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Originally Posted by Lalwendë
But there do seem to be a lot of these rleationships in the books, so it's likely they are a reflection of Tolkien's own upbringing.
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I don't mean to discount your conclusion, but I do wonder what conditions we assign or ascribe to autobiographical impulses. I mean, I know that there is a profound link between the author and his writing, but I sometimes think we too quickly or easily assume that correlations are causations.
Other than the similar presence of the trope of orphans and foster care, what evidence is there that this would be derived from Tolkien's own experience?
I don't ask to be curmudgeonly but because in my reading of writers' letters and relations with other writers I have found that the autobiographical impulse is rarely so directly or openly satisfied. It is usually far more complex and hidden. I mean, it is interesting that Tolkien associated himself with Faramir, the younger brother, yet he was the older brother in real life. And we all know what happens to the older brother.
Loss of parents at an early age is profoundly unsettling for a child's development. We know that Tolkien had a very close relationship with his mother through their mutual faith. And we also know that to some extent he harboured regrets at the role his guardians played in his love affair with Edith. Yet Edith too was similarly orphaned, was she not? Does that explain why both Aragorn and Arwen were motherless at the time of LotR? Or does it perhaps provide a wider way to explore a variety of issues about character, loyality, motivation? And is fostering that is blood-based more successful than fostering that is assumed without blood ties?
Changlings and selkies,
Helen I think Tolkien has omitted from his perilous realm. Why?