War and the Works of J.R.R. Tolkien (Contributions to the Study of Science Fiction & Fantasy) by Janet Brennan Croft

by Janet Brennan Croft

Having participated in the First World War, and having seen two of his sons serve in the Second, Tolkien was concerned with many of the same themes that interested other writers in the post-war period. The rhythm of war flows through his writings, but his own interpretation of the themes, symbols, and motifs of war, however, were influenced by his religious views and his interest in fantasy, which add another layer of meaning and a sense of timelessness to his writing. Croft explores the different aspect of Tolkien's relationship with war both in his life and in his work from the early "Book of Lost Tales" to his last story "Smith of Wootten Major," and concentrating on his greatest and most well-known works "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings." This timely addition to the critical literature on Tolkien sheds new light on the author's life and works.

Tolkien, one of the world's most beloved authors, was a World War I signaling officer who survived the Battle of the Somme, and two of his sons served during World War II. Such experiences and events lead Tolkien to a complex attitude toward war and military leadership, the themes of which find their way into his most important writings. His fiction, criticism, and letters demonstrate a range of attitudes that would change over the course of his life. In the end, his philosophy on human nature and evil, and the inevitability of conflict, would appear to be pragmatic and rational, if regretful and pessimistic. Still, Croft is able to uncover a strain of hopefulness, as befitted his Catholicism, about the ultimate fate of the human soul. She concludes that his personal life and values informed his reading and his writing and the way in which he interpreted his own experiences. This valuable consideration of war in the life of Tolkien is essential reading for all readers interested in deepening their understanding of this great writer.

Genres: Fantasy

Hardcover

First published June 30, 2004

Reviews

[Kyle · Rating 2 out of 5]

This short book has some interesting insights, but is insufficiently informed in military history. It relies on a few works of varying quality for historical references and so provides shallow discussions in a lot of areas. Despite great moments, I found it to be a slow and often tedious read.

[Jenna (Falling Letters) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brief thoughts originally published 1 February 2018 at Falling Letters.

What Croft does well in this book is place Tolkien’s writing in a grander historical context in which it’s not often considered. He was an author writing primarily in the time following the terrible experience of WWI. Croft juxtaposes other critical writing on war writers and explores how Tolkien was similar or dissimilar, drawing primarily from Paul Fussell’s The Great War and Modern Memory. Croft draws reasoned connections between Tolkien’s war experiences and personal faith, and what he wrote in his fiction, without making allegorical claims.

One key theme which Croft is explores is the concept of courage without hope. This is not a book just about the physicality of war – grander philosophical concepts are explored throughout.

Not only does she explore the overall influence of war on Tolkien’s writing, she also explores concrete manifestations of ideas of war when discussing, for example, the leadership style of key characters in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. In describing Bilbo’s actions after freeing the dwarves from the Mirkwood spiders, she writes, “This episode is the closest Bilbo gets to military leadership, and he shows a fine command of strategy in rallying and deploying his followers and drawing the spiders off with a series of feigned attacks” (82).

The titles of the six chapters that comprise the book offer a clear representation of the different approaches to the influence of war that Croft explores:
1) “The Great War and Tolkien’s Memory”
2) “World War I Themes in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings“
3) “World War II: ‘The Young Perish and the Old Linger, Withering'”
4) “Military Leaders and Leadership”
5) “Training, Tactics, Strategy, and Battlefield Communication’
6) “Philosophy, Pathology and Conclusions”.

I recommend this book to readers curious about the influence of war in Tolkien’s work, an influence that should not be casually overlooked or dismissed.

Perhaps one reason Tolkien is so frequently voted “Author of the Century” is because he took what was a pivotal event in world history and transformed it into a comprehensible myth to help us understand how our world has changed and learn how we can still live in it with courage (32).

[Phillip · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book won the Mythopoeic Scholarship Award (Inklings Studies)in 2005 when it came out. I like this as a complement to read with the much stronger "Tolkien and the Great War" by John Garth, that came out the same year.

I don't have a real criticism of what is present in "War and the Works of J.R.R. Tolkien". The problem is that it is so cautious that it doesn't spark the imagination.

Croft does do very well in the book "Tolkien and Shakespeare."