J.R.R Tolkien biography Region
Introduction:
For many years there has been much speculation about many aspects of Tolkien’s world. And very little was known about Tolkien him self.
However, it was not until Tolkien's many manuscripts and letters were posthumously published that readers could begin to answer the three basic questions about Tolkien's world: where, when and why?
In several of his letters of the 1950s Tolkien acknowledged that the location of his world often confuse people; "Many reviewers seemed to assume that middle-Earth is another planet!”
He found this quite perplexing, because in his own mind he
had not the least doubt about its locality; "Middle-Earth is not an imaginary world. The name is the modern form of midden-erd>middel-erd, an ancient name for the oikoumene, the abiding place of Men, the objectively real world, in use specifically opposed to imaginary worlds (as fairyland) or unseen worlds (as Heaven or Hell).”
A decade later Tolkien gave a journalist an exact geographic location; “the action of the story takes place in North-west of Middle-earth, equivalent in latitude to the coastline of Europe and the north shore of the Mediterranean… If Hobbiton and Rivendel are taken (as intended) to be about the latitude of Oxford, then Minas Tirith, 600 miles south, is at about the latitude of Florence. The Mouths of Anduin and the ancient city of Pelargir are at about the latitude of ancient Troy.” The trick of Tolkien’s world is not the where, but the when; “The theatre of my tale is the Earth, the one in which we now live, but the historical period is imaginary.” And in another letter: “I have I suppose constructed an imaginary time, but kept my feet on my own mother-earth for place.”
That imaginary time is a mythical one, just before the first recorded human histories and the rise of any recorded historic civilization. It begins with a new creation myth which results in the making of a flat planet within spheres of air and light. It is inhabited by the godlike Valar, Elves, Dwarves, Ents and Orcs. We are 30,000 years into the history of this world, however, before the human race actually appears. Another 3,900 years pass before the cataclysmic destruction of the Atlantis-like culture of Numenor results in this mythical world’s transformation into the globed world we know today. The events of the remaining 4,000 years of Tolkien’s annals were then intended to lead on “eventually and inevitably to ordinary history.”
All this creation and tailoring leads to the third obvious question about Tolkien’s world; Why? Why did Tolkien choose to basically re-invent our world by giving it a new history (or a mythic prehistory) in an imaginary time? Again, we must look to his personal correspondence for the answer.
“I was from early days grieved by the poverty of my own beloved country, it had no stories of it’s own, not of the quality that I sought, and found in legends of other lands. There was Greek, and Celtic, and Romance, Germanic, Scandinavian, and Finnish; but nothing English, save impoverished chapbook stuff.”
This was Tolkien’s life ambition. So great was this obsession that it could be argued that the undoubted literary merits of Tolkien’s epic tale of “The Lord of the Rings” was almost a secondary concern. Important as the novel was, any analysis of Tolkien’s life and work makes one aware that his greatest passion and grandest ambition was focused on the creation of an entire mythological system for the English people.
“I had a mind to make a body of more or less connected legend, ranging from the large and cosmogonic, to the level of romantic fairy story which I could dedicate simply: to England; to my Country.”
The enormity of this undertaking is staggering. It would be as if Homer before writing the Odyssey, had first to invent the whole of Greek mythology and mystery.
What is most remarkable is that Tolkien actually achieved his ambitions to an extraordinary degree. Today, just five decades after the publication of The Hobbit, Tolkein’s hobbits are as convincingly as part of the English heritage as leprechauns are to the Irish, Gnomes are to the Germans and Trolls to the Scandinavians. Indeed, many people are now unaware that Hobbits are invented by Tolkein, and assume that they have more or less, always been with us. However, Hobbits are not the only creation of Tolkein’s mind that have invaded our world. Orcs, Ents and Balrogs have found their way through, but even more obviously he has forever redefined and standardized many half – realized mythological creatures. The Elf and the Dwaff are very different creatures today because of Tolkein. Gandalf has become as much the definitive wizard as Merlin, whose myth was a thousand years in the making.
As time passes, more and more of Tolkein’s invented world is invading our own. Hovercrafts are called shadowfax, bookstores – Bilbo’s, restaurants – Frodo’s, jewelers – Gimli’s, archery suppliers – Legolas, hairdressers – Galadriel’s, and multi-national corporations – Aragorn.
