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An Overview Of The Northern Influences On Tolkien's Works, Gloriana St. Clair Oct 1996

An Overview Of The Northern Influences On Tolkien's Works, Gloriana St. Clair

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

J.R.R. Tolkien studied the Old Norse literature and mythology thoroughly. While knowing Northern literature does not provide a key to unlock the meanings of his major works, his characters, creatures, implements, customs, incidents, and themes do have antecedents in the Eddas and sagas. This paper assesses the extent and impact of those antecedents.

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Tolkien As A Post-War Writer, Tom Shippey Oct 1996

Tolkien As A Post-War Writer, Tom Shippey

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

The Lord of the Rings, though unique in many ways, is only one of a series of fantasies published by English authors before, during, and just after World War II, works united in their deep concern with the nature of evil and their authors’ belief that politics had given them a novel understanding of this ancient concept. This paper sets Tolkien in this contemporary context and considers what has been unique in his understanding of the modern world.

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Quid Hinieldus Cum Christo? - New Perspectives On Tolkien's Theological Dilemma And His Sub-Creation Theory, Nils Ivar Agøy Oct 1996

Quid Hinieldus Cum Christo? - New Perspectives On Tolkien's Theological Dilemma And His Sub-Creation Theory, Nils Ivar Agøy

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

In the 1920s and 1930s Tolkien’s developing, and to all appearances pagan, legendarium posed a theological dilemma to its devoutly Christian author. How could it be reconciled with his faith? There are striking parallels with the Danish theologian, poet and philologist N.F.S. Grundtvig (1783-1872). This paper will try to establish whether Tolkien’s answer, which is only partly to be found in “On Fairy-Stories”, was directly influenced by Grundtvig’s attempts at reconciling Norse myths and Christendom.

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Frodo And His Spectre: Blakean Resonances In Tolkien, Charles E. Noad Oct 1996

Frodo And His Spectre: Blakean Resonances In Tolkien, Charles E. Noad

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

Comparisons between Blake and Tolkien are tempting, not least because of superficial resemblances, but more valid comparisons can be made in their treatment of similar underlying themes. One such is that shown in the opposition of Los and his Spectre (Blake) and of Frodo and Gollum (Tolkien), where a comparison points up the outlooks and limitations of both writers.

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The Moral Epiphanies In The Lord Of The Rings, Joe R. Christopher Oct 1996

The Moral Epiphanies In The Lord Of The Rings, Joe R. Christopher

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

The topic of this study is not entirely new - other critics have written about the visionary moments in The Lord of the Rings that show various types of insights - but the author is interested in a modem context for those which are most psychologically orientated, suggested by Ashton Nichols’ Poetics of Epiphany, and also in their use in the genre of the prose romance.

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Reminiscences: Oxford In 1920, Meeting Tolkien And Becoming An Author At 77, Vera Chapman Oct 1996

Reminiscences: Oxford In 1920, Meeting Tolkien And Becoming An Author At 77, Vera Chapman

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

Reminiscences of Vera Chapman’s life, including going up to Oxford just after the First World War (between the time when Tolkien was an undergraduate and his return as a Professor).

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Tolkien As Reviser: A Case Study, Gloriana St. Clair Oct 1996

Tolkien As Reviser: A Case Study, Gloriana St. Clair

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

The publication of drafts of The Lord of the Rings allows scholars to assess Tolkien as a reviser. A comparison of the early presentations of Gondor in The History of “The Lord of the Rings”, with the finished scenes indicates the nature and direction of Tolkien’s changes. This paper will discuss how the process of revision contributed to the overall effect of the work.

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Where Do Elves Go To? Tolkien And A Fantasy Tradition, Norman Talbot Oct 1996

Where Do Elves Go To? Tolkien And A Fantasy Tradition, Norman Talbot

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

The departure of the Elves from Middle-earth haunted Tolkien’s imagination, but it has also fascinated many other writers before and since. After Kipling and Tolkien, the twin pivots in recent literary ideas about Elves, the destiny of the Elves is being treated in more and more diverse ways. But Hy Braseal is so hard to imagine, given the Americas in this century: how can the people of the starlight still “go west”? Most go “in” instead, into humanity or into places (and computer programs) with that special Elf-friendly charge.

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Tolkien's Revision Of The Romantic Tradition, Chris Seeman Oct 1996

Tolkien's Revision Of The Romantic Tradition, Chris Seeman

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

This paper explores Tolkien’s vision of fantasy within the broader historical context of Romanticism, clarifying the ways in which he inherits and revises Romantic views of the creative imagination via the concept of “sub-creation”. Possible links with Coleridge’s thought are considered, especially with respect to the uses of Romanticism in the context of Christianity.

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Historical Bias In The Making Of The Silmarillion, Alex Lewis Oct 1996

Historical Bias In The Making Of The Silmarillion, Alex Lewis

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

Biases due to the point of view from which The Silmarillion is narrated are discussed. These biases are compared with those found in primary world histories.

