edited by Lyle W. Dorsett and Marjorie Lamp Mead. Reviewed by Nancy-Lou Patterson.

C.S. Lewis and the Search for Rational Religion. John Beversluis. Reviewed by Nancy-Lou Patterson.

Pleasures Forevermore — The Theology of C.S. Lewis. John Randolph Willis, SJ. Reviewed by Nancy-Lou Patterson.

Early Review Of Books By J.R.R. Tolkien: Part Iii, George H. Thompson

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Briefly annotated checklist of minor early secondary materials on Tolkien not represented in Judith A. Johnson’s Six Decades of Tolkien Criticism. Part III covers The Return of the King.

The Trans-Cosmic Journeys In The Chronicles Of Narnia, Steven Yandell

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Focuses on the journeys between worlds in the Chronicles of Narnia, presenting a chart of more than 60 such journeys. Notes participants, method of transport, starting and ending place and time, and surrounding circumstances. Develops geographies of the worlds and their relationships, and discusses the functions of these journeys in terms of plot. Maps and charts.

Quenti Lambardillion: A Column On Middle-Earth Linguistics, Paul Nolan Hyde

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Discussion of transcription of “Bombadil poem” reproduced in 1978 Silmarillion Calendar, and what it reveals about the orthography of the writing system used and the differing dialects represented.

Ilúvatar And The Secret Fire, Paul Kocher

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Identifies the “Secret Fire” and “Flame Imperishable” in Tolkien’s different versions of Arda’s creation (and elsewhere in The Silmarillion) with the Holy Spirit. Sees Eru as a three-Persons-in-one-God deity compatible with Roman Catholic doctrine.

Mythopoesis, Sarah Beach

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Discusses heroes and heroines in fantasy as Types and as symbols of the Quest.

Arwen, Shadow Bride, Melanie Rawls

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Sees Arwen’s story as a “cautionary tale against passivity.” By taking no part in the achieving of Aragorn’s kingdom or the risks and rewards of the Ring quest, she has not developed the character or true understanding of mortality (and what lies beyond death) that would make her end less tragic.

Tolkien And Chesterton: Some Analogies, Thomas Egan

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Examines links between Chesterton and Tolkien “developing from a mutually strong religious conviction as regards their Catholicism, especially in its medieval historical experience.” Sees a number of parallels between Chesterton’s poem “The Ballad of the White Horse” and the values and events of Tolkien’s major work.

Saruman, ‘Sharkey,’ And Suruman: Analogous Figures Of Eastern Ingenuity And Cunning, J. S. Ryan

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Speculates about linguistic connotations of Saruman-Sharkey, especially Suruman (vassal of an ancient Assyrian king) and various etymologies of “shark.”

Editor's Notes: A Milestone, Glen Goodknight

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

No abstract provided.

Letters From Hell: The Symbolism Of Evil In The Screwtape Letters, Nancy-Lou Patterson

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Analyzes in detail the symbols of evil in The Screwtape Letters. Lewis presents evil as various forms of the privatio boni, or absence of good.

Number 42, Summer 1985

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

You may wonder what has happened to this issue of Mythlore. This issue has been paid for by generous Benefactors who are well known to this Editor. Subscription money has not been used for this issue, nor will it count against the number of issues you have paid for by your subscription. All subscriptions will be updated one issue. Those who were due to expire with this issue, number 42, will expire with number 43 instead.

Why is this being done? For two reasons, the first to get to you final information on this year's Mythopoeic Conference, July 26-29, …

The Psychological Symbolism Of The Magic Fountain And The Giant Herdsman In Yvain, M. L. Carter

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Analyzes two symbols in the poem that have received little previous critical attention. Gives a psychological interpretation of these symbols.

Who Is The Master Of The "Precious"?, Robert A. Hall Jr.

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Considers to whom Gollum’s phrase “the master of the Precious” actually refers. Concludes that Gollum was actually thinking of himself as such. Sees Gollum not merely as a shadow of Frodo but a character with his own agenda.

Mythopoesis, Sarah Beach

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Defines style in writing as “the Author’s singing voice” and discusses its importance.

Quenti Lambardillion: Tolkien's Linguistic Aesthetic, Paul Nolan Hyde

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Discusses the aesthetic basis of Tolkien’s creativity in his love of language, supported by extensive quotations from his letters.

C.S. Lewis' Passages: Chronological Age And Spiritual Development In Narnia, Doris T. Myers

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Admires the ways the Chronicles balance the idea that chronological age of characters is relatively unimportant with the concept of “spiritual age”—tasks of spiritual development associated with particular stages in life.

The Procrustean Bed Of Film Animation, Glen H. Goodknight

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

No abstract provided.

The Wood Between The Worlds, Jane Yolen

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Guest of Honor speech, Mythcon 15. A poetic and personal paean to the power and importance of story and storytelling—both oral and written.

Miscellaneous Remarks On Gimli And On Rhythmic Prose, Manfred Zimmerman

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Suggests an etymology for Gimli’s name that makes him the son of Gloin. Identifies two passages in Lord of the Rings (in addition to those dealing with Bombadil) in which the prose is sufficiently rhythmic to read as poetry.

Early Review Of Books By J.R.R. Tolkien - Part Ii, George H. Thompson

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Briefly annotated checklist of minor early secondary materials on Tolkien not represented in Judith A. Johnson’s Six Decades of Tolkien Criticism. Part II includes Fellowship of the Ring and Two Towers.

Cavalier Treatment, Lee Speth

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Kurth, Peter. Anastasia: The Riddle of Anna Anderson.

The Rags Of Lordship: Science Fiction, Fantasy, And The Reenchantment Of The World, Peter Lowentrout

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Sees a movement at the leading edges of our culture away from the desacralized world and back toward the mythic. Sees the genres of science fiction and fantasy providing aesthetic windows to the sacred. Along with science and religion, they participate in a resynthesis of our culture’s assumptions, pointing toward individuality within fundamental unity and broader notions of causality.

Letters, Craig J. Brown, Ruth Berman, Dean A. Walker, Benjamin Urrutia

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

No abstract provided.

Machen's Hallows, Mary M. Stolzenbach

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Discusses one of Machen’s rare stories that deal with “the good supernatural”— in this case, the Grail. Sees parallels between this story and works of Lewis and Williams (especially War in Heaven).

The Importance Of Free Will In The Lord Of The Rings, Richard P. Bullock

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

A short discussion of the importance of free will, and the evil of the domination of wills, in The Lord of the Rings.

The Rewards Of Reading Fantasy, Karl Schorr

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Examines what is appealing to the reader about fantasy as a genre, what its specific functions are and how it affects us.

The Wonder Of Passage, The Making Of Gold: Alchemy And Initiation In Out Of The Silent Planet, John Hollwitz

Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature

Sees Out of the Silent Planet as a narrative of Ransom’s spiritual development, using the imagery of shamanic initiation, alchemy, and medieval hermeticism. In Out of the Silent Planet, though not in later books in the series, Ransom’s initiation and function are almost exclusively masculine.