Tolkien+and+CS+Lewis

**//Tolkien and C.S. Lewi//s**
Please respond to **one** of the following questions. Afterwards, write your name and grade. Thanks, Mr. Moore.

1. What was it about the Inklings that caused them to be such a major force in shaping the literary identity of both Lewis and Tolkien? 2. What common threads in their understanding of myth influenced Lewis and Tolkien in crafting the worlds of Narnia and Middle Earth?

1.) The Inklings had a major impact on both Tolkien and Lewis. For sixteen years this group met, supported and encouraged each others' ideas and, ultimately, published works. For Tolkien the Inklings (most specifcally Lewis) offered him the encouragement he needed to bring his ideas or his "private hobby" to the public. Lewis felt, "the ideal climate for friendship was when a few people are absorded in some common interest." It seems as though Lewis found this type of friendship in the Inklings. These friendships provided Lewis with a peer group that helped him bring his ideas to publication. In my opinion, both men's experience within the Inklings pushed them to greatness. One can only imagine this group of friends helping each other achieve literary success. Moe Rama, 9th

1.) Lewis and Tolkien, two of the most prominent Christian authors of the 20th century, are not widely known for their close friendship and routine meetings with a small literary group dubbed ‘The Inklings’. In this group, comprised of students and dons of Oxford University, each participant would read a section of their stories or poems for friendly criticism by the other members. Tolkien, who had always been a devout Christian, shared his works, //The Lord of the Rings,// and as rumor has it, parts of //The Hobbit//. Tolkien was able to openly share his religious beliefs, for most of the group was Christian as well. Lewis, on the other hand, held firmly to his beliefs of atheism and materialism. It wasn’t until Tolkien became a close companion of his through the Inklings that Lewis decided to convert to Christianity. In the Inklings, the reluctant converter wasn’t so sure about his new religion, but with the constant help of the Inklings he was able to strengthen his faith and to go on to write numerous novels about religion. In this literary circle, Lewis read such works as //The Screwtape Letters// and //The Great Divorce//. Not only were the Inklings interested in religion, but were greatly enthused by fantasy. Tolkien, who had been creating elfish languages (based off of Welsh and Finnish) since he was a young boy, was only encouraged and praised for his expansive imagination. With the help of the Inklings, Tolkien went on to publish //The Lord of the Rings//, which became an instant success. Both Tolkien and Lewis shared a love of ancient mythology (especially Norse mythology), but Lewis had never really aspired to write books about such a topic. With inspiration from the Inklings, Lewis wrote //The Chronicles of Narnia//, which he began writing near the end of the Inkling meetings. //The Chronicles of Narnia// became his most popular books. The Inklings played a major role in both Lewis’ and Tolkien’s writing careers, by rekindling their interests in fantasy and their love of Christianity. Erin Davis 10

2.) In "Tolkien and C.S. Lewis" Colin Duriez analyzes the mutual influence of friendship on the writings of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R Tolkien. He asserts that the friendship was largely a product of shared interests and ideas between the two men. These interests include a strong faith, language, medieval english literature, northern mythology and above all, the imagination. In this idea of imagination lay the concept of myth that impassioned both Tolkien and Lewis. In fact, it was Tolkien's explanation of the Gospels as the perfect marriage of myth, truth, and fact that helped Lewis to accept Christianity. Thus, myth can be cited as the most important thread running through both the friendship and the subsequent writings of Lewis and Tolkien. For Tolkien, myth was a natural product of the invention of language and his idea of "sub creation." Tolkien understood myth as a living entity, not allegorical, but rather a place where the reader can move past the limited view of standard fiction in order to "survey the depths of space and time." This understanding of myth molded the creation of Middle Earth and greatly influenced Lewis's writings. In their reciprocal friendship Lewis took from Tolkien the idea of sub creation and creating a mythological realm to lead the reader to higher understanding. Lewis also absorbed the spiritual aspect of myth from Tolkien, that is, that a mythological world could have significance beyond itself and beyond its obvious symbology. These concepts helped Lewis to create his own world, Narnia. However, Lewis's Narnia differed from Tolkien's view of myth in its more forwardly allegorical use of the Narnian world to reinforce Christianity. Despite minor differences in their use of myth, Tolkien and Lewis both placed myth and creation as the highest human art form and ascribed to it a literary power not possible of any other genre. From their understandings of myth both utilized sub-creation, the concept of "faery", the idea of the "numinous", eucatastrophe, and above all, imaginative creation to birth the mythical worlds of Narnia and Middle Earth and to satisfy their shared "sehnsucht," the sense of longing key to human joy. Mary Beth Robards, 12