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Aspects Of The Fall In The Silmarillion, Eric Schweicher Oct 1996

Aspects Of The Fall In The Silmarillion, Eric Schweicher

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

This paper begins with an analysis of the evolution of the Fall in the Western tradition, which will be compared with its image in Middle-earth. The Ainulindalë and the Quenta Silmarillion will be examined to show how Vala, Elf, Dwarf, and Man fall into corruption, and the consequences of this fall.

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Eating, Devouring, Sacrifice, And Ultimate Just Desserts, Marjorie Burns Oct 1996

Eating, Devouring, Sacrifice, And Ultimate Just Desserts, Marjorie Burns

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

Bilbo’s fear of being eaten is expanded in The Lord of the Rings to include the Dark Lord’s “devouring”. In both the nursery sense of being “eaten up” and in the more sophisticated sense of enslavement, Tolkien uses this theme to discuss selfhood and free will, and to separate those who serve from those who consume and possess.

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Problems Of Translating Into Russian, Natalia Grigorieva Oct 1996

Problems Of Translating Into Russian, Natalia Grigorieva

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

The general traditions of Russian literature has been based on the requirement that any literary translation should be good literature in itself as well as preserving the author’s manner of writing. It seems that understanding of J.R.R. Tolkien and his books is growing very slowly in Russia. There have never been any professional literary works on Tolkien or the problems of translating his works. A number of approaches to translating are connected with this fact. A short history of this subject shows that both the author’s attitude and fairy-story reality should be reproduced correctly and with care. I am going …

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Tolkien's Dictionary Poetics: The Influence Of The Oed'S Defining Style On Tolkien's Fiction, Dierdre Greene Oct 1996

Tolkien's Dictionary Poetics: The Influence Of The Oed'S Defining Style On Tolkien's Fiction, Dierdre Greene

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

This paper examines the connections between Tolkien’s writing of fiction and his work as a lexicographer on the Oxford English Dictionary. Some of Tolkien’s most characteristic stylistic flourishes show the influence of the distinctive, charming defining style of the first edition of the O.E.D.

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Good Guys, Bad Guys, Fantasy And Reality, Helen Armstrong Oct 1996

Good Guys, Bad Guys, Fantasy And Reality, Helen Armstrong

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

This paper begins by considering the nature of some of the stylised “evil” and “good” character types employed by J.R.R. Tolkien in his Middle-earth works, and their relationship both with folklore and with related character types appearing in the contemporary world (in Tolkien’s time and in our own). The paper then goes on to consider the role of women in Tolkien’s fictional world, with particular reference to their status as mothers (particularly as absent mothers), and as heroic figures, and looks at the victimisation of the woman/wife/mother in the Biblical tradition of the Book of Genesis, and its possible relation …

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"Less Noise And More Green": Tolkien's Ideology For England, Patrick Curry Oct 1996

"Less Noise And More Green": Tolkien's Ideology For England, Patrick Curry

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

This essay explores Tolkien’s work (especially The Lord of the Rings) in terms of what I identify as his three central concerns, described here as English culture, nature and ethics. I also defend the work against its detractors, especially cultural materialists. I am more concerned with the reception of the work (e.g. its contemporary meanings) than its production.

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Power In Arda: Sources, Uses And Misuses, Edith L. Crowe Oct 1996

Power In Arda: Sources, Uses And Misuses, Edith L. Crowe

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

Power and renunciation of power has long been recognised as an important theme in the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. This paper will examine the issue of power with particular attention to Riane Eisler's dominator/partnership model of power relations and the power within/power over dichotomy. It will consider the sources of power: spiritual, political, physical; and how these are wielded by the various peoples and individuals of Middle-earth.

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J.R.R. Tolkien And Old English Studies: An Appreciation, Bruce Mitchell Oct 1996

J.R.R. Tolkien And Old English Studies: An Appreciation, Bruce Mitchell

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

Some scholars argue that Tolkien did not fulfil some of his responsibilities during his thirty- four years as an Oxford Professor, in that he spent the bulk of his research time on his imaginative writings, thereby depriving scholarship of valuable works he - or other holders of his Chairs — might have produced. This paper leaves posterity to judge this issue, but in assessing Tolkien’s contribution to Old English studies, it will argue that one of them - his 1936 British Academy lecture, “Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics” - has had more influence than most of the products of …

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A Mythology? For England?, Anders Stenström Oct 1996

A Mythology? For England?, Anders Stenström

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

It is well known that J.R.R. Tolkien said that he wanted to make “a mythology for England”. Well known, but not true. This paper investigates how Tolkien really used the word mythology, and also looks at the relation with England.

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The Critical Response To Tolkien's Fiction, Wayne G. Hammond Oct 1996

The Critical Response To Tolkien's Fiction, Wayne G. Hammond

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

This paper illustrates, primarily by reviewing reviews from The Hobbit to “The History of Middle-earth”, how Tolkien’s critics have approached his works and popularity. The paper also briefly comments on the state of Tolkien criticism in its second half-century.

