DOCSLIB.ORG

Myth, Fantasy and Fairy-Story in Tolkien's Middle-Earth Buveneswary

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Myth, Fantasy and Fairy-Story in Tolkien's Middle-Earth Buveneswary MYTH, FANTASY AND FAIRY-STORY IN TOLKIEN’S MIDDLE-EARTH Malaya BUVENESWARY VATHEMURTHYof DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH FACULTY OF ARTS & SOCIAL SCIENCES UNIVERSITY MALAYA University2016 MYTH, FANTASY AND FAIRY-STORY IN TOLKIEN’S MIDDLE-EARTH BUVENESWARY VATHEMURTHYMalaya of DISSERTATION SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTERS OF ARTS FACULTY OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES UNIVERSITY MALAYA KUALA LUMPUR University2016 Abstract This dissertation explores J.R.R. Tolkien’s ideas and beliefs on myth, fantasy and fairy story and their roles in portraying good and evil in his famous works. Indeed, many authors and critics such as Bradley J. Birzer, Patrick Curry, Joseph Pearce, Ursula Le Guin, and Jay Richards have researched Tolkien based on this connection. They have worked on the nature of good and evil in his stories, the relevance of Tolkien in contemporary society, and the importance of myth and fantasy. However, my original contribution would be to examine the pivotal roles of myth, fantasy and fairy story as a combined whole and to demonstrate that they depend on one another to convey truths about good and evil. This research is aimed at showing that Middle-earth evolves from a combination of these three genres. This is made evident by the way Tolkien crafted his lecture On Fairy Stories for a presentation at the AndrewMalaya Lang lecture at the University of St Andrews in 1939. This dissertation then examines Tolkien’s own definitions of myth, fantasy and fairy stories and his extensiveof research on these “old-fashioned” or forgotten genres. He believed they could provide a cure for the moral and human degradation triggered by modernism. This study also investigates various criticisms, biographical books written by Tolkien experts, Tolkien’s personal letters, various philosophical and academic essays and mainly his works to unravel the questions that need answering. My discussion aims to show that the combination of these genres and their methods of representation, ultimately deliver a message of goodness, faith and a respectUniversity for tradition. Finally, this thesis finds that Tolkien’s noble aims and ambitions behind his legendarium are tied to an enduring faith in God and in moral and social responsibility. iii Abstrak Disertasi ini meneroka idea-idea J.R.R.Tolkien pada mitos, fantasi dan cerita dongeng serta peranan mereka dalam menggambarkan kebaikan dan kejahatan dalam karya-karya beliau yang terkenal. Malah, ramai penulis dan pengkritik seperti Bradley J. Birzer, Patrick Curry, Joseph Pearce, Ursula Le Guin, dan Jay Richards telah mengkaji Tolkien berdasarkan topic tersebut. Mereka telah mengkaji unsur-unsur ini dalam karya- karya beliau, bagaimana ia relevan kepada masyarakat kontemporari, dan kepentingan mitos dan fantasi. Sumbangan saya adalah untuk menunjukkan peranan-peranan penting mitos, fantasi dan cerita dongeng secara keseluruhannya untuk menunjukkan bahawa mereka bergantung kepada satu sama lain dan menunjukkanMalaya kebenaran kuasa-kuasa kebaikan dan kejahatan. Kajian ini juga bertujuanof untuk menggambarkan bahawa “Middle- earth” sebenarnya adalaj hasil gabungan tiga genre dan ini dapat dilihat jelas melalui cara Tolkien telah merancang dan mempersembahkan kuliahnya bertajuk On Fairy Stories untuk presentasi Andrew Lang di University of St Andrews pada tahun 1939. Dengan penemuan itu, disertasi ini juga mengkaji definisi mitos, fantasi dan cerita-cerita dongeng Tolkien sendiri dan kajian meluas beliau terhadap genre-genre in yang dianggap sebagai genre- genre "fesyen lama" atau genre-genre yang tidak berkepentingan demi mencari penawar bagi masyarakat modern yang tidak berakhlak moral dan tidak berperikemanusiaan. Ia juga menyiasatUniversity pelbagai kritikan, buku-buku biografi yang ditulis oleh pakar-pakar Tolkien, surat peribadi Tolkien, pelbagai esei falsafah dan akademik dan terutamanya karya-karya beliau untuk mendapat jawapan bagi soal-soal penting. Dengan gabungan ketiga-tiga genre dan kaedah presentasi mereka, disertasi ini bertujuan untuk menyampaikan mesej megenai kebenaran kebaikan, moral, kepentingan dan menghormati tradisi. Akhirnya, tesis ini iv mendapati bahawa matlamat mulia Tolkien di sebalik “legendarium” adalah dengan penuh iman yang kekal kepada tuhan, moral dan tanggungjawab sosial. Malaya of University v TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ……………………………………………………………………………………… iii Abstrak …………………………………………………………………………………........ iv Acknowledgments…………………………………………………………………................. vi Chapters Chapter 1: Introduction……………………………………………………………... 1 1.1 Methodological Framework 1.2 Literature Review Malaya 1.3 Statement of Objectives Chapter 2: J.R.R. Tolkien: Myth, Fantasy ofand Fairy Story.……………………… 19 2.1 Myth 2.2 Fantasy 2.3 Fairy Story Chapter 3: A Powerful Recovery, Escape, and Consolation..…………………….. 72 3.1 Recovery 3.2 Escape University3.3 Consolation Chapter 4: Conclusion…………………………………………………………….... 101 Bibliography 108 CHAPTER ONE Introduction Myth and fairy-story must, as all art, reflect and contain in solution elements of moral and religious truth (or error), but not explicit, not in the known form of the primary 'real' world. J.R.R. Tolkien, Letters 1 When myth, fantasy and fairy-story unite and converge with reality, the effects can be astonishing as seen in the astonishing worldwide book sales of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings series: The Lord of the Rings (1954-55), at about 50 million copies, is probably the biggest-selling single work of fiction in this century. The Hobbit (1937) is not far behind at between 35 and 40 million copies. And one could add the considerable sales, now perhaps over 2 million, of his dark and difficult posthumously published epicMalaya The Silmarillion (1977). The grand total is thus well on its way to 100 million. Tolkien’s books have been translated into more than thirty languages including Japanese, Catalan, Estonian, Greek, Hebrew,of Finnish, Indonesian, and Vietnamese. (Curry, Defending Middle-earth, Intr., 9, par 3) W.H. Auden, a renowned British poet, wrote in The New York Times: “No fiction I have read in the last five years has given me more joy.” Later in a radio program, he had this to say about The Lord of the Rings: “If someone dislikes it, I shall never trust their literary judgment about anything again” (Profiles in Faith, 1). Indeed Dr. Christopher Wright Mitchell went as far as to hail Tolkien as the “father of modern fantasy literature”University (Veritas Forum, 2009). 1 See page 167 1 John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, better known as J.R.R. Tolkien, was born on the 3rd of January 1892 in Bloemfontein, South Africa to Arthur Tolkien and Mable Suffield. He was the eldest child in his family and he had a baby brother named Hilary. Arthur passed away due to rheumatic fever when Mable and her two sons were in Birmingham for a short vacation. After her husband’s death, Mable and her sons did not return to South Africa and she raised her sons alone in England. Then against the will of the families on both sides (Suffields and Tolkiens), Mable converted to Catholicism and from that moment on Tolkien “remained a Catholic all his life” (Garth, 12). In 1914, Tolkien “served as a soldier in World War I and watched his son Christopher serve in World War II” (Kraus, 138). He was also a philologist and was a principal collaborator in the translation and literary revision of the First Edition of the Jerusalem Bible.2 Malaya Tolkien is best known for his three main novels: The Silmarillion (S), The Hobbit (H), and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.of The Silmarillion was collected, edited and published in 1977 posthumously by Tolkien’s son, Christopher. The Hobbit also known as There and Back Again was published on 21st September 1937. The Lord of the Rings was published between 1954 to1955. It is also called an epic trilogy because it contains three volumes and they are The Fellowship of the Ring (FR), The Two Towers (TT), and The Return of the King (RK). Tolkien’s awe-inspiring myth-making is best expressed in The Silmarillion. The Silmarillion is the “enigmatic and unfinished work thatUniversity forms the theological and philosophical foundation upon which, and the mythological framework within which The Lord of the Rings” (Pearce, 6) and The Hobbit were structured. 