Friday the 16th, I went to a lecture where a professor was speaking about Tolkien, CS Lewis, and mythology. It was very interesting and engaging. I had already known some of Tolkien's life from reading some of the biography by Humphrey Carpenter. Tolkien was born in South Africa, and his father died when he was four. Tolkien then went with his older brother and mother to England, where they lived in the beautiful country. He had memories of large hairy spiders, which made their way into his books somehow.
Tolkien's mother converted to Catholicism against the will of their family, and because of this, no one supported them. They barely got by. But a kind Catholic priest helped them and became a father figure to Tolkien. Tolkien's mother died when he was about twelve, tragically. I remember reading that Tolkien went to see the play Peter Pan when he was about that age, and he wrote in his journal that he liked it very much.
When C S Lewis and J R R Tolkien first met at Oxford, they had a disagreement. C S Lewis liked the Faerie Queen(a very old long long epic poem, actually a series of five books that are all poems), and J R R Tolkien didn't. There were a few other differences that made them avoid each-other for a long time. Then they realized their similarities. They both liked 'Northernness'(this is what they called the type of stories they had liked to read. The Norse mythology and such. Norse means North).
J R R Tolkien had a very big part in helping 'Jack'(C S Lewis) become a Christian. Although 'Tollers'(a nickname for J R R Tolkien) was disappointed in him. This was because C S Lewis had not become Catholic(lol). Then came the Inkling group which was very influencing to their future writings.
The professor spoke of the morals in the Lord of the Rings, and the Hobbit, and he spoke of Lewis' life. C S Lewis was Irish. By the way, happy late St. Patrick's day! :)
But anyway, the last third of his speaking was about mythology itself and what it was and what it had been before.
Tonight I watched The Fellowship of the Ring, the whole Extended version. I observed it in the light of the author and the imagination Tolkien had. I want to read the books. And I shall.
And I want to read about Amy Carmichael. She herself was Irish, and wrote many inspiring books.
Farewell, readers!
Goodnight. May God bless you and give you peace.
Tolkien's mother converted to Catholicism against the will of their family, and because of this, no one supported them. They barely got by. But a kind Catholic priest helped them and became a father figure to Tolkien. Tolkien's mother died when he was about twelve, tragically. I remember reading that Tolkien went to see the play Peter Pan when he was about that age, and he wrote in his journal that he liked it very much.
When C S Lewis and J R R Tolkien first met at Oxford, they had a disagreement. C S Lewis liked the Faerie Queen(a very old long long epic poem, actually a series of five books that are all poems), and J R R Tolkien didn't. There were a few other differences that made them avoid each-other for a long time. Then they realized their similarities. They both liked 'Northernness'(this is what they called the type of stories they had liked to read. The Norse mythology and such. Norse means North).
J R R Tolkien had a very big part in helping 'Jack'(C S Lewis) become a Christian. Although 'Tollers'(a nickname for J R R Tolkien) was disappointed in him. This was because C S Lewis had not become Catholic(lol). Then came the Inkling group which was very influencing to their future writings.
The professor spoke of the morals in the Lord of the Rings, and the Hobbit, and he spoke of Lewis' life. C S Lewis was Irish. By the way, happy late St. Patrick's day! :)
But anyway, the last third of his speaking was about mythology itself and what it was and what it had been before.
Tonight I watched The Fellowship of the Ring, the whole Extended version. I observed it in the light of the author and the imagination Tolkien had. I want to read the books. And I shall.
And I want to read about Amy Carmichael. She herself was Irish, and wrote many inspiring books.
Farewell, readers!
Goodnight. May God bless you and give you peace.
Haha, dissapointed he didn't become a Catholic... and I didn't know that the two were friends!
ReplyDeleteOh, and a question for you:
ReplyDeleteHunger Games? Enjoyed or no? Have you read them?
I have not read them but I have heard the first book was the best(they said that the last two weren't as great), so I will be sure to read it before seeing the movie(if I can, that is). A lot of people at our church are going to see it on opening day.
ReplyDeleteI will probably be going to see a Christian movie instead. It's coming out on the same day as Hunger Games over here.
This is the trailer for it. :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L52Lciaui4o