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The Geology Of Middle-Earth, William Antony Swithin Sarjeant Oct 1996

The Geology Of Middle-Earth, William Antony Swithin Sarjeant

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

A preliminary reconstruction of the geology of Middle-earth is attempted, utilizing data presented in text, maps and illustrations by its arch-explorer J.R.R. Tolkien. The tectonic reconstruction is developed from earlier findings by R.C. Reynolds (1974). Six plates are now recognized, whose motions and collisions have created the mountains of Middle-earth and the rift structure down which the River Anduin flows. The stresses involved in the plate collisions have produced patterns of faults, whose lines have determined the courses of the other rivers and the occurrence of the richest ore deposits. However, the time of Bilbo and Frodo is a period …

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The Realm Of Faërie, Christine Barkley Oct 1996

The Realm Of Faërie, Christine Barkley

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

Middle-earth is not the only glimpse we get of Tolkien’s view of Faërie. This paper examines his definition of Faërie and how it applies to Niggle’s Parish and to the forest in Smith of Wootton Major. Once we are aware of certain aspects of Faërie (for example the double vision possible), we can appreciate them in Middle-earth.

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Sermon At Thanksgiving Service, Keble College Chapel, 23rd August 1992, Robert Murray Oct 1996

Sermon At Thanksgiving Service, Keble College Chapel, 23rd August 1992, Robert Murray

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

No abstract provided.

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Tolkien And The Other Inklings, Colin Duriez Oct 1996

Tolkien And The Other Inklings, Colin Duriez

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

This paper looks at Tolkien’s relationship with the other Inklings, especially Lewis, Williams and Barfield, in particular studying the affinities and differences between them and what Tolkien owes to them. “The Notion Club Papers” is discussed as an idealized portrait of the Inklings.

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Tolkien The Anti-Totalitarian, Jessica Yates Oct 1996

Tolkien The Anti-Totalitarian, Jessica Yates

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

A number of critics have looked for a political message in The Lord of the Rings, their dislike of the work, in some cases, apparently leading them to accuse Tolkien of holding extreme, usually right- wing, political views and making The Lord of the Rings a vehicle for them. These critics are particularly vehement about the danger of young people emerging from a reading of Tolkien’s book with extreme right-wing views. I select some examples from my collection of political views, including the opinions of Robert Westall, E.P. Thompson, and Fred Inglis, together with a viewpoint from a member …

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A Physics Of Middle-Earth, Jenny Coombs, Marc Read Oct 1996

A Physics Of Middle-Earth, Jenny Coombs, Marc Read

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

This paper takes a light-hearted look at how far one can go in applying primary world science to Middle-earth. Tolkien purists and physics purists may wish to pass over this!

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"A Pattern Which Our Nature Cries Out For": The Medieval Tradition Of The Ordered Four In The Fiction Of J.R.R. Tolkien, Stephen Yandell Oct 1996

"A Pattern Which Our Nature Cries Out For": The Medieval Tradition Of The Ordered Four In The Fiction Of J.R.R. Tolkien, Stephen Yandell

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

This paper considers the fiction of J.R.R. Tolkien and the other Inklings (specifically C.S. Lewis and Charles Williams) as being influenced by a set of shared ideas. First, Tolkien and the Inklings believed in a divine creator whose creation displays order. Every individual, they claimed, has been divinely called to be a “sub-creator” to create art so that this universal order might be reflected. And the Inklings’ writings testify to the importance of this order in their lives (as displayed by six Medieval analogies: God as composer, choreographer, author, painter, player and guide). Secondly, Tolkien and the Inklings were familiar …

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Female Authority Figures In The Works Of Tolkien, C.S. Lewis And Charles Williams, Lisa Hopkins Oct 1996

Female Authority Figures In The Works Of Tolkien, C.S. Lewis And Charles Williams, Lisa Hopkins

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

The powerful, learned woman is a figure of fear in the works of Williams, seen as transgressing her proper role. In Lewis, legitimate authority figures are male, illegitimate ones are female, and gender roles are strictly demarcated. Tolkien, however, not only creates powerful and heroic women, but also suggests that the combination of authority and femininity can be particularly potent and talismanic.

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Explorations Into The Psyche Of Dwarves, David A. Funk Oct 1996

Explorations Into The Psyche Of Dwarves, David A. Funk

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

An attempt to explain the characters of the roles played by, and the major reasons for the creation of, Dwarves as presented in Tolkien’s three major works of fiction concerning Middle-earth. The argument is heavily biased in favour of Dwarves’ indispensability.

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Tales Of Wonder - Science Fiction And Fantasy In The Age Of Jane Austen, Madawc Williams Oct 1996

Tales Of Wonder - Science Fiction And Fantasy In The Age Of Jane Austen, Madawc Williams

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

This paper challenges the accepted view that the works of writers such as Mrs. Radcliffe, “Monk” Lewis, Maturin and Mary Shelley are part of a Gothic tradition deriving from Horace Walpole’s Castle of Otranto. The paper also studies the connection of Jane Austen to these writers and will try to unravel the errors of Brian Aldiss, whose ideas are taken from earlier authors.

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