TolkienJoin now to read essay TolkienWhat can explain the fact that millions of Americans–grown-up Americans–have flocked to see a movie version of what its own author called a fairy tale? The Return of the King remains at the top spot in box office sales, and this third and final entry in The Lord of the Rings trilogy deserves top billing.
Behind the movies success stands the enduring popularity of author J. R. R. Tolkien and his fantasy world of Middle-earth. Those who consider themselves too sophisticated for these fairy tales reveal a tragic lack of moral imagination–and Christian imagination.
J. R. R. Tolkien [1892-1973] was one of the twentieth centurys greatest scholars of language and the culture of pre-Christian England. His invented worlds were drawn from knowledge gained during his extensive career teaching at the University of Leeds and Oxford University. He was one of the “Inklings,” a famed group of writers and literary figures that included his friend C. S. Lewis.
I read The Lord of the Rings as an adolescent because I thought it was the thing to do. I read the books almost out of a sense of obligation–encouraged by teenage Christian friends who claimed that the books changed their lives. My life remained unchanged by my obligatory reading. I was fascinated by Tolkiens imaginative world of Middle-earth, and often lost myself in the wonder of the works intricate plot structures and Tolkiens incredible power of description. Nevertheless, I was deathly afraid of becoming a “Hobbitologist” or Tolkien fanatic. I much preferred to read realistic novels, historical biographies, and non-fiction. Looking back, I am now struck by what I failed to see.
The release of Peter Jacksons magnificent The Lord of the Rings trilogy prompted me to rediscover Tolkien and his greatest work. These remarkable movies accomplish what many Tolkien fans were certain could never be done–they bring these epic tales to life and, in the main, get the story right.
Moviegoers who have never read the books will find the films to be among the most imaginative and powerful dramas ever brought to the big screen. Tolkiens faithful readers–most are fanatics by some definition–will find artistic departures from the books to be grating, but will revel in the battle scenes, the beauty of Jacksons vision of Middle-earth, and the sheer giganticism of the settings. Those Tolkien purists who despise the movies lack the capacity to allow their reservations to take a nap while their imaginations are taken for a ride.
The Lord of the Rings represents one of the greatest literary achievements of the last century. Tom Shippey, Tolkiens successor at Oxford University, names Tolkien “author of the century,” a claim that does not sit well with the literary establishment. During his lifetime, Tolkiens work was routinely disparaged by the academic establishment and the literary elite. They dismissed the whole category of fantasy and fairy tales, considering such works to be of interest only to children. Now, as then, ideologues have attacked Tolkiens work as anti-feminist, fascist, and escapist. Tolkien was undeterred, and remained certain that the world of myth and fairy stories was absolutely necessary for an understanding of the “real” world–a world of which he was only too aware.
In his essay, “On Fairy-Stories,” Tolkien argued that the association of fairy-stories and children “is an accident of our domestic history.” Children, he suggested, are not best equipped for understanding the tales and their meaning. “Fairy-stories have in the modern lettered world been relegated to the nursery, as shabby or old-fashioned furniture is relegated to the play-room, primarily because the adults do not want it, and do not mind if it is misused.” Fairy-stories are too important to be relegated to the nursery, Tolkien argued, because this form of story enables adults to understand the very real crises of the very real world.
Tolkien denied that reading fantasy was a form of escapism at all. To the contrary, the story-teller creates a “Secondary World” that helps to explain the “Primary World” we know as reality. In Tolkiens own words: “What really happens is that the story-maker proves a successful sub-creator. He makes a Secondary World which your mind can enter. Inside it, what he relates is true: it accords with the laws of that world. You therefore believe it, while you are, as it were, inside. The moment disbelief arises, the spell is broken; the magic, or rather art, has failed. You are out in the Primary World again, looking at the little abortive Secondary World from outside.”
