Letter 38: Difference between revisions
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| to=[[Stanley Unwin]] | | to=[[Stanley Unwin]] | ||
| date=[[30 March]] [[1940]] | | date=[[30 March]] [[1940]] | ||
| subject=The | | subject=The foreword to ''[[Beowulf (poem)|Beowulf]]'', by Clark Hall | ||
}}{{letter|38}} | }}{{letter|38}} | ||
==Summary== | ==Summary== | ||
[[Allen and Unwin|Allen & Unwin]] had sent a letter on 27 March desperately asking for the promised | [[Allen and Unwin|Allen & Unwin]] had sent a letter on 27 March desperately asking for the promised foreword to Clark Hall’s ''[[Beowulf (poem)|Beowulf]]'', even if it was just “a word or two”. An abashed Tolkien called his own behavior vexatious and uncivil. He reported that he had gotten into trouble, wasting time and labor, under a misapprehension of the pagination of the page-proofs. In a footnote he also mentioned that his wife’s illness had become worse, he had been living in an attic due to damage to his house <ref group="note">Water pipes had burst during the winter of 1939-1940.</ref>, and that he had been ill. | ||
Although Tolkien acknowledged that “a word or two” would suffice, he felt that a fairly considerable preface was necessary. Since there was no reference to the problems faced by a translator or critic, Tolkien worked to provide useful remarks. This grew into a manuscript of 17 pages, with each page about 300 words long, plus a metrical appendix which was just as long. It was at this point that the [[27 March]] letter arrived and Tolkien sent in what he had produced. | Although Tolkien acknowledged that “a word or two” would suffice, he felt that a fairly considerable preface was necessary. Since there was no reference to the problems faced by a translator or critic, Tolkien worked to provide useful remarks. This grew into a manuscript of 17 pages, with each page about 300 words long, plus a metrical appendix which was just as long. It was at this point that the [[27 March]] letter arrived and Tolkien sent in what he had produced. | ||
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==Notes== | ==Notes== | ||
<references group="note"/> | <references group="note"/> | ||
{{letters}} | {{letters}} | ||
{{DEFAULTSORT:Letter 038}} | |||
[[Category:Letters to Stanley Unwin]] | |||
[[de:Brief 38]] |
Latest revision as of 01:30, 8 February 2024
The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien | ||
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Recipient | Stanley Unwin | |
Date | 30 March 1940 | |
Subject(s) | The foreword to Beowulf, by Clark Hall |
Letter 38 is a letter written by J.R.R. Tolkien and published in The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien.
Summary[edit | edit source]
Allen & Unwin had sent a letter on 27 March desperately asking for the promised foreword to Clark Hall’s Beowulf, even if it was just “a word or two”. An abashed Tolkien called his own behavior vexatious and uncivil. He reported that he had gotten into trouble, wasting time and labor, under a misapprehension of the pagination of the page-proofs. In a footnote he also mentioned that his wife’s illness had become worse, he had been living in an attic due to damage to his house [note 1], and that he had been ill.
Although Tolkien acknowledged that “a word or two” would suffice, he felt that a fairly considerable preface was necessary. Since there was no reference to the problems faced by a translator or critic, Tolkien worked to provide useful remarks. This grew into a manuscript of 17 pages, with each page about 300 words long, plus a metrical appendix which was just as long. It was at this point that the 27 March letter arrived and Tolkien sent in what he had produced.
Notes[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Water pipes had burst during the winter of 1939-1940.
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