Hullo. this is really a thread more appropriate for a forum on J.R.R tolkien himself but i didn't see any and i'd like this to go to a widely veiwed forum.

So i need help. (this is for a research paper i'm doing for school the entire 2nd semester of writing and it's quite important)
I need some resources on Tolkien's motives for writing. Internet articles but preferably books. anything you might know on the subject. My subject for the paper is How tolkien's life experiences affected his writing (i.e. him being chased by the spider in his childhood home of southafrica could have incurred him writing about shelob, etc.) I just need information along these lines. Any books that talk about his relationship with Edith, and how that might seep into his writings, or how he was in WWI and how that became evident. You get the idea. I hope my request is understandable, and, mods, if this is more appropriate for any other forum or if there's a forum you think i might get more help from, feel free to move this topic to that forum.

Thanks guys soo much for any help you can offer, i really appreciate it. Please realize i'm not asking you guys to do my homework, i just need some resources and i'm having trouble finding some.

-Em.ber.-

P.S. Hullo, Rumil.

Have you looked for a biography on Tolkien? There are many, and I'm sure you could find one at your local library. One book in particular that I have found immensely helpful in understanding Tolkien as a person is The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien. It is edited by Humphrey Carpenter and Christopher Tolkien. Any book that provides some of his letters is wonderful to use. Primary sources are, after all, the best things to use in research.
Also, perhaps you could make use of your (school's or local) library's research databases? They can be helpful when trying to find something that's outside the scope of the library. It's best to use books though...they're solid and dependable things for the most part Good luck in your research!

yeah, i've already looked at the library and such. i've rented the "Letters" book. i was just wondering if anyone knew of a book that specifically adressed how tolkien's experiences became evident in his writings, and how they affected his books. a biography would help a bit but i've already rented several of those. i really wanted to rent "Tolkien and the Great War" but my library doesn't have it. if any of ya'll have read that though and you think it actually would help me, please tell me.




Em.ber.

An excellent book, though I can not assure you it is what you are searching for, is "J.R.R. Tolkien Author of the Century", written by Tom Shippey.

This text I have actually not read completely myself (I received it when I was far too young to actually have the stamina to read through a work of its nature entirely, and have just recently rediscovered it), but it does deal both with Tolkien's life and other inspirations. If Tolkien's own knowledge garnered through life and study could be considered "life experiences affecting his stories", this is certainly full of such instances. However, even for more personal matters of Tolkien's life which can be seen in his books, I do have vague recollection of reading of just such matters, and my fairest guess is that it must be the hazy memory of my first attempt to read this book years ago (though possibility remains that it was actually another, lost source from which I found these anecdotes).

Regardless, the book is quite fascinating (I myself will have to take a second go at reading it now that I've stumbled across it again), and it might prove somewhat useful.

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Moving this to Mics. Book Discussion.

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Another interesting resource comes from JRR Tolkien's own son and editor, Christopher Tolkien. He compiled a series of books commonly called H.O.M.E. for "The History of Middle Earth." In H.O.M.E. you can find information on Tolkien's inspirations as well as the evolution of LotR. It's really interesting.

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Well, I don't know of any books, but if you own the extended editions of Lord of the Rings, I think it's in the third movie, I'm not sure it'll say it in the titles, but it really does go over it quite thoroughly.

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Have you read the Biography of J.R.R.Tolkien by Humphrey Carpenter? It is the best biography I know. I think you would find there many clues about his motives for writing.

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