0381: The Lord of the Rings » Tolkien's Foreword(s)

What did Tolkien himself say The Lord of the Rings was about?In this episode of Do Not Be Hasty, we explore Tolkien’s forewords to The Lord of the Rings — because there are actually two very different versions.

00:00 — What Did Tolkien Say The Lord of the Rings Was About?
02:15 — The Original 1954 Foreword
03:43 — The Red Book of Westmarch
09:45 — Tolkien as “Translator” and Middle-earth as History
13:20 — Why Tolkien Replaced the First Foreword
15:24 — The Second-Edition Foreword
20:17 — Why Tolkien Wrote The Lord of the Rings
21:21 — No Hidden Message or World War II Allegory
22:12 — What the Story Would Look Like If It WERE About WWII
26:09 — Allegory vs. Applicability
30:11 — So What Is The Lord of the Rings About?

The First-Edition Foreword

Published with The Fellowship of the Ring in 1954
Tolkien presents The Lord of the Rings almost as an authentic historical document
The story is supposedly drawn from the Red Book of Westmarch
Bilbo and Frodo appear as memoirists whose accounts were preserved by Sam’s descendants
Tolkien plays with the idea that he is discovering or translating Middle-earth rather than simply inventing it
Why Tolkien later rejected this foreword
The role of the unauthorized Ace Books edition and the U.S. copyright situation
The first foreword’s possible spoiler concerning Frodo and Sam

The Second-Edition Foreword

How The Lord of the Rings grew out of The Hobbit
Why the story was drawn toward the older world of The Silmarillion
Tolkien’s long process of composition through the late 1930s and 1940s
The extraordinary amount of work involved in completing and revising the book
Tolkien’s stated purpose: to tell a long story that could hold readers’ attention, delight them, excite them, and move them

Was The Lord of the Rings an Allegory?

Tolkien rejects the idea that the book has a simple hidden message
Why the War of the Ring should not be read as an allegory of World War II
Tolkien imagines what the story might have looked like if WWII really had dictated the plot
His skepticism toward political power and his concern for ordinary people
Why the Scouring of the Shire is not simply commentary on contemporary England

Allegory vs. Applicability

Tolkien’s famous declaration that he “cordially” disliked allegory
Allegory depends upon the author imposing a particular meaning
Applicability depends upon the freedom of the reader
Real history and personal experience can influence storytelling without turning a story into allegory
The importance of remaining faithful to the artistic vision rather than writing merely to make a topical point

The Big TakeawayTolkien’s own explanation is surprisingly simple: he was primarily trying to tell a great story. The deeper truths of The Lord of the Rings arise organically from the story rather than from a coded attempt to comment upon specific historical events.SPECIAL THANKS

John R
Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien
Melkor27
KG
SaberSystems
Jeremy D
Emilio P
Jonathan D
Richard K
Paul D
Julia
Werty
Chris B
Tuor91
Carolyn S
Emiel K
Brian O the 2nd
Jonathan R
Matthew W
Daniel D
Harrison C
Seb M
Willbo Baggins
Ms. Anonymous
Andrew T
Redhawk
Shannon S
Brian O (the 1st)
Zeke F
James L
Chris L
Asya V
Ish of the Hammer
Teresa C
David of Pints with Jack
Eric B

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-tolkien-road--5222755/support.

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(568)

Three Major Problems With The Silmarillion (Episode 0253 Revisited)

Is The Silmarillion harder to read than it needs to be?In this episode of The Tolkien Road, we take a loving but critical look at three major problems with the published Silmarillion — and how a futur...

30 Syys 55min

The Mariner's Wife - Part 5: The Mariner's Mailbag (EP188 Revisited)

My new book, Tolkien's Tragedy, is now available! Visit TolkiensTragedy.com to learn more!Hey there, Fellowship! Welcome to The Tolkien Road.Over the next four episodes, we’re returning to one of Tolk...

28 Syys 55min

The Mariner's Wife - Part 4: Númenor's First Queen (EP187 Revisited)

21 Syys 58min

Tolkien's Overture: Music, Metaphysics, and Middle-earth (Chapter 8 / Coda)

On this special episode of The Tolkien Road, I'm bring you the Final Chapter of my book Tolkien's Overture - Concerning the Music of the Ainur!It's available now at TolkiensOverture.com, so if you lik...

16 Syys 19min

The Mariner's Wife - Part 3: The Crowning of Aldarion (EP186 Revisited)

Over the next four episodes, we’re returning to one of Tolkien’s most compelling—and heartbreaking—tales: “Aldarion and Erendis: The Mariner’s Wife.”Originally published in Unfinished Tales, this stor...

14 Syys 1h 17min

Tolkien's Overture: Musical Mathoms (Chapter 7)

TolkiensOverture.comOn this special episode of The Tolkien Road, I'm bring you the Seventh Chapter of my book Tolkien's Overture - Concerning the Music of the Ainur!It's available now at TolkiensOvert...

9 Syys 37min