After an unintended and unforeseen hiatus, I am back. This is part 6 of a series on Tolkien’s Letter 131, most of which is included in the preface materials of The Silmarillion. Begin reading at Part 1 — or visit the previous post in this series. * * * At this point in his letter,... Continue Reading →
This is part 5 of a series on Tolkien’s Letter 131, most of which is included in the preface materials of The Silmarillion. Begin reading at Part 1 — or visit the previous post in this series. * * * After discussing the earliest days of Middle-earth and the Fall of the Elves through Fëanor,... Continue Reading →
This is part 3 of a series on Tolkien’s Letter 131, most of which is included in the preface materials of The Silmarillion. Begin reading at Part 1 — or visit the previous post in this series. * * * In Part 2 of this series, we looked at Tolkien’s claim that all his writing... Continue Reading →
This is part 3 of a series on Tolkien’s Letter 131, most of which is included in the preface materials of The Silmarillion. Read Part 1 and Part 2 here. * * * Tolkien’s stated goal behind the Ainur, the gods (or “angelic powers”) was to provide being of the same order of beauty, power,... Continue Reading →
This is part 2 of a series on Tolkien’s Letter 131, most of which is included in the preface materials of The Silmarillion. Read Part 1 here. * * * One of the more common claims about Tolkien when it comes to interpreting his writing is that he disliked Allegory. This claim has become such... Continue Reading →
In preparation for rereading The Silmarillion this summer, I reread Tolkien’s Letter 131, most of which is included in the front matter of my copy of the book. It has been many, many years since I read this letter—often called the most important of his letters, certainly the longest, to understand Tolkien’s thinking. When I... Continue Reading →
Something Tookish 