J. R. R. Tolkien:
“father of modern fantasy literature”
Christina Weigand
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born on January 3, 1892 in
Bloemfontein South Africa. His parents, Arthur Reuel and Mabel Tolkien had left
England when Arthur was promoted to head of the bank that he worked for.
Tolkien had one sibling, a younger brother, Hilary Arthur Reuel Tolkien.
At the age of three Tolkien, his mother and brother went on
a lengthy family visit to England. Unfortunately his father died of rheumatic
fever in South Africa before he was able to join the family. Mabel, took her
two sons to live with her parents in Birmingham. Tolkien enjoyed exploring the
surrounding countryside, which would later inspire scenes in his books.
Mabel taught the children at home and Tolkien was known as a
keen pupil. She taught him about botany which awakened a love for the look and
feel of plants. Languages were by far his favorite subject and his mother
taught him Latin very early in his life. Some of his favorite books were Phantastes by George MacDonald and the “Fairy
Books” of Andrew Lang. Their influence can be seen in some of his later
writings.
Tolkien’s mother died when he was 12 years old and Fr.
Francis Xavier Morgan took over guardianship of the boys. Tolkien then attended
King Edward’s School in Birmingham and later St. Philip’s School. While at King
Edward’s School he joined the Officers Training Corps and helped line the route
for the coronation parade of King George V.
During his early teens he had his first encounter with a
constructed language, Animalic, that his cousins had invented. After his
interest in this died he continued to invent new and more complex languages.
Naffarin was the next constructed language and was his own invention. He also
learned and wrote a book in Esperanto, The
Book of the Foxrook where some of his invented languages appeared.
He also during this time met up with three young men and
formed a secret society called the Tea Club and Barrovian Society (T.C.B.S).
Through this group Tolkien developed a strong dedication to writing poetry.
After a trip to Switzerland, he began studying at Exeter College,
Oxford. He started out studying classics, later changing to English Language
and Literature. His travels through Switzerland were reflected in Bilbo’s
journey across the Misty Mountains.
When he was 16 Tolkien met Edith, the woman who would one day
become his wife. His guardian disapproved of the relationship and forbid
Tolkien to have any contact with her until he turned 21. Tolkien obeyed the
prohibition and the day he turned 21 he wrote a letter to Edith proposing
marriage. After some rearranging of her life she accepted his proposal and they
married three years later.
Following completing his finals and wedding they lived in
lodgings near a training camp as WWI had started and he had been commissioned
as a second lieutenant. He was sent to France. While waiting to be summoned to
his unit he composed a poem, The Lonely
Isle, which had been inspired by his feelings during the sea crossing to
Calais. While fighting in the Battle of the Somme he came down with trench
fever and was sent back to England. During his recovery he began to write The Book of Lost Tales.
The first of
four children was born to John and Edith and he continued to serve between
recurrences of his illness in the military. It was also during this time that
the idea of Beren and Luthien came to
be.
After the war he worked on the Oxford English Dictionary and took the post as reader in English
language at the University of Leeds. He privately tutored young women
undergraduates in a couple of women’s colleges. Writing of The Hobbit and the first two volumes of The Lord of the Rings happened during this time.
He undertook a translation of Beowulf which he never published. Tolkien gave lectures on Beowulf that changed some of the
perceptions of the work.
After WWII he moved to Merton College and became a professor
of English Language and Literature. While here he completed The Lord of the Rings.
After his retirement in 1959 he became increasingly
disillusioned with his fame and took his phone number from the phone directory.
Eventually he and Edith moved to a seaside resort. Tolkien desperately missed
C. S. Lewis who he had befriended as well as the Inklings, but stayed with
Edith as she was quite content with their new living situation.
In 1971 Edith died. Tolkien returned to Merton College and
lived there until his death, September 2, 1973.
After his death, his son Christopher published many of
Tolkien’s works based on the extensive notes his father had left behind.
Tolkien’s success with The
Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings led
to resurgence in high fantasy literature. Tolkien became referred to as the “father
of modern fantasy literature.”
The
Times ranked Tolkien
sixth on a list of “The 50 greatest British writers since 1945”. Forbes ranked him the 5th
top-earning “dead celebrity” in 2009.
J.R.R. Tolkien’s many novels and poems were inspired by his
many life adventures. His legacy leaves us many fantasies to lose ourselves in.
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