SUMMARY OF TOLKIEN AND THE GREAT WAR
Biography, 313 pp.
Tolkien and the Great War: The Threshold of Middle-earth shows how Tolkien’s
youth and war experiences helped shape Middle-earth. Garth shows the value of the
TCBS to Tolkien’s progress in creating languages and poetry. Garth includes details of
Tolkien’s involvement in the Battle of the Somme as well as Tolkien’s ability to take the
concept of good and evil and turn it into a piece of art that reflects and transforms the
“cataclysm of his generation.”
In Tolkien and the Great War, Garth presents the early prose of Tolkien in order to
give them “the serious attention they deserve” (xiii). The purpose of these early prose
works is to show how Middle-earth was already flowing from Tolkien’s mind prior to any
war experience.
Garth separates this book into three parts. The first part is entitled “The Immortal
Four,” referring to the TCBS. Tolkien’s involvement with the three men in this club
spurred on his intellectual and creative talents. It was in these early years that he fell in
love with languages, and it was because of Wiseman, G.B. Smith, and R.Q. Gilson that
he pursued them entirely and began to involve them in his poetry. In fact, it is because of
a meeting with the four that he became a poet at all. As the years passed, however,
countries were beginning to divide and the war broke out. Tolkien was still pursuing his
education and did not join the war until much later.
In Part Two, entitled “Tears Unnumbered,” Garth highlights Tolkien’s brief war
experience. Tolkien did not spend a long time on the actual battle field. In fact, he
contracted trench fever and was sent home. However, in this section Tolkien lost two
members of the TCBS, and the tragedy hit him hard, inspiring him to pursue his writing.
In Part Three, entitled “The Lonely Isle,” Tolkien begins to take all of his previous
works and create “The Book of Lost Tales.” In the epilogue, Garth ties all of the parts
together and explains that because of everything that Tolkien experienced in his youth,
he is capable of portraying the weak as characters capable of “ris[ing] up to shake the
world