1.) In the fall of 1933, several aspiring writers and students of Oxford University formed a literary group called "the Inklings," which would meet regularly on Tuesday mornings and Thursday evenings in the Eagle and Child pub or in C.S. Lewis's college rooms to read each other's unfinished works and offer criticism and encouragement. The Inklings included the prominent members J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, with C.S. Lewis being the head of the group, and all of the Inklings shared the same ideals and values of these two members. This kind of unity and friendship among the Inklings allowed a certain freedom for its members to read aloud any work or piece of literature, free of judgement or embarrassment, allowing even Lewis and Tolkien to share their unfinished stories and receive helpful advice. Lewis shared many stories, including The Screwtape Letters, The Problem of Pain, The Great Divorce, and several other poems and stories; likewise, Tolkien shared The Lord of the Ring and parts of the Hobbit. The corrections and encouragement of the Inklings allowed these stories to be written, and the unity of the Inklings allowed the literary identity of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien to unfold and grow. Without this reading group, many of their stories might have never occurred or would have been very different. Also, the Inklings allowed the friendship between C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien to grow, which further improved their confidence in their own writing and confidence in recommending advice to each other. The Inklings also allowed Lewis and Tolkien to share ideas about new writing ideas, even though Tolkien disagreed with Lewis in how to express Christianity in writing. The Inklings allowed a bondage in Lewis and Tolkien's writing, as well as an informal revising tactic for both of them, which increased their confidence in writing even more. Also, the similarities in ideals and faith between the Inklings, along with similarities in mythical fantasy, aspired new or different topics for writing ideas. The Inklings would last for about 17 years, ending officially in 1949 although informal meetings continued until Lewis's death, and the group caused a major influence in Lewis and Tolkien's literature by allowing a unity between the members in ideals, an informal revision system, and an increase in confidence to further their writing careers. Landon Sanford, 12

1. The Inklings was a formal reading group of aspiring writers who gathered in order to read aloud and discuss various original literary compositions. The gatherings took place in two separate patterns: on Tuesday mornings withing the Eagle and Child Pub in Oxford and on Thursday evenings within C.S. Lewis' college rooms in Magdalen. The literary enthusiasts who partook in the Inklings were notably J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, Owen Barfield, Warren Lewis, Christopher Tolkien, R.A. Havard, and Nevill Coghill. The primary purpos of the Inkling meetings was to read and discuss unfinished works. Some works shared were //The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce, The Problem of Pain,// Lewis' translation of Virgil's //Aeneid,// and the beginning works of //The Chronicles of Narnia.// With the habit of sharing and discussing unfinished works, the Inkling members were provided with a great deal of criticism and sheer encouragement. Due to the encouragement provided by the members, especially Lewis, the Inklings were significant in the creation and publishing of each other's works, notably Tolkien's //The Lord of the Rings.// Without the Inklings, many of the works established during the time of the literary group may not have been created at all. Also, within the Inklings existed a dominance of Christian values. However, C.S. Lewis was originally an atheist, but with the Christian influence stemming from the Inkling members, mainly J.R.R. Tolkien, Lewis found God. Lewis eventually ''mastered the skills of a Christian communicator, both in storytelling and in rhetoric." With his newly established faith, Lewis created a literary series embodying Christian values in which he entitled //The Chronicles of Narnia.// Without the Christian views already established in most of the members prior to the meetings, most of Lewis' works may not have been thought of and created. With the expression of support, the judgement of each other's literary works, and the dominance and pervasion of the Christian faith, the Inklings aided in defining the literary identities of both J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. ~ Deanna Acosta, 12

