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TCG Letter #476 / Carpenter Letter #163

From

J.R.R. Tolkien

W. H. Auden

Date

7 June 1955

Type

Unknown

Transcript

Partial

Tolkien shares insights into the origins and inspirations behind his writing, particularly focusing on The Lord of the Rings. He discusses the evolution of their linguistic interests, the influence of Finnish and the connection between personal experiences and recurring dreams. The letter also touches on the development of The Hobbit and the challenges of creating a sequel.

Tags

Ents

Finnish

Greek

Hobbits

Languages

Latin

Middle-earth

Qenya

Shakespeare

The Lord of the Rings

Tom Bombadil

W. H. Auden

Related Letters

Carpenter #46: Letter from J.R.R. Tolkien to R.W. Chapman • 26 November 1941 (#61)

References

The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien (1981), pp. 211-17, pp. 445-46 (Carpenter notes)

The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien: Revised and Expanded ed. (HarperCollins, UK), pp. 309-16, pp. 624-25 (Carpenter notes)

Cartas de J.R.R. Tolkien, pp. 319-26, pp. 635-6 (notas de Carpenter)

The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide - Chronology (2017), p. 3 (see Christmas 1894), p. 5 (see 1896-1899), p. 6 (see 1898-1899), p. 35, p. 58 (see entry for 15 March 1914), p. 118-9 (entry for 10 March 1920), p. 271 (entry for 'Summer-?Autumn 1942'), p. 481, p. 818 (see entry for 1898-1899)

Tolkien Estate where this letter can be read freely.

J.R.R. Tolkien: Life and Legend, p. 18 (item 20), p. 53 (see item 139), p. 66 (see introduction and items 192 & 193), p. 88 (see introduction)

Tolkien: Maker of Middle-earth, p. 150

The Annotated Hobbit (1988), p. 4, p. 38

The Annotated Hobbit: Revised and Updated, p. 7, p. 61

The Battle of Maldon: together with The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth, p. 43 (brief quote, start "‘the value of Hobbits" ending "than the professionals".)

Pity, Power, and Tolkien's Ring: To Rule the Fate of Many, p. 287n42

J.R.R. Tolkien A Descriptive Bibliography, A2, p. 7 (quote); Di1, p. 350

Craig A. Boyd, "Nolo Heroizari: Tolkien and Aquinas on the Humble Journey of Master Samwise" in Christianity & Literature 2019, Vol. 68(4), p. 606, pp. 618-9, p. 619 note 4

Marco Cristini "The Fall of Two Cities: Troy and Gondolin." Thersites 15 (2022), p. 3, also see note for #163-5, p. 6 note 23

The Ring of Words, pp. 3, 54 (note that the letter is incorrectly attributed on this page), 58-9, 145

J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography, p. 165

Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Sources of Inspiration, p. 30, see note 48, p. 38, see note 75

The Lord of the Rings A Reader's Companion, p. 312

War and the Works of J.R.R. Tolkien, p. 58

The Story of Kullervo, p. x, xi, xii, 136, 137, 138, 162

J.R.R. Tolkien: Life and Legend, p. 24 (item 34 description contains brief quotes from this letter with details of 'A Finnish Grammar'), p. 52 (see item 132)

Tolkien and the Great War, p. 13 (poetry); pp. 14-16 (languages); p. 25 ('immensely attracted...'); p. 26 ('It was like discovering...', Kullervo); p. 51 (Inherited linguistic aptitude); p. 59 (Kullervo); p. 60 (Studied Finnish for the sake of Qenya)

Ethan Danner, "Through Fire and Water: The Exodus of the Gondothlim." Mythlore 42.1 (2023), p. 75 cites from p. 215 ['Letters', 1981].

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TCG Letter #476 / Carpenter Letter #163

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