March 29, 2021
JRR Tolkien is generally perceived as a reactionary who completely rejected the modern world and whose literary influence began and ended in the Middle Ages. Holly Ordway’s new book, Tolkien’s modern reading: Middle-earth beyond the Middle Ages, It debunks that view of Tolkien’s life and work.
Ordway begins with a valuable critique of the roots of this misconception, particularly the official biography written by Humphrey Carpenter, who acknowledged his own prejudices and desire to portray Tolkien as a rigid villain.
She then considers works of modern literature that Tolkien is known to have read, and how Tolkien might have been influenced by accepting or rejecting what he found in those works. Gather insights about what’s going on. This interview focuses on Tolkien’s reading of William Morris, the father of modern fantasy, adventure writer H. Rider Haggard, and obscure religious romances. John Inglesanteven literary modernists like James Joyce and Roy Campbell, and even realists like Sinclair Lewis.
Watch this conversation on YouTube: https://youtu.be/0_J46A7QhhQ
link
modern reading of tolkien https://store.wordonfire.org/products/tmr
Daphne Castel interview with Tolkien https://fantasticmetropolis.com/i/tolkien
Diana Greer’s books about Inklings:
https://www.amazon.com/Company-They-Keep-Tolkien-Community/dp/0873389913
https://www.amazon.com/Bandersnatch-Tolkien-Creative-Collaboration-Inklings/dp/1606352768
Some of Tolkien’s many beloved books mentioned in this episode:
William Morris, wolfing house and mountain roots
H. Rider Haggard she
joseph henry shorthouse John Inglesant
lewis carroll alice in wonderland
Andrew Lang’s Fairy Tale Collection
beatrix potter’s peter rabbit books
EA Wyke Smith The wonderful country of Snergs
john buchan 39 stairs Other Richard Hannay books
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