How J.R.R. Tolkien Made Fantasy A Reality

jrr__madras_courier
JRR Tolkien's bust at Oxford (Image: Julian Nitzsche/ Creative Commons)
On J.R.R. Tolkien's 126th anniversary, the British author remains the cornerstone of immersive fantasy fiction.

When Frodo and Sam marched through the Dead Marshes on their way to Mount Doom, J.R.R. Tolkien was in the trenches of Northern France, after fighting the Battle of the Somme in World War I.

When Gimli glimpsed Galadriel in the forest of Lothlórien, Tolkien was watching his wife dance in a glade in Yorkshire.

And when Sam married Rose and watched Frodo depart for the sea, Tolkien was himself in Britain – glad he would not have to cross the sea again to fight in Europe. Knowing that stories can have happy endings without ending.

It might seem obvious to link events in a book of fantasy to real events in the author’s life. John Ronald Reuel Tolkien took his fantasy quite seriously. Indeed, he found parallels in life that could be adapted to fiction. For him, the purpose of fiction was not to reflect these realities; rather, to subvert them, rising above them to create a happy ending that the real world cannot provide.



To continue reading, please subscribe to the Madras Courier.

Subscribe Now

Or Login


 

Copyright©Madras Courier, All Rights Reserved. You may share using our article tools. Please don't cut articles from madrascourier.com and redistribute by email, post to the web, mobile phone or social media.
Please send in your feed back and comments to editor@madrascourier.com