J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis;

These two authors are forever bound to each other in spirit and friendship as far as I am concerned and I can’t talk about one without the other! Following the sections on each author is a section about a literary group they were involved in that came to be known as the inklings! The members of this group were pivotal in the journey of the authors as well as general literary history! These authors created worlds that were so beautiful, that they transported many of us to wondrous places inside of ourselves, and allowed us to see so much splendor there, that words alone could never accurately capture the depths of our gratitude! So this simple blog tribute will have to suffice on my behalf!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

J.R.R. Tolkien;

This phenomenal writer is known and loved by so many people for doing something very unique. England had no real mythos of its own but borrowed instead from the celtic mythos and the mythos of surrounding areas; He wanted to give England a brand new yet ancient mythos all its own! This was a singularly unique idea and perspective! Tolkien spent and extreme amount of time not only creating a fantasy world to base his story in, but planning a more detailed history for that world than most had ever dare dreamed to do! He was also a linguistic expert and created numerous languages and dialects for the various races in his world. Many scholars consider his languages to be actual legitimate languages due to how well Tolkien’s detailed creation of them was. Like C.S. Lewis he used a lot of narrative based in Christian philosophy and ideals. In both Lewis’s work, and Tolkien’s the idea of self-sacrifice in order to save the world was necessary! One can see this same theme running through great works today, like the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. Tolkien’s world is so vast, beautiful, and wondrous a reader can’t help but be drawn in once they allow themselves to get to know the characters, and little of the history, and plight of Middle Earth as Tolkien called his world. He wove many themes and ideas from many different cultures through his work. In Tolkien’s world, humans walk side by side with elves, dwarves, trolls, orcs (also called goblins), and hobbits, amongst other creatures. Various magics ruled Middle Earth and all vied for ultimate power! Tolkien went so far as to create a defined theology for his world, as well as the antitheses to that religious world view. In Lewis’s work the theology was far more ambiguous though it was there. Beyond all of this, Tolkien could weave a tale in a way no one else has seemed to be able to do quite as well. He was by all accounts a truly gifted and remarkable writer. Like Lewis, Tolkien was a professor at Oxford university. He was also a lay priest or minister though to my knowledge he never claimed that title. He used to conduct prayers services at the college and often he would recite the formal prayers using the Elvish languages from his books! Tolkien enjoyed a deep friendship with Lewis and was part of the inklings; an oxford literary group; of authors and literary enthusiasts, who use to meet on a regular bases at the eagle and the child pub near oxford! Tolkien gave us some of our most cherished and beloved characters ever written and in doing so helped to change and shape the fantasy genre in a real and lasting way! Who could ever forget Bilbo and Frodo Baggins of the shire, or Elrond King of the Rivendell elves, or how Tolkien gave the idea of Merlin a new birth as a loveable and sometimes contrary “do good-ing” Wizard named Gandalf? Tolkien was a man of great vision, he wrote with Faith, and also social causes in mind; and I for one owe him a great deal because he has inspired and enriched my life so very much! And so to Tolkien and Lewis, wherever yall are in heaven, Thanks for all you did, you dear brave men!

http://www.tolkiensociety.org/

http://www.tolkiensociety.org/tolkien/biography.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._R._R._Tolkien

http://tolkien.cro.net/

http://www.tolkien.co.uk/Pages/Home.aspx

http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/656983.J_R_R_Tolkien

http://www.tolkienestate.com/home/

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0866058/

http://www.elvish.org/

http://www.arwen-undomiel.com/elvish.html

http://www.grey-company.org/Circle/

http://www.grey-company.org/Circle/language/phrase.htm

http://reference.yourdictionary.com/dictionaries/english-elvish-dictionary.htm

http://www.omniglot.com/writing/tengwar.htm

http://chriswetherell.com/elf/

http://www.arwen-undomiel.com/elvish/names.html

http://www.councilofelrond.com/index.php

http://www.elvish.org/elm/names.html

***

The Tolkien house;

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



C.S. Lewis;

(Clive Staples, Jack to his friends)

Most people are aware of this brilliant author and poet because of his world beloved children’s series The Chronicles of Narnia. Many today don’t know that he was also a professor at Oxford university and a well known Christian scholar and author. Some of my personal favorites out of his Christian body or work include The Screwtape Letters, and Mere Christianity. However it was in his children’s books that his real passion, talent, and shear brilliance shone. He was a friend and contemporary of J.R.R. Tolkien. The two of them as well as a group of other literary enthusiasts and authors calling themselves the inklings use to meet at a local pub near oxford called the eagle and the baby and discuss their works and endeavors. These men changed, and helped mold the fantasy book genre for all time. Their books inspired many of our great fantasy films, and continue to do so.

Joy Gresham, C.S. Lewis's wife!;

Douglas Gresham, C.S. Lewis's step son!;

***

There is a movie about Lewis's later life with his wife, step son, and brother called Shadowlands with Sir Anthony Hopkins and it is well worth watching this movie to understand Lewis better!

***

Statue Tribute to Lewis in Ireland;

Narnia; Lewis created a brilliant and beautiful world for children, and the child within us all; and no article about Lewis would be complete without at least a brief description of the worlds he created in The Chronicles of Narnia book series; which has many time been translated to stage and film adaptations!
Narnia is a place like eden; earth when it was new before the fall ripped the world asunder. In Narnia everything can move and speak; the people, the animals, the tree’s, and even the waters. Everything moves and has life. In Narnia one can find doorways to other worlds. We humans from our world sometimes find doorways from our world into Narnia, but when this happens there is no accident involved in our stumbling into a new world. It happens because we are called to the service of Narnia. In the first book of the series which is The Magicians Nephew, two children enter the realm inbetween the worlds. They go into one world after that world has been destroyed with dark magic; or post-apocalyptic one might say. Through their naivety they awaken a great sleeping evil, which latches on to them and goes with them into the next world. That world is Narnia and is but a few hours old. They witness that world being created, and let the terrible evil loose in that new world. They are then called on to help keep the evil limited and at bay. They will be the first of many children in our world to get called for duty! This is obviously a biblical reference Lewis used about how we must enter God’s Kingdom as children! Lewis and Tolkien could not help but be influenced in their writing by their faith and I for one am so happy that they allowed this process to happen with their work. They created literature with boundless gifts of grace, and limitless beauty that have helped shape the world, the culture of literature, and the Life of one young boy; myself! They helped influence my desire to be a writer, and how I wanted to let my own faith inspire my own works. One day I hope to be a published author, and it is my fervent wish that I could inspire at least one young boy in his dreams like these two men helped inspire mine!

http://www.cslewis.org/

https://sites.google.com/site/lewisinoxford/

http://www.nycslsociety.com/

http://www.inklings-studies.com/oxf-csl_society.html

http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/arts/al0103.html

http://www.narniaweb.com/

http://www.openculture.com/2011/12/the_chronicles_of_narnia_free.html

http://www.narniafans.com/

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2135023/Family-battle-with-C-S-Lewiss-estate-for-Narnia-domain-name.html

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0507000/

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108101/

http://www.christianpost.com/news/narnia-4-will-be-magicians-nephew-not-silver-chair-49517/

http://gothamist.com/2011/02/18/narnia_producer_found_dead_in_his_a.php


~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Inklings;


The Inklings were a literary society which was unofficial connected to oxford and which both Tolkien and Lewis were not only a part of but heavily involved in!

several members of the inklings produced work that was not only relevant, beautiful, and profound, but truly visionary and a head of their time! you can look up the group and its various members on the internet as well as studying both Tolkien and Lewis more from the links on this post!