1) Colin Duriez's "Tolkien and C.S. Lewis" was one of the more fascinating books i have read this summer. Not only because it gave detailed accounts of my two favorite authors, but because i was completely unaware how close of friends they were. Through a literary group named "the Inklings" these two men were able to use their genius to enhance the work of the latter. This group, formed in 1933, was a small group that met in pubs or college rooms that in many ways shaped the course of modern day Fantasy and Religious writing. Tolkien and Lewis, although new aquantinces at the time, formed an instant bond and understanding of the others writing. They were able to be each others best critic and motivator, driving the other to preform at their best. The group also had a very large influence in the major works of these authors. From the small things as Bilbo Baggins' name to how christanity should be relayed, these men formed what is to me one of the most talented literary groups ever assembled. Max Howard, 11

1) The reason that that the Inklings helped contribute to the works of C.S. Lewis was common interest. They were all very like minded individuals. They were all very smart but they also had to write. Most of the members were academics at oxford university. But they also had to be friends with C.S. Lewis the head of the Inklings. They would meet every Tuesday and Thursday. Most Tuesdays they would meet at the Eagle and Child pub. Where they would each read parts of the books that they were writing. Without the Inklings Tolkien would never have had the encouragement he needed to finish The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings. Had the Inklings lasted longer Tolkien would probably have finished The Simarallion or The Children of Huron Benton Franklin, 10

1)The formation of the Inklings played a huge role in forming the literary identity of Lewis and Tolkien. The Inklings were a group of elite writers who shared their passion for the literary arts and inspired and critisized eachother to create refined pieces of writing. In all, the variety of ideas and emotions that flowed about the Inklings played a huge part in chiseling out the renowned authors C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. If it weren't for the Inklings, some of the most in-depth and amazing stories ever composed such as the Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of The Rings could have never existed. - Nate Stolarczyk, 10

2) Literary masters Tolkien and Lewis belonged to a friendship akin to a partnership based in amicable exchange of thought and idea. These two men shared common understanding of the myth. The group formed by Lewis known as the Inklings, incorporating prominent thinkers and authors such as Tolkien, Harvard, Barfield, Dyson, Warnie Lewis, and Williams among others. This distinguished yet unabashed group of academics allowed for a renaissance of medieval and fantastical creation in the form of the imaginative allegorical myth to take shape in the affectionately known “Bird and Boy” public house. Over pipes, beer, or tea these men discussed, read, and inspired each other to be the best in thought, speech, and word. This group was instrumental in organizing the friendship between Tolkien and Lewis which went beyond the walls of Lewis’ Magdalen Office or the Eagle and Child. Tolkien and Lewis’ understanding of the importance of myth ultimately led to arguably the two best most insightful serial fantasies of all time. These two authors understood how an effective and successful myth needed the “organ of meaning”, imagination. But not an abstract kind of imagination, imagination to them was derived in how one sensed and observed reality. In this way they understood the human relation with the living God. This is the “escape” from the presupposed human state that led critics to call these two authors works escapist in nature. They called this understanding of the great Other, God, the “numinous”. Their ways of embodying the numinous differed slightly due to Lewis’ apologetic Christian view, seen in the idea of “mere Christianity” versus Tolkien who opposed the “orange-ness” of the Ulster-man; since Tolkien saw God as being less tangible and more withdrawn in a more traditional Papist view. Tolkien and Lewis both often wrote of genuinely good characters with good hearts which was also key to their success, because both men captured the soul of humanity in showing Hobbits and the Beavers for instance who are genuine in heart. Lastly in their quest to find joy through their words, these men hoped for restored world views and new outlooks generated through the creation of a new fantasy. The worlds of Narnia and Middle-Earth seem as though they could be real, as if the reader could journey their himself. These enduring places found in timeless serial fantasies, are the final product of a relationship wrought in creativity and zeal for knowledge. – Bradley McClelland, 12

2) Seeing as both Lewis and Tolkien were members of the Inklings at Oxford University, they were both were incredibly well read in all sorts of literature. For both of these men however, their imagination drew them strongly to mythology and medieval literature. Though there was an age gap between the two, they became good friends and shared their writings with each other, which is evident to anyone who might compare the two in the areas of mythical creatures or a savior type character in each of their writings. Through this friendship Tolkien shared his faith with Lewis, who previously was an atheist and then went on to both write books that were strongly influenced by their religious views. The Chronicles of Narnia and the Screw Tape Letters are prime examples of this religious influence in Lewis’s novels. Lewis’s Narnia and Tolkien’s Middle Earth were strongly influenced by their strong imaginations along with places and landmarks from their childhood. Tolkien was also inspired to create the Elven language after seeing the Welsh industrial trains passing his home with odd words on them. Through this inspiration and the influence of Finnish Tolkien created his own language to fit into two Elven areas in Middle Earth. These two artists came together and were able to inspire each other to write incredible stories and heroic tales. Seth Wright, 12