2 See Birzer, The Christian Gifts of J.R.R. Tolkien, http://www.orthodoxytoday.org/ 2 His fantasy novels were a phenomenal success and caused a shockwave which was also a double-edged sword. They received a combination of both incredible success and critical hostility. As Curry questions, “what are so many readers finding so rewarding in these books that so many professional literary intellectuals think is so bad?” (Tolkien and His Critiques, 1). Critics like Edmund Wilson, Catherine Stimpson, Brenda Partridge, Raymond Williams, and Kathleen Herbert have critically slammed Tolkien’s works as “juvenile trash”, as being sexist, racist, snobbish and most of all for not being relevant to modern society.3 Perhaps the most bitter criticism came from Germaine Greer, an Australian theorist, academic and journalist. In Waterstone’s Magazine, she expressed her frustration claiming that it had been her “nightmare” that readers would consider Tolkien as the “most influential writer of the twentieth century” and now “the bad dream has materialized” (qtd. in HandsMalaya of a Healer, 1). of Nevertheless, there are many writers like Joseph Pearce, Patrick Curry, Jane Chance and Christopher Synder who disagree with the denigrations placed on Tolkien. Patrick Curry, the author of Defending Middle Earth, argues that critics have always misinterpreted and misunderstood Tolkien and the messages implied in his books. Even Joseph Pearce, the writer of Tolkien: Man and Myth, a Literary Life, agrees that Tolkien was “a misunderstood man precisely because he is a mythunderstood man” (5). AccordingUniversity to Pearce, Tolkien understood the nature and the meaning of myth in a different light which his critics and detractors misapprehended4 and thus they failed to appreciate his works. 3 Detailed description of criticisms found in Patrick Curry’s Tolkien and His Critiques , pages 1-32 4 See Pearce in Sanctifying Myth: fwd.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Mythlore Index Plus
    MYTHLORE INDEX PLUS MYTHLORE ISSUES 1–137 with Tolkien Journal Mythcon Conference Proceedings Mythopoeic Press Publications Compiled by Janet Brennan Croft and Edith Crowe 2020. This work, exclusive of the illustrations, is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA. Tim Kirk’s illustrations are reproduced from early issues of Mythlore with his kind permission. Sarah Beach’s illustrations are reproduced from early issues of Mythlore with her kind permission. Copyright Sarah L. Beach 2007. MYTHLORE INDEX PLUS An Index to Selected Publications of The Mythopoeic Society MYTHLORE, ISSUES 1–137 TOLKIEN JOURNAL, ISSUES 1–18 MYTHOPOEIC PRESS PUBLICATIONS AND MYTHCON CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS COMPILED BY JANET BRENNAN CROFT AND EDITH CROWE Mythlore, January 1969 through Fall/Winter 2020, Issues 1–137, Volume 1.1 through 39.1 Tolkien Journal, Spring 1965 through 1976, Issues 1–18, Volume 1.1 through 5.4 Chad Walsh Reviews C.S. Lewis, The Masques of Amen House, Sayers on Holmes, The Pedant and the Shuffly, Tolkien on Film, The Travelling Rug, Past Watchful Dragons, The Intersection of Fantasy and Native America, Perilous and Fair, and Baptism of Fire Narnia Conference; Mythcon I, II, III, XVI, XXIII, and XXIX Table of Contents INTRODUCTION Janet Brennan Croft .....................................................................................................................................1
    [Show full text]
  • Article Fairy Marriages in Tolkien’S Works GIOVANNI C
    article Fairy marriages in Tolkien’s works GIOVANNI C. COSTABILE Both in its Celtic and non-Celtic declinations, the motif the daughter of the King of Faerie, who bestows on him a of the fairy mistress has an ancient tradition stretching magical source of wealth, and will visit him whenever he throughout different areas, ages, genres, media and cul- wants, so long as he never tells anybody about her.5 Going tures. Tolkien was always fascinated by the motif, and used further back, the nymph Calypso, who keeps Odysseus on it throughout his works, conceiving the romances of Beren her island Ogygia on an attempt to make him her immortal and Lúthien, and Aragorn and Arwen. In this article I wish husband,6 can be taken as a further (and older) version of to point out some minor expressions of the same motif in the same motif. Tolkien’s major works, as well as to reflect on some over- But more pertinent is the idea of someone’s ancestor being looked aspects in the stories of those couples, in the light of considered as having married a fairy. Here we can turn to the often neglected influence of Celtic and romance cultures the legend of Sir Gawain, as Jessie Weston and John R. Hul- on Tolkien. The reader should also be aware that I am going bert interpret Gawain’s story in Sir Gawain and the Green to reference much outdated scholarship, that being my pre- Knight as a late, Christianised version of what once was a cise intent, though, at least since this sort of background fairy-mistress tale in which the hero had to prove his worth may conveniently help us in better understanding Tolkien’s through the undertaking of the Beheading Test in order to reading of both his theoretical and actual sources.
