I hope I have given Tolkien’s early poetry and prose the serious consideration they deserve, not as mere juvenilia, but as the vision of a unique writer in the springtime of his powers a vision already sweeping in its scope and weighty in its themes, yet characteristically rich in detail, insight and life. In the 1920s, in a small-press book now long out of print.
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As well as a critical examination of this first foray into what Tolkien later came to call Middle-earth, I have provided commentaries on many of his early poems, one of which (‘The Lonely Isle’) appears here in full for the first time since its publication The growth of his mythology is examined from its first linguistic and poetic seeds to its early bloom in ‘The Book of Lost Tales’, the forerunner of The Silmarillion, envisaged in its beginnings as a compendium of long-forgotten stories of the ancient world as seen through elvish eyes. Travelling far beyond the military aspects of the war, I have tried to indicate the breadth and depth of Tolkien’s interests and inspirations. It recounts his life and creative endeavours during the years 1914-18, from his initial excursions into his first invented ‘Elvish’ language as a final-year undergraduate at Oxford, through the opening up of his horizons by arduous army training and then the horror of work as a battalion signal officer on the Somme, to his two years as a chronic invalid standing guard at Britain’s seawall and writing the first tales of his legendarium. Tolkien should have embarked upon his monumental mythology in the midst of the First World War, the crisis of disenchantment that shaped the modern era. Preface This biographical study arose from a single observation: how strange it is that J. 29 October-7 November-In hospital, Le Touquet.Ĩ November-Returns to England on Asturias. 28 October-He leaves his service battalion. 27 October-Tolkien reports sick at Beauval.
17-20 October-Ovillers Post and Hessian Trench. 13-16 October-Headquarters, Zollern Redoubt. 6-12 October-Battalion HQ, Ferme de Mouquet. 1-5 September-Support trenches near Ovillers. 28 August-1 September-Trenches east of Leipzig Salient. 22 August-Tolkien sees Smith for the last time. 16-23 August-Signal officers’ course, Acheux. 21 July-He becomes battalion signal officer. 14-16 July-Tolkien takes part in attack on Ovillers. 3 July-Tolkien reaches the frontline area. 28 June-He joins 11th Lancashire Fusiliers. ‘One who dreams alone’ Notes Bibliography Index Tolkien and The Great War Copyright About the PublisherĬhronology Tolkien on the Somme, 1916 6 June-Tolkien arrives in France. Table of Contents Cover Page Title Page Dedication Chronology Maps Preface PART ONE The immortal four Prologue ONE Before TWO A young man with too much imagination THREE The Council of London FOUR The shores of Faërie FIVE Benighted wanderers SIX Too long in slumber PART TWO Tears unnumbered SEVEN Larkspur and Canterbury-bells EIGHT A bitter winnowing NINE ‘Something has gone crack’ TEN In a hole in the ground PART THREE The Lonely Isle ELEVEN Castles in the air TWELVE Tol Withernon and Fladweth Amrod Epilogue. In memory of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, 1892-1973 Christopher Luke Wiseman, 1893-1987 Robert Quilter Gilson, 1893-1916 Geoffrey Bache Smith, 1894-1916 TCBS
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