Although Tolkein had never anticipated the massive popular and commercial adoption of his mythology, he had hoped for a more specialized appeal of those fascinated by myth and folklore. In that same letter in which he wrote of his desire to create a mythology for England, Tolkein also outlined the extent of his ambitions and how in his most extravagant imaginations he hoped others might involve themselves in his world.
“I would draw some of the great tales in fullness, and leave many only placed in the scheme, and sketched. The cycles should be linked to a logistic whole, and yet leaves scope for other minds and hands, wielding paint and music and drama.”
The Life and works of J.R.R.Tolkien:
1892: John Ronald Reuel Tolkien born 3rd January of British Parents in Bloemfontein, Shouth Africa, Brother, Hilary born 1894.
1895: Mother (Mabel Tolkien) takes children back to Birmingan, England. Father (Arthur Tolkien) remains in South Africa.
1900: Ronald begins to attend King Edward's Grammar School.
1904: Mother dies of diabetes, aged 34.
1905: Orphaned boys move to Aunt's home in Birmingham.
1908: Ronal Begins first term at Oxford.
1913: Ronald Takes Honours Moderations exams.
1914: Ronal is betrothed to Childhood sweerheart Edith Bratt. Great War declared. Returns to Oxford to complete his degree.
1915: Awarded Dirst Class Honours degree in English Language and Literature. Commisioned in Lacahire Fusiliers.
1916: Married Edith Bratt. Goes to war in France. Sees action on the Somme as second lieutenant. Returns to Englandsuffering from shellshock.
1917: While convalescing begins writting "The Silmarillion." Birth of first son, John.
1918: Promoted to full lieutenant, posted to staforshire. War ends. Returns with family to Oxford, joins staff of New Wnglish Dictionary.
1919: Works as a freelance tutor in Oxford.
1920: Appointed Reader in English Language ate Leeds University. Birth of second son, Michael.
1924: Becomes Professor of English Language at Leeds. Third son, Christopher, is born.
1925: Tolkien and E.V. Gordon publish SIR "Gawain and the Green Knight." Tolkien elected Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford.
1926: Friendship with C.S. Lewis begins.
1929: Fourth child, Priscilla, is born.
1936: Tolkien completes "The Hobbit." Delivers his lecture Beowulf: "The Monsters and the Critics."
1937: "The Hobbit" is published. Tolkien begins to write a sequel, wich eventually becomes "The Lord of the Rings."
1939: Tolkien Delivers his lecture on "Fairy Stories." Works on "The Lord of the Rings" fitfully throughout the years.
1945: War ends. Tokien elected Merton Professor of English Language and Literature at Oxford.
1947: Draft of "The Lord of the Rings" sent to publishers.
1948: "The Lord of the Rings" completed.
1949: Publication of "Farmer Giles of Ham."
1954 Publication of "The Lord of the Rings;" Volumes One and Two.
1955: Publication of "The Lord of the Rings," VolumeThree.
1959: Tolkien retires his orofessorship.
1962: Publication of "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil."
1964: Publication of "Tree and Leaf."
1965: American paperbag editions of "The Lord of the Rings" are published and campus cult of the novel begins
1967: Publications of Smith of Wooton Major and The Road Goes Ever On.
1968: The Tokiens move to Poole near Bournemouth.
1971: Edith Tolkien dies, aged 82.
1972: Tolkien returns to Oxford. Recieves CBE from the Queen.
1973: 2nd September, J.R.R. Tolkien dies, aged 81.
Posthumous Publications of J.R.R Tolkien:
1976: “The Father Christmas Letters.”
1977: “The Silmarillion.”
1980: “Unfinished Tales of Numenor and Middle-Earth.”
1981: “The Letters of J.R.R Tolkien.”
1982: “Mr. Bliss.”
1983: “The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays.”
“The History of Middle-Earth: The Book of Lost Tales.”
1984: “The History of Middle-Earth: The Book of Lost Tales-Part Two.”
1985: “The History of Middle-Earth: The Lays of Beleriand.”
1986: “The History of Middle-Earth: The Shaping of Middle-Earth.”
1987: “The History of Middle-Earth: The Lost Road and Other Writings.”
1988: “The History of Middle-Earth: The Return of the Shadow.”
1989: “The History of Middle-Earth: The Treason of Isengard.”
1989: “The History of Middle-Earth: The War of the Ring.”
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