1) Although sheer creativity plays a vital role in fictional writing, so too does the process of cultivation, and by virtue of this comes the importance of the Inklings in the advent of both Tolkien and Lewis. Through the power of common interest, understanding and simply the comfort of having others to bounce ideas off of, the Inklings fueled Tolkien and Lewis as they crafted their own mythos. Coupled with the advantage of having a group of friends and colleagues alike to easily test ideas with, both Tolkien and Lewis understood that for a fictional world to be truly gravitating, it had to be applicable and relatable. The beauty of Middle Earth and Narnia is that, despite their deep roots in fantasy and magic, they both contain characters and situations that just about anyone can relate to, from the fierce, undying friendship between Frodo and Sam, to the stalwart and noble Aslan. Had it not been for their own friendship, and the support of the Inklings, their accomplishment of such may have never been so. - Max Stolarczyk, 12

1) Tolken and CS Lewis are two very popular authors who created their own individual world. Of course, these authors could not have achieved their success without encouragement from others. CS lewis and Tolken both attended college at Oxford University and joined a literary group named the Inklings. While in the Inklings, CS Lewis and Tolken became prominent friends with each other and helped each other with their books. The Inklings proved these authors with a place to escape the real world and share ideas with each other. This comfort zone for the authors allowed them to achieve their success because the authors all helped each other and encouraged each other in the group. CS Lewis and Tolken also met in the Inklings and were good friends throughout their whole lives. Tolken helped CS Lewis create __The Chronicles of Narnia__ and CS Lewis helped Tolken create __The Lord of the Rings__. Tolken also helped Lewis convert to Christianity, which Lewis used to create Narnia. Overall, the Inklings paved the way for CS Lewis and Tolken to achieve their great success as some of the best authors in history. Charles Carroll, 11

==== 1. Today, C.S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien are practically household names. Few and far many would question this statement, yet few would know the details of how both Lewis and Tolkien developed such unique writing styles or about, perhaps one of their most prominent influences, their connection to a particular group called the Inklings. This group was the source of unwavering literary support any serious writer would need. The Inklings was composed of different writers and students amongst the school, two of which were Lewis and Tolkien. Little did they know, the two years they engaged in interacting with the other members of the group would be the most significant and instrumental towards the development of their individual style and identity, as well as their approach to writing. Routinely, the group would meet on Tuesday mornings and Thursday evenings to discuss their thoughts and share their work with the surrounding writers. In return, each writer would receive suggestions, encouragement, and constructive criticism from their listeners. The open, yet serious, connotation of this close group was what both Lewis and Tolkien valued most. This experience allowed both to gain the wisdom and knowledge that would transform them from aspiring writers into legendary writers. For the quiet and reserved Tolkien, it was at first a challenge to voice his opinions and share his inner thoughts with men he hardly even knew. However, as time went on, he was able to see the other members were not there to judge him; they were there to help and assist him develop who he was as a writer. Lewis, who was an ardent Atheist at the time, became incredibly close with Tolkien, the man who was ultimately the source of Lewis’s conversion to Christianity, the cure to Lewis’s lifelong battle with misery, insecurity, and anger. As Brian Sibley, the author of //The Lord of the Rings Official Movie Guide// and //The Wisdom of C.S. Lewis//, says, “readers...owe a debt of gratitude to each of these writers.” ====

Ali Kerns, 10
1. The Inklings were a group that greatly shaped the two writers to be the best they could. It was a group of supporters who positively criticized Tolkien and Lewis on their pieces. Without the constructive criticism of The Inklings, // Narnia // and // Lord of The Rings // would not have been as popular as they are today. The two writers were able to share their ideas and voice their opinions with no judgement. The Inklings also brought the two closer as friends, and without that friendship, two of the most popular book series in the world would not have been written. The group was made up of both religious, and non-religious writers. The most important things these writers gained through this group were a friendship that would be reflected in both series of books, ideas that were given by other members, and memories that would last a lifetime. Julia Ravenel, 10