    [Show full text]
  • A Secret Vice: the Desire to Understand J.R.R
    Mythmoot III: Ever On Proceedings of the 3rd Mythgard Institute Mythmoot BWI Marriott, Linthicum, Maryland January 10-11, 2015 A Secret Vice: The Desire to Understand J.R.R. Tolkien’s Quenya Or, Out of the Frying-Pan Into the Fire: Creating a Realistic Language as a Basis for Fiction Cheryl Cardoza In a letter to his son Christopher in February of 1958, Tolkien said “No one believes me when I say that my long book is an attempt to create a world in which a form of language agreeable to my personal aesthetic might seem real” (Letters 264). He added that The Lord of the Rings “was an effort to create a situation in which a common greeting would be elen síla lúmenn’ omentielmo,1 and that the phrase long antedated the book” (Letters 264-5). Tolkien often felt guilty about this, his most secret vice. Even as early as 1916, he confessed as much in a letter to Edith Bratt: “I have done some touches to my nonsense fairy language—to its improvement. I often long to work at it and don’t let myself ‘cause though I love it so, it does seem a mad hobby” (Letters 8). It wasn’t until his fans encouraged him, that Tolkien started to 1 Later, Tolkien decided that Frodo’s utterance of this phrase was in error as he had used the exclusive form of we in the word “omentielmo,” but should have used the inclusive form to include Gildor and his companions, “omentielvo.” The second edition of Fellowship reflected this correction despite some musings on leaving it to signify Frodo being treated kindly after making a grammatical error in Quenya (PE 17: 130-131).
    [Show full text]
  • The Roots of Middle-Earth: William Morris's Influence Upon J. R. R. Tolkien
    University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 12-2007 The Roots of Middle-Earth: William Morris's Influence upon J. R. R. Tolkien Kelvin Lee Massey University of Tennessee - Knoxville Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss Part of the Literature in English, British Isles Commons Recommended Citation Massey, Kelvin Lee, "The Roots of Middle-Earth: William Morris's Influence upon J. R. R. olkien.T " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2007. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/238 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Kelvin Lee Massey entitled "The Roots of Middle-Earth: William Morris's Influence upon J. R. R. olkien.T " I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in English. David F. Goslee, Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: Thomas Heffernan, Michael Lofaro, Robert Bast Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Kelvin Lee Massey entitled “The Roots of Middle-earth: William Morris’s Influence upon J.