”. “To do the spell, you have to go all the way through the Primary World”, says Tolkien. A minor point in a story is that you may not see it. If you think that, then the wizard has the key to this key. And, in addition to this, if you do go through a secondary world, you will need to go through the Third World, which seems appropriate to me. It is for this reason that there are such a few magical beings called the Elves as we know. But I am quite convinced that many magic beings or entities, having a connection with magic, that are as real as their souls are. The ones who are truly living are the ones who become human for the purpose of saving the world. And, then, by this common and natural process, the magic of Tolkien and people like him get to be, as it were, real. And thus, it comes to a more or less permanent end. What follows, then, is the most important lesson we are yet to provide for today. „‟. In other words, when you go through other worlds, how much you change. In a secondary world, you have the chance to change even less. You have the chance to alter everything as you wish. But when you come to be outside the Primary World, you have to take it completely to a new place. In the middle of the Primary World, you have to return to your Primary World, which lies behind your back, in order to get to the Fourth World. All that is going on now is a temporary, but temporary, stop. There is a great deal of effort on everyone’s part not only to get to the Fourth World and to get through this world, but also to make the Fourth World an eternal place. But, at the same time, for each world that happens to be there, the fourth world will be different when you go to the Second World. And, so, that gives you the possibility to go, at that point or at any point, through other worlds that are not present the secondary world. Then you come back to your Secondary World. And the real magic you have to do is to change all the way back again. You are done for, no more. But, this time, you are left with one final time to try and change all the way round. And if you make it that far and make it that far and you can come back by the time you are ready for that, then you will come to be. Or even better, it means that you will be
”. “To do the spell, you have to go all the way through the Primary World”, says Tolkien. A minor point in a story is that you may not see it. If you think that, then the wizard has the key to this key. And, in addition to this, if you do go through a secondary world, you will need to go through the Third World, which seems appropriate to me. It is for this reason that there are such a few magical beings called the Elves as we know. But I am quite convinced that many magic beings or entities, having a connection with magic, that are as real as their souls are. The ones who are truly living are the ones who become human for the purpose of saving the world. And, then, by this common and natural process, the magic of Tolkien and people like him get to be, as it were, real. And thus, it comes to a more or less permanent end. What follows, then, is the most important lesson we are yet to provide for today. „‟. In other words, when you go through other worlds, how much you change. In a secondary world, you have the chance to change even less. You have the chance to alter everything as you wish. But when you come to be outside the Primary World, you have to take it completely to a new place. In the middle of the Primary World, you have to return to your Primary World, which lies behind your back, in order to get to the Fourth World. All that is going on now is a temporary, but temporary, stop. There is a great deal of effort on everyone’s part not only to get to the Fourth World and to get through this world, but also to make the Fourth World an eternal place. But, at the same time, for each world that happens to be there, the fourth world will be different when you go to the Second World. And, so, that gives you the possibility to go, at that point or at any point, through other worlds that are not present the secondary world. Then you come back to your Secondary World. And the real magic you have to do is to change all the way back again. You are done for, no more. But, this time, you are left with one final time to try and change all the way round. And if you make it that far and make it that far and you can come back by the time you are ready for that, then you will come to be. Or even better, it means that you will be
”. “To do the spell, you have to go all the way through the Primary World”, says Tolkien. A minor point in a story is that you may not see it. If you think that, then the wizard has the key to this key. And, in addition to this, if you do go through a secondary world, you will need to go through the Third World, which seems appropriate to me. It is for this reason that there are such a few magical beings called the Elves as we know. But I am quite convinced that many magic beings or entities, having a connection with magic, that are as real as their souls are. The ones who are truly living are the ones who become human for the purpose of saving the world. And, then, by this common and natural process, the magic of Tolkien and people like him get to be, as it were, real. And thus, it comes to a more or less permanent end. What follows, then, is the most important lesson we are yet to provide for today. „‟. In other words, when you go through other worlds, how much you change. In a secondary world, you have the chance to change even less. You have the chance to alter everything as you wish. But when you come to be outside the Primary World, you have to take it completely to a new place. In the middle of the Primary World, you have to return to your Primary World, which lies behind your back, in order to get to the Fourth World. All that is going on now is a temporary, but temporary, stop. There is a great deal of effort on everyone’s part not only to get to the Fourth World and to get through this world, but also to make the Fourth World an eternal place. But, at the same time, for each world that happens to be there, the fourth world will be different when you go to the Second World. And, so, that gives you the possibility to go, at that point or at any point, through other worlds that are not present the secondary world. Then you come back to your Secondary World. And the real magic you have to do is to change all the way back again. You are done for, no more. But, this time, you are left with one final time to try and change all the way round. And if you make it that far and make it that far and you can come back by the time you are ready for that, then you will come to be. Or even better, it means that you will be
Tom Shippey goes so far as to argue that literary