0381: The Lord of the Rings » Tolkien's Foreword(s)

What did Tolkien himself say The Lord of the Rings was about?In this episode of Do Not Be Hasty, we explore Tolkien’s forewords to The Lord of the Rings — because there are actually two very different versions. 00:00 — What Did Tolkien Say The Lord of the Rings Was About? 02:15 — The Original 1954 Foreword 03:43 — The Red Book of Westmarch 09:45 — Tolkien as “Translator” and Middle-earth as History 13:20 — Why Tolkien Replaced the First Foreword 15:24 — The Second-Edition Foreword 20:17 — Why Tolkien Wrote The Lord of the Rings 21:21 — No Hidden Message or World War II Allegory 22:12 — What the Story Would Look Like If It WERE About WWII 26:09 — Allegory vs. Applicability 30:11 — So What Is The Lord of the Rings About? The First-Edition Foreword Published with The Fellowship of the Ring in 1954 Tolkien presents The Lord of the Rings almost as an authentic historical document The story is supposedly drawn from the Red Book of Westmarch Bilbo and Frodo appear as memoirists whose accounts were preserved by Sam’s descendants Tolkien plays with the idea that he is discovering or translating Middle-earth rather than simply inventing it Why Tolkien later rejected this foreword The role of the unauthorized Ace Books edition and the U.S. copyright situation The first foreword’s possible spoiler concerning Frodo and Sam The Second-Edition Foreword How The Lord of the Rings grew out of The Hobbit Why the story was drawn toward the older world of The Silmarillion Tolkien’s long process of composition through the late 1930s and 1940s The extraordinary amount of work involved in completing and revising the book Tolkien’s stated purpose: to tell a long story that could hold readers’ attention, delight them, excite them, and move them Was The Lord of the Rings an Allegory? Tolkien rejects the idea that the book has a simple hidden message Why the War of the Ring should not be read as an allegory of World War II Tolkien imagines what the story might have looked like if WWII really had dictated the plot His skepticism toward political power and his concern for ordinary people Why the Scouring of the Shire is not simply commentary on contemporary England Allegory vs. Applicability Tolkien’s famous declaration that he “cordially” disliked allegory Allegory depends upon the author imposing a particular meaning Applicability depends upon the freedom of the reader Real history and personal experience can influence storytelling without turning a story into allegory The importance of remaining faithful to the artistic vision rather than writing merely to make a topical point The Big TakeawayTolkien’s own explanation is surprisingly simple: he was primarily trying to tell a great story. The deeper truths of The Lord of the Rings arise organically from the story rather than from a coded attempt to comment upon specific historical events.SPECIAL THANKS John R Kaitlyn of Tea with Tolkien Melkor27 KG SaberSystems Jeremy D Emilio P Jonathan D Richard K Paul D Julia Werty Chris B Tuor91 Carolyn S Emiel K Brian O the 2nd Jonathan R Matthew W Daniel D Harrison C Seb M Willbo Baggins Ms. Anonymous Andrew T Redhawk Shannon S Brian O (the 1st) Zeke F James L Chris L Asya V Ish of the Hammer Teresa C David of Pints with Jack Eric B Become a supporter of this podcast: <a href="https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-tolkien-