Tolkien and the Forging of Middle-Earth

Abstract

“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.” This was the line that started one of the most famous fantasy series ever written and forever changed the genre. J.R.R. Tolkien constructed the world of Middle-Earth based on his experiences before, during, and after the Great War. Through the utilization of medievalism, Tolkien weaves together characters and world-building as a way to express his many beliefs on the war. Tolkien’s life and writing process have been examined extensively in a number of different biographies, books, journal articles, and other mediums. One specific example is Humphrey Carpenter’s Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien: a massive collection of letters provided by J.R.R. Tolkien’s son, Christopher Tolkien. These letters span over almost his entire life and are directed towards family, editors, and fans. Most importantly, Tolkien’s letters cover a vast array of topics, ranging from his creative processes to his thoughts on contemporary world politics as expressed through his ongoing worries over the events of World War Two. In this paper, I will analyze how these experiences and beliefs influenced the creation of his stories. Doing so will help future readers and scholars understand Tolkien’s medievalism and how his stories were constructed.