    [Show full text]
  • JRR Tolkien's Sub-Creations of Evil
    Volume 36 Number 1 Article 7 10-15-2017 ‘A Warp of Horror’: J.R.R. Tolkien’s Sub-creations of Evil Richard Angelo Bergen University of British Columbia Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore Part of the Children's and Young Adult Literature Commons Recommended Citation Bergen, Richard Angelo (2017) "‘A Warp of Horror’: J.R.R. Tolkien’s Sub-creations of Evil," Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature: Vol. 36 : No. 1 , Article 7. Available at: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol36/iss1/7 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Mythopoeic Society at SWOSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature by an authorized editor of SWOSU Digital Commons. An ADA compliant document is available upon request. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To join the Mythopoeic Society go to: http://www.mythsoc.org/join.htm Mythcon 51: A VIRTUAL “HALFLING” MYTHCON July 31 - August 1, 2021 (Saturday and Sunday) http://www.mythsoc.org/mythcon/mythcon-51.htm Mythcon 52: The Mythic, the Fantastic, and the Alien Albuquerque, New Mexico; July 29 - August 1, 2022 http://www.mythsoc.org/mythcon/mythcon-52.htm Abstract Considers Tolkien’s skilled evocation of evil and the way he manages to hold Augustinian and Manichean conceptions of evil in balance, particularly in his depiction of orcs. Additional Keywords Augustine, St.—Concept of evil; Evil, Nature of, in J.R.R.
    [Show full text]
  • On Ways of Studying Tolkien: Notes Toward a Better (Epic) Fantasy Criticism
    Journal of Tolkien Research Volume 9 Issue 1 Article 2 2020 On Ways of Studying Tolkien: Notes Toward a Better (Epic) Fantasy Criticism Dennis Wilson Wise University of Arizona, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/journaloftolkienresearch Part of the Continental Philosophy Commons, Ethics and Political Philosophy Commons, Literature in English, British Isles Commons, and the Literature in English, North America Commons Recommended Citation Wise, Dennis Wilson (2020) "On Ways of Studying Tolkien: Notes Toward a Better (Epic) Fantasy Criticism," Journal of Tolkien Research: Vol. 9 : Iss. 1 , Article 2. Available at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/journaloftolkienresearch/vol9/iss1/2 This Peer-Reviewed Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Christopher Center Library at ValpoScholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Tolkien Research by an authorized administrator of ValpoScholar. For more information, please contact a ValpoScholar staff member at [email protected]. Wise: On Ways of Studying Tolkien INTRODUCTION We are currently living a golden age for Tolkien Studies. The field is booming: two peer-reviewed journals dedicated to J.R.R. Tolkien alone, at least four journals dedicated to the Inklings more generally, innumerable society newsletters and bulletins, and new books and edited collections every year. And this only encompasses the Tolkien work in English. In the last two decades, specifically since 2000, the search term “Tolkien” pulls up nearly 1,200 hits on the MLA International Bibliography. For comparison, C. S. Lewis places a distant second at fewer than 900 hits, but even this number outranks the combined hits on Ursula K.
    [Show full text]
  • Tolkien Encyclopedia
    Tolkien Encyclopedia The Accursed • Oromë • Uldor Algund Adanedhel • A member of the Guar-waith. • Túrin Almarian Adurant • The daughter of Vëantur, husband of • A tributary of Gelion. Meneldur, and mother of Anardil, Ailinel, and Almiel. Aegnor • Elvish son of Finarfin. Almiel • Called: Egnor • A daughter of Meneldur and Almarian. Aelin-uial Alqualondë • The Twilight Meres • The mansions of Olwë in Aman. • Called: The Haven of Swans. Aerandir • A mariner who sailed with Eärendil to Aman Aman. • Home of the Valar. Across the Outer Sea from Arda Aerin • Called: The Land of Aman, the Blessed • A relative of Húrin. The wife of Brodda, an Realm, the Guarded Realm Easterling. The daughter of Indor. Amlach The After-born • The son of Imlach. • Men Amon Ereb The Aftercomers • A hill in Ossiriand where Denethor died • Men during the First Battle of the Wars of Beleriand. Agarwaen • Túrin Amon Ethir • A hill raised by Finrod in front of Aglon Nargothrond. • Himlad • Called: The Spyhill Ailinel Amon Gwareth • A daughter of Meneldur and Almarian, the • A mountain in Tumladen. wife of Orchaldor, and mother of Soronto. Amon Obel Ainairos • A mountain in Brethil. • An Elf of Alqualondë who stirred up the Valar against Melkor. Amon Rûdh • Mîm’s home in the west of Doriath. The Ainu of Evil • Called: Sharbhund, the Bald Hill, Bar-en- • Melkor Danwedh, the House of Ransom, Echad i Sedryn, Camp of the Faithful Alcarinquë and Elemmírë • Stars Amras • Elvish son of Fëanor. Aldarion • Anardil Amrod • Elvish son of Fëanor. Aldaron Tolkien Encyclopedia Anadûnê Anduin the Great • Andor • A river in Arda Anardil Andúnië • The son of Meneldur and Almarian.
