Fellowship of the Ring 60th Anniversary: How the Masterpiece Reflects JRR Tolkien's WW1 Involvement

Yahoo News ^ | 7/29/14 | Lydia Smith

[Kartographer]

Although Tolkien vehemently denied the First World War had any direct influence on his fantasy masterpieces The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, fans and critics alike state otherwise. And albeit coincidentally, on the week commemorating the outbreak of the First World War, today marks the 60th anniversary of the publication of JRR Tolkien's fantasy masterpiece The Fellowship of the Ring, the first instalment in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

[Kartographer]

Funny how so many people want to tell authors what their work is about

[Tax-chick]

His war experience could not have failed to affect his fiction, in which the battles map out in textbook War College fashion.

[KarlInOhio]

Funny how so many people want to tell authors what their work is about

What else do you expect English professors to do? Well, except for Professor Tolkien.

[Perdogg]

Obviously the Hobbits were “the naïve farm boys” and the dwarfs “the industrial/mining class” and the Elves were the elite of society.

This is pretty confirmed in the silmarillion with the exceptions of the Hobbits.

[Mrs. Don-o]

pingferlater

[Yo-Yo]

Funny how so many people want to tell authors what their work is about

Reminds me of the scene with Rodney Dangerfield from the movie Back To School where he gets an F on a paper about Kurt Vonnegut because whoever wrote it didn't know the first thing about Vonnegut, then we find out that Rodney hired Vonnegut to write it.

[Kartographer]

For those of you who wonder the why of my screen name.

[GeronL]

very nice map

[Kartographer]

Thanks. If I say so myself the photo doesn’t do it justice, to light.

[DeoVindiceSicSemperTyrannis]

Nice! I want...

[GeronL]

So you think it needs more of a worn look?

[Kartographer]

This one is on the wall of my den. It is much darker with a much more ‘Aged’ look. You can make out the details on the map, but when you photograph it the details fade unless you lighten the photo.

[GeronL]

OK I get it.

[Kartographer]

This is a map of the Hyborian World of Conan from Robert Howard's stories. It hangs in his old house turned museum in Cross Plains TX. You can see the 'aging' mush better.

[henkster]

That map, or one quite similar, was on the wall of my dorm room in 1978.

Maps are cool.

[Kartographer]

It wasn’t this one as I drew this one myself. ;-)

[GeronL]

That is very cool.

Mordor is surrounded by mountains, did it represent Switzerland?

lol

[henkster]

It was awfully similar. They sold prints at the Indiana Memorial Union.

PS: I've found the World War 2 German daily situatuion maps online. I crop the relevant portions to post on Homer_J_Simpson's daily World War 2 thread.

They are beautiful maps.

[Mamzelle]

exquisite—

[Ransomed]

That map is really, really cool.

Here’s a great short essay by Gene Wolfe about Tolkien. He wrote to him in the 60s and Tolkien wrote back. It actually has a little poetry by Howard in the essay, if you can believe it.

http://www.thenightland.co.uk/MYWEB/wolfemountains.html

Freegards from the Tower of the Elephant