Review of Leaf by Niggle, by J.R.R. Tolkien

Leaf by Niggle by J.R.R. Tolkien

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I read Leaf by Niggle in preparation for teaching a course on J.R.R. Tolkien. Originally written in 1938-39 and 1st published in 1945, this short story speaks to our own time, particularly to the devaluation of the arts and humanities in our society. In the story, Niggle spends all his time painting a huge canvas of trees and their leaves, neglecting his house and interrupted only by the need to help his neighbors. Perhaps a bit like Tolkien himself in his creation of an elaborate new mythology, the picture just keeps growing, and Niggle is not sure when it will be done. In Kafka-esque manner, various administrators pass judgement on him, much like university administrators and politicians judge the humanities today: the town councillor says Niggle is "a silly little man...no use to Society at all...No practical or economic use," and dismisses his art as "private day-dreaming." Yet Niggle creates a marvelous world, full of the beauty of nature, a world that in the end gives him and his neighbors great pleasure. This story speaks to us in the voice of one of the great creative minds of the 20th century, reminding us that there is more to life than business and economic production. The arts and humanities enhance our world, free us to see things from different perspectives, and give us hope.



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