    [Show full text]
  • The Hidden Meaning of the Lord of the Rings the Theological Vision in Tolkien’S Fiction
    LITERATURE The Hidden Meaning of The Lord of the Rings The Theological Vision in Tolkien’s Fiction Joseph Pearce LECTURE GUIDE Learn More www.CatholicCourses.com TABLE OF CONTENTS Lecture Summaries LECTURE 1 Introducing J.R.R. Tolkien: The Man behind the Myth...........................................4 LECTURE 2 True Myth: Tolkien, C.S. Lewis & the Truth of Fiction.............................................8 Feature: The Use of Language in The Lord of the Rings............................................12 LECTURE 3 The Meaning of the Ring: “To Rule Them All, and in the Darkness Bind Them”.......................................14 LECTURE 4 Of Elves & Men: Fighting the Long Defeat.................................................................18 Feature: The Scriptural Basis for Tolkien’s Middle-earth............................................22 LECTURE 5 Seeing Ourselves in the Story: The Hobbits, Boromir, Faramir, & Gollum as Everyman Figures.......... 24 LECTURE 6 Of Wizards & Kings: Frodo, Gandalf & Aragorn as Figures of Christ..... 28 Feature: The Five Races of Middle-earth................................................................................32 LECTURE 7 Beyond the Power of the Ring: The Riddle of Tom Bombadil & Other Neglected Characters....................34 LECTURE 8 Frodo’s Failure: The Triumph of Grace......................................................................... 38 Suggested Reading from Joseph Pearce................................................................................42 2 The Hidden Meaning
    [Show full text]
  • Applying Anthropology to Fantasy: a Structural Analysis Of
    APPLYING ANTHROPOLOGY TO FANTASY: A STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OF THE LORD OF THE RINGS By Christina C. Estep B.A., University of Mary Washington, 2010 A thesis submitted to the Department of Anthropology College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities The University of West Florida In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts 2014 © 2014 Christina C. Estep The thesis of Christina C. Estep is approved: ____________________________________________ _________________ Margaret W. Huber, Ph.D., Committee Member Date ____________________________________________ _________________ Kristina Killgrove, Ph.D., Committee Member Date ____________________________________________ _________________ John E. Worth, Ph.D., Committee Member Date ____________________________________________ _________________ Robert C. Philen, Ph.D., Committee Chair Date Accepted for the Department/Division: ____________________________________________ _________________ John R. Bratten, Ph.D., Chair Date Accepted for the University: ____________________________________________ _________________ Richard S. Podemski, Ph.D., Dean, Graduate School Date ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First and foremost, I would like to recognize my thesis committee, Dr. Robert Philen, Dr. Kristina Killgrove, Dr. John Worth, and Dr. Margaret Huber, for taking the time and effort to help me with not only my thesis, but my academic endeavors. Without these individuals, I would not be where I am now or possess the knowledge that I now have. Secondly, I want thank my parents, Bonnie and Carl Estep. Despite their hardships in life, my parents have supported me through every decision I have made, encouraged me to pursue a higher degree, and were always there to cheer me on when times were tough. Finally, I want to acknowledge my husband Brian, who has been my rock during the most stressful of times.
