Tolkien and C.S. Lewis: The Gift of FriendshipBoth Tolkien and C.S. Lewis are literary superstars, known around the world as the creators of Middle-earth and Narnia. But few of their readers and fans know about the important and complex friendship between Tolkien and his fellow Oxford academic C.S. Lewis. Without the persistent encouragement of his friend, Tolkien would never have completed The Lord of the Rings. This great tale, along with the connected matter of The Silmarillion, would have remained merely a private hobby. Likewise, all of Lewis' fiction, after the two met at Oxford University in 1926, bears the mark of Tolkien's influence, whether in names he used or in the creation of convincing fantasy worlds. They quickly discovered their affinity--a love of language and the imagination, a wide reading in northern myth and fairy tale, a desire to write stories themselves in both poetry and prose. The quality of their literary friendship invites comparisons with those of William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Cowper and John Newton, and G.K. Chesterton and Hillaire Belloc. Both Tolkien and Lewis were central figures in the informal Oxford literary circle, the Inklings. This book explores their lives, unfolding the extraordinary story of their complex friendship that lasted, with its ups and downs, until Lewis's death in 1963. Despite their differences--differences of temperament, spiritual emphasis, and view of their storytelling art--what united them was much stronger, a shared vision that continues to inspire their millions of readers throughout the world. + |
Contents
1 | 40 |
Tolkien and I were talking of dragons 19261929 | 60 |
5 | 77 |
Copyright | |
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Allegory of Love Allen & Unwin ancient Aslan Beowulf Bilbo Birmingham brother C. S. Lewis Cambridge Chair chapter Charles Williams Christian Christopher Tolkien creation criticism death diary Dyson early Edith Elven elves English Literature English School Essays eventually fact fairy stories fantasy father fiction friends friendship Frodo Geoffrey Bles George Allen Havard Hideous Strength Hobbit human imagination Inklings invented J. R. R. Tolkien John Joy Davidman Kilns language later lecture Letters of J. R. R. Lewis and Tolkien Lewis's Lion literary London Lord Lost Road LĂșthien Magdalen College Maureen Merton Moore Morgoth myth mythology Narnia Niggle Notion Club NĂșmenor Owen Barfield Oxford Pilgrim's Regress poem poetic poetry Problem of Pain Professor published readers reality Rings Roger Lancelyn Green Sayer Screwtape Silent Planet Silmarillion Surprised by Joy tale talking theme theology Tolkien and Lewis University Wade Center Walter Hooper Warren Lewis Williams's writing