You have some really vivid insights! For me, there is an undeniable feeling of death in the imagery of going over the sundering seas to the West. But Tolkien was imbued with a flavor of Christianity which denies the nullity of death and replaces it a transition to a higher state: "And then it seemed to him as in the house of Bombadil, the grey rain-curtain turned all to silver glass and was rolled back, and he beheld white shores and beyond them a far green country under a swift sunrise." C.S. Lewis does something similar in the last book of the Narnia series. And so does George MacDonald in the last chapters of "Lilith". I wonder, since the Christian mythos was so real to Tolkien, if writing LOTR wasn't an act of "recovery", to re-inspire the awe he felt from his religion.
Thank you! You make great points, especially the last one you mention. That his Secondary World was itself a personal act of recovery is a touching thought.
An on-topic favorite from Chesterton: “[W]e must try at least to shake off the cloud of mere custom and see the thing as new, if only by seeing it as unnatural. Things that may well be familiar so long as familiarity breeds affection had much better become unfamiliar when familiarity breeds contempt.”
I liked that last bit, "what sort of tale we've fallen into?" i.e. is it the kind that ends well? I think that's the question we all ask ourselves about each of our journeys through this life.
Your analyzing of this poem has helped me understand the things I didn’t before. I see "Bilbo's Last Song” in a new light. It truly is a beautiful work of literature that is essentially a farewell to a life that is known and placing emphasis on beginning life in a new place. 🤍
You have some really vivid insights! For me, there is an undeniable feeling of death in the imagery of going over the sundering seas to the West. But Tolkien was imbued with a flavor of Christianity which denies the nullity of death and replaces it a transition to a higher state: "And then it seemed to him as in the house of Bombadil, the grey rain-curtain turned all to silver glass and was rolled back, and he beheld white shores and beyond them a far green country under a swift sunrise." C.S. Lewis does something similar in the last book of the Narnia series. And so does George MacDonald in the last chapters of "Lilith". I wonder, since the Christian mythos was so real to Tolkien, if writing LOTR wasn't an act of "recovery", to re-inspire the awe he felt from his religion.
Thank you! You make great points, especially the last one you mention. That his Secondary World was itself a personal act of recovery is a touching thought.
Reprises Tennyson’s Ulysses and a little Second Timothy. Wonderful article.
Thank you John :)
I really like the C.S. Lewis quote you include here - it offers such a unique view of escapism
An on-topic favorite from Chesterton: “[W]e must try at least to shake off the cloud of mere custom and see the thing as new, if only by seeing it as unnatural. Things that may well be familiar so long as familiarity breeds affection had much better become unfamiliar when familiarity breeds contempt.”
Love this. Can’t wait to do a dive into Chesterton in the future!
I liked that last bit, "what sort of tale we've fallen into?" i.e. is it the kind that ends well? I think that's the question we all ask ourselves about each of our journeys through this life.
Your analyzing of this poem has helped me understand the things I didn’t before. I see "Bilbo's Last Song” in a new light. It truly is a beautiful work of literature that is essentially a farewell to a life that is known and placing emphasis on beginning life in a new place. 🤍
So great to hear! Yes, both an ending and a beginning 🤍