Tolkien what a guy what a life!

[Lily]

Does anybody think that Tolkien had a regular life or a life full of adventure and suprises? In my opinion I think he had a pretty normal life (except for maybe when he was in Africa). smilies/smile.gif

[Legolas]

Participating in a World War isn't quite normal while it's not quite exciting either.

[Gorwingel]

But there were many others who went into war during WWI or WWII also, so I would have to say that at the time it was probably quite common. I personally think he had a normal life, for a veteran of a major war. Even though he was a professor at Oxford, which I would consider an amazing job. I believe he had a normal life because he considered it a priority. He was very much a private person who was well known around the world. he could have taken advantage of that and he could have became even more well known. But since he wanted to have a normal life he decided to stay in the background, stay very private, and let his works speak for themselves.

[Arwen Melian]

In my opinion, Tolkien did not have a normal life. For example most of his immediate family died when he was young. Therefore...that makes him a good author, because it is often the best writers who experience the turmoils that they write of first hand(not to mention that he was an absolute genious). smilies/smile.gif

[The Saucepan Man]

But since he wanted to have a normal life he decided to stay in the background, stay very private, and let his works speak for themselves.

That is very true, Gorwingel. And, if he were alive today and still writing, I am sure that he would hate the intense publicity that he would attract as the author of such popular works (not to mention that generated by the films).

But times have moved on, of course, and it goes with the territory nowadays. Imagine the lengths that he would have to go to to avoid the kind of magazine and television interviews that JK Rowling gives out as a matter of course (not that she is complaining, I am sure smilies/wink.gif ).

[Beren87]

But since he wanted to have a normal life he decided to stay in the background, stay very private, and let his works speak for themselves.

I find that to be quite..unusual. The fact that he was able to write something that could capture a granduer of attention, yet still be able to keep a more-or-less low-profile is quite amazing. In fact, his very wanting to isn't normal for this day in age.

He was the stereotypical professor, a simple expert in his field while being a laymen in every other. His life was much the same, centered around something very singular. The fact that he was an orphan and more or less raised by a man of the cloth is certainly not common, but not terribly unusual either. I doubt you could find too much from his actualy life-experience to explain his writings.

[Arwen Melian]

Actually beren....what I meant was that his life influeced it. For example...daeth was a common theme(his family and also his friends died,the latter during the war0. Therefore I believe he made a story based on love, friendship and bonds because of this. I didn't mean that he actually went to a place that resembled mordor....but the devestation he encountered during the war was very close.I actually remember seeing a t.v. special on Tolkien and it showed a picture of him and a fellow soldier standing by a huge heap of dead bodies. Now if you cant tell me that did not influence his story in a small way...then ...I don't know what to say.

[Beren87]

Sure, Death is a common theme in his life, but it isn't coming into play more so than other stories. It's a typical ancient-war fantasy story.

I also think it would be difficult to compare his war-experience with that in LotR. I suppose the death of Boromir could compare to the death of his close comrads, but you have to remember Tolkien was a communications officer and actual "shooting and such" wasn't a big part of his experience.

I would say his stories are more influenced by the person he was and the things he read. He had a great love of nature, for instance, so that is very prevelent.

[ June 25, 2003: Message edited by: Beren87 ]

[Arwen Melian]

Good point beren smilies/smile.gif

[Legolas]

But there were many others who went into war during WWI or WWII also, so I would have to say that at the time it was probably quite common.

But we're comparing his to the lives of most authors and people, right? How many people do you know that were in a World War? And came through that to write wildly popular books and become such an accomplished scholar?

[Arwen Melian]

Thank you Legolas!My point exactly! smilies/smile.gif I could just hug you for that. Listen to Lgolas my fellow Barrowdowners. smilies/smile.gif

[Beren87]

And came through that to write wildly popular books and become such an accomplished scholar?

How many people have done that?

I think the fact that very few horribly famous writers have come through wars is more based on the fact there aren't many horribly famous writers. Arthur Conan Doyle came through the Great Boar War in Africa if I recall correctly. Hemingway was in some war I believe. Stephen Crane was in the American Civil War.

[ June 25, 2003: Message edited by: Beren87 ]

[Faramir Fan]

I just recently have spent time with a retired University Professor who I now do some work for. He was educated at Oxford and told me the he knew Professor Tolkien, not well, but well enough that when he was a graduate student, he was invited to his house for tea. He said it was just after the Hobbit was published. He told me that he found Professor Tolkien to be a very shy and reserved man and that he found it hard to believe that in his quiet unassuming demeanor that there was the imagination to create not just a whole world but indeed existance...

[Lush]

A creative person's life is never boring, nor is it ever regular, because a real writer always perceives the world in unusual ways. Whether or not others may judge that life to be dull is another matter entirely.

[The X Phial]

A very good point, Lush. As for exciting things he did, I vote for his trek through the Swiss Alps as a young man. As an American who has never had the pleasure of seeing the Alps, I think that would be a really exciting thing to do. Of course, exciting in this case also means a lot of hard work, but his experience with it gave the journey of the fellowship a much more realistic feel.

[Legolas]

I think the fact that very few horribly famous writers have come through wars is more based on the fact there aren't many horribly famous writers.

No, it's not. I won't bother with making a list, but you're a fool if you believe that. The point was basically that he came through the war and still pursued his passions and went so far with them, reaching so many people. Still, there are plenty of famous authors, and very few of those came through a World War and became a scholar like Tolkien.

[ June 28, 2003: Message edited by: Legolas ]