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Bêthberry · 03-27-2003, 09:30 AM

Lalaith,

Yes, it is true that some of the female characters in Tolkien's later writing moved away from this stereotype of the inspiring, beautiful goddess. However, that does not, I think, negate the value and importance of the 1941 letter,

Tolkien's academic career spanned the years 1925, when he was voted to the position of Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford, to 1945, when he became the Merton Professor of English Language and Literature, to his retirement from Merton College in the summer of 1959, five years after the publication of LOTR.

Thus, the letter written in 1941 represents Tolkien's view of female students in his mid-career. He had been teaching for 16 years and would continue to do so for another 18.

The genesis of LOTR appears to have occurred c. 1937, with the the decision to name this 'sequel' LOTR coming about the time that Chamberlain signed the Munich accord with Hitler, according to the biographer Carpenter (p. 252).

While it is true that Tolkien was an extraordinary reviser and revisionist (and his literary remains provide us with fascinating evidences of the nature of his creative process) that letter probably can stand as some sort of signal of his thought during the initial years of writing LOTR. What he did in his unpublished writings in later years does not change the state of his thought while composing LOTR.

That said, I hope I will be allowed a short observation about this thread. It seems to me that this topic is about as fruitful as any of the other "what if" topics--an opportunity to put forth unexamined ideas (we are all prey to our menses)or to argue tangential applications rather than to look for a more knowing understanding of Tolkien's work, in either its genesis, its evidence, or its implications.

It might also be good to recognize that our sources--the letters and the biographies--are limited in scope and information. We need a scholarly edition of the collected letters and a scholarly biography, which would not be dependent upon sales in the public market nor upon the cooperation of the family members who own the letters.

My thoughts on Tolkien's characterization of his female characters I will save for a different thread. (Yes, there is still room for original analysis of this topic.) If Lush has her way with me, I suppose I will be prodded eventually to produce that thread. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

Bethberry

[ March 27, 2003: Message edited by: Bethberry ]

03-27-2003, 09:30 AM	#99
Bêthberry Cryptic Aura Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 6,003	Lalaith, Yes, it is true that some of the female characters in Tolkien's later writing moved away from this stereotype of the inspiring, beautiful goddess. However, that does not, I think, negate the value and importance of the 1941 letter, Tolkien's academic career spanned the years 1925, when he was voted to the position of Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford, to 1945, when he became the Merton Professor of English Language and Literature, to his retirement from Merton College in the summer of 1959, five years after the publication of LOTR. Thus, the letter written in 1941 represents Tolkien's view of female students in his mid-career. He had been teaching for 16 years and would continue to do so for another 18. The genesis of LOTR appears to have occurred c. 1937, with the the decision to name this 'sequel' LOTR coming about the time that Chamberlain signed the Munich accord with Hitler, according to the biographer Carpenter (p. 252). While it is true that Tolkien was an extraordinary reviser and revisionist (and his literary remains provide us with fascinating evidences of the nature of his creative process) that letter probably can stand as some sort of signal of his thought during the initial years of writing LOTR. What he did in his unpublished writings in later years does not change the state of his thought while composing LOTR. That said, I hope I will be allowed a short observation about this thread. It seems to me that this topic is about as fruitful as any of the other "what if" topics--an opportunity to put forth unexamined ideas (we are all prey to our menses)or to argue tangential applications rather than to look for a more knowing understanding of Tolkien's work, in either its genesis, its evidence, or its implications. It might also be good to recognize that our sources--the letters and the biographies--are limited in scope and information. We need a scholarly edition of the collected letters and a scholarly biography, which would not be dependent upon sales in the public market nor upon the cooperation of the family members who own the letters. My thoughts on Tolkien's characterization of his female characters I will save for a different thread. (Yes, there is still room for original analysis of this topic.) If Lush has her way with me, I suppose I will be prodded eventually to produce that thread. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] Bethberry [ March 27, 2003: Message edited by: Bethberry ] __________________ I’ll sing his roots off. I’ll sing a wind up and blow leaf and branch away.