Tolkien (One Work)

The major work I would like to focus on is the trilogy of Lord of the Rings. This trilogy was outstanding to say the least. Tolkien successfully creates a second realm in such vivid detail that it nearly becomes real. The trilogy was masterfully planned to say the least. Frodo the Hobbit is "a small creature with hairy feet and a large appetite, not normally prone to adventuring. Frodo has a gold Ring given to him by his Uncle Bilbo, who had 'found it' after its loss by a creature called Gollum, in the course of a previous long journey recounted by JRR Tolkien in The Hobbit," (http://www.douglas.eckhart.btinternet.co.uk/synopsis.html). Even Bilbo Baggins himself had his own novel by Tolkien which leads directly into the trilogy. Tolkien's Lord of the Ring's is ingenius and the story of young Frodo Baggins causes one to feel sympathetic for his character. The hardships he faces throughout his journey to destroy evil can't be denied when analyzing the trilogy, and that's what really makes Lord of the Ring's so entertaining. This masterpiece is a combination of sorrow, happiness, doubt, nerve, courage, and triumph. The Lord of the Ring's by J.R.R. Tolkien will definately be one for the record books.

Tolkien (major works)

Tolkien had several major works throughout his career, including The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, and the Silmarillion, (book titles from - http://home.earthlink.net/~dbratman/tolkien_bib.html). These were all major works and had one thing in common, Hobbits, elves and mystical creations of the imagination. The Hobbit introduces the big characters such as Bilbo Baggins and Gandolf, who serve great importance as the novels keep churning from the mind of J.R.R. Tolkien. The Lord of the Rings was the biggest success depicting the quest of Bilbo Baggins' heir, Frodo, to destroy the a very important and evil entity of a ring once and for all. The Adventures of Tom Bombadil were a series of poems and light verse that were supposedly written by educated Hobbits. The Silmarillion is supposedly the book the elves kept documentation of after meeting the Hobbits. These major works by Tolkien were a success in many ways considering the depth he offered into these stories.

Tolkien (theme, influence, style)

Themes of J.R.R. Tolkien's works are generally very dampened with a crepuscular tone, (crepuscular - dictionary.com). These written worlds of Tolkien's imagination follow a very negative theme that I believed were influenced by his experiences throughout life. For example, Middle Earth of the "Rings" trilogy is a very dark place that could represent the battlegrounds he once fought on in World War I. The scenery is very desolate and it is the final place of battle against "Evil" or perhaps Germany in correspondance. Although these influences and themes reflect very negative attributes, his style reflects a different view. The endings of the trilogy end on a positive note. "In these books Tolkien rejects such traditional heroic qualities as strength and size, stressing instead the capacity of even the humblest creatures to win against evil," (http://www.notablebiographies.com/St-Tr/Tolkien-J-R-R.html). In this sense, his artistic style represents the prevailing over evil, which is a stark contrast to the negative themes and influences that seem to engulf many of his pieces.

Tolkien Career

J.R.R. Tolkien is primarily an author and writer. One of his earliest careers consists of serving in World War I. His experiences resulted in Trench fever taking him out of the battle. Once away, he began writing a series of fairy tales called The Book of Lost Tales. This series apparently paralleled in correlation to the deaths of those he fought with and described the horror of the war. Tolkien's life experiences combined with his superior intelligence in the manipulation of words helped him succeed in any story he indulged to write. "Tolkien was an accomplished scholar with professorships in English Language and Literature as well as Anglo-Saxon at Oxford University, and was an expert in word origins, mythology, and languages including Old English, Old Norse, and Finnish. In total he has some forty books to his credit and is regarded as one of the most popular authors of all time," (http://www.nndb.com/people/511/000022445/). Several of his books became best sellers, including The Hobbit and the trilogy, The Lord of the Rings.

Tolkien Biography!

"John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, as he was christened, was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa in 1892," (http://www.indepthinfo.com/tolkien/biography.shtml). Tolkien spent a majority of his youth in South Africa where he was bitten by a tarantula. These memories supposedly influenced many of his later works. After maturing a bit in South Africa, Tolkien moved to England with his mother and brother, leaving the father to follow within months. The father however; died of fever and was not able to make it back to England. Shorty before beginning college studies at Oxford, his mother passed. This sorrow and reflection of life and death carried over into his studies and later works.