Letter to Eileen Elgar (24 December 1971): Difference between revisions
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On [[24 December]] [[1971]], [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] wrote '''[[Letters not published in The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien|a letter]] to Mrs Eileen Elgar'''. | |||
*'''Contents:''' Tolkien writes about the death of [[Edith Tolkien|Edith]]. He also writes that he thinks [[Pauline Baynes]]'s ''Hobbit'' poster map is better than ''A Map of Middle-earth''; he is glad Elgar liked the [[The Chronicles of Narnia|Narnia]] books, although he himself is not fond of them; and he discusses the naming of pets after [[Hobbits]] (commenting that [[Hilary Tolkien|Hilary]] has a dog which is called [[Bilbo Baggins|Bilbo]] when being good, and Baggins when being bad).<ref> | *'''Contents:''' Tolkien writes about the death of [[Edith Tolkien|Edith]]. He also writes that he thinks [[Pauline Baynes]]'s ''Hobbit'' poster map is better than ''A Map of Middle-earth''; he is glad Elgar liked the [[The Chronicles of Narnia|Narnia]] books, although he himself is not fond of them; and he discusses the naming of pets after [[Hobbits]] (commenting that [[Hilary Tolkien|Hilary]] has a dog which is called [[Bilbo Baggins|Bilbo]] when being good, and Baggins when being bad).<ref>{{CG|C}}, p. 758</ref> | ||
*'''Publication:''' Descriptions of the letter appeared in ''[[Sotheby's English Literature and English History 6-7 December 1984]]'' and ''[[The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide]]: Chronology''. An excerpt concerning Narnia was published in [[Mythlore 121/122|''Mythlore'' 121/122]]. | |||
*'''Publication:''' ''[[Sotheby's English Literature and English History 6-7 December 1984]]''. | |||
== | ==Excerpts== | ||
"[Edith] was my ''Lúthien Tinúviel'', with her river [''sic''? as transcribed, for "raven"] hair and fair face and bright starry eyes" | "[Edith] was my ''Lúthien Tinúviel'', with her river [''sic''? as transcribed, for "raven"] hair and fair face and bright starry eyes" | ||
"I am glad that you have discovered <u>Narnia</u>. These stories are deservedly very popular; but since you ask if <u>I</u> like them I am afraid the answer is <u>No</u>. I do <u>not</u> like 'allegory', and least of all religious allegory of this kind. But that is a difference of taste which we both recognized and did not interfere with our friendship."<ref>Quoted in "Disparaging Narnia: Reconsidering Tolkien's View of ''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe''" by Josh B. Long, in [[Mythlore 121/122|''Mythlore'' 121/122]], p. 39</ref> | |||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
*[[Eileen Elgar 5 March 1964]] | |||
*[[Letter to Eileen Elgar (September 1963)]] | |||
*[[Letter to Eileen Elgar (5 March 1964)]] | |||
{{references}} | {{references}} | ||
{{title}} | |||
[[Category:Letters]] | [[Category:Letters|Elgar, Eileen (1971-12-24)]] |
Latest revision as of 08:31, 18 March 2024
On 24 December 1971, J.R.R. Tolkien wrote a letter to Mrs Eileen Elgar.
- Contents: Tolkien writes about the death of Edith. He also writes that he thinks Pauline Baynes's Hobbit poster map is better than A Map of Middle-earth; he is glad Elgar liked the Narnia books, although he himself is not fond of them; and he discusses the naming of pets after Hobbits (commenting that Hilary has a dog which is called Bilbo when being good, and Baggins when being bad).[1]
- Publication: Descriptions of the letter appeared in Sotheby's English Literature and English History 6-7 December 1984 and The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide: Chronology. An excerpt concerning Narnia was published in Mythlore 121/122.
Excerpts[edit | edit source]
"[Edith] was my Lúthien Tinúviel, with her river [sic? as transcribed, for "raven"] hair and fair face and bright starry eyes"
"I am glad that you have discovered Narnia. These stories are deservedly very popular; but since you ask if I like them I am afraid the answer is No. I do not like 'allegory', and least of all religious allegory of this kind. But that is a difference of taste which we both recognized and did not interfere with our friendship."[2]
See also[edit | edit source]
References
- ↑ Christina Scull and Wayne G. Hammond (2006), The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide: I. Chronology, p. 758
- ↑ Quoted in "Disparaging Narnia: Reconsidering Tolkien's View of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" by Josh B. Long, in Mythlore 121/122, p. 39