    [Show full text]
  • Tolkien on Fantasy in <I>Smith of Wootton Major</I>
    Volume 12 Number 1 Article 1 10-15-1985 Tolkien On Fantasy in Smith of Wootton Major Margaret Sammons Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore Part of the Children's and Young Adult Literature Commons Recommended Citation Sammons, Margaret (1985) "Tolkien On Fantasy in Smith of Wootton Major," Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature: Vol. 12 : No. 1 , Article 1. Available at: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol12/iss1/1 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Mythopoeic Society at SWOSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature by an authorized editor of SWOSU Digital Commons. An ADA compliant document is available upon request. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To join the Mythopoeic Society go to: http://www.mythsoc.org/join.htm Mythcon 51: A VIRTUAL “HALFLING” MYTHCON July 31 - August 1, 2021 (Saturday and Sunday) http://www.mythsoc.org/mythcon/mythcon-51.htm Mythcon 52: The Mythic, the Fantastic, and the Alien Albuquerque, New Mexico; July 29 - August 1, 2022 http://www.mythsoc.org/mythcon/mythcon-52.htm Abstract 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 ot him. (Note: the issue gives her first name as Margaret, which is incorrect.) Additional Keywords Faerie in Smith of Wootton Major; Tolkien, J.R.R.—Theory of fantasy; Tolkien, J.R.R.
    [Show full text]
  • Editors' Introduction Douglas A
    Editors' Introduction Douglas A. Anderson Michael D. C. Drout Verlyn Flieger Tolkien Studies, Volume 7, 2010 Published by West Virginia University Press Editors’ Introduction This is the seventh issue of Tolkien Studies, the first refereed journal solely devoted to the scholarly study of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. As editors, our goal is to publish excellent scholarship on Tolkien as well as to gather useful research information, reviews, notes, documents, and bibliographical material. In this issue we are especially pleased to publish Tolkien’s early fiction “The Story of Kullervo” and the two existing drafts of his talk on the Kalevala, transcribed and edited with notes and commentary by Verlyn Flieger. With this exception, all articles have been subject to anonymous, ex- ternal review as well as receiving a positive judgment by the Editors. In the cases of articles by individuals associated with the journal in any way, each article had to receive at least two positive evaluations from two different outside reviewers. Reviewer comments were anonymously conveyed to the authors of the articles. The Editors agreed to be bound by the recommendations of the outside referees. The Editors also wish to call attention to the Cumulative Index to vol- umes one through five of Tolkien Studies, compiled by Jason Rea, Michael D.C. Drout, Tara L. McGoldrick, and Lauren Provost, with Maryellen Groot and Julia Rende. The Cumulative Index is currently available only through the online subscription database Project Muse. Douglas A. Anderson Michael D. C. Drout Verlyn Flieger v Abbreviations B&C Beowulf and the Critics.
    [Show full text]
  • The Divine Alchemy of J. R. R. Tolkien's the Silmarillion David C
    The Divine Alchemy of J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Silmarillion David C. Priester, Jr. Gray, GA B.A., English and Philosophy, Vanderbilt University, 2017 A Thesis presented to the Graduate Faculty of the University of Virginia in Candidacy for the Degree of Master of Arts Department of English University of Virginia May, 2020 Abstract J. R. R. Tolkien’s Silmarillion demonstrates a philosophy of creative imagination that is expressed in argumentative form in Tolkien’s essay “On Fairy Stories.” Fully appreciating the imaginative architecture of Tolkien’s fantastic cosmos requires considering his creative work in literary and theological dimensions simultaneously. Creative writing becomes a kind of spiritual activity through which the mind participates in a spiritual or theological order of reality. Through archetypal patterns Tolkien’s fantasy expresses particular ways of encountering divine presence in the world. The imagination serves as a faculty of spiritual perception. Tolkien’s creative ethic resonates with the theological aesthetics of Hans Urs von Balthasar, a consideration of which helps to illuminate the relationship of theology and imaginative literature in The Silmarillion. Creative endeavors may be seen as analogous to the works of alchemists pursuing the philosopher’s stone through the transfiguration of matter. The Silmarils symbolize the ideal fruits of creative activity and are analogous to the philosopher’s stone. Priester 1 The Divine Alchemy of J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Silmarillion Where shall we begin our study of J. R. R. Tolkien’s Silmarillion? The beginning seems like a very good place to start: “There was Eru, the One, who in Arda is called Ilúvatar; and he made first the Ainur, the Holy Ones, that were the offspring of his thought” (3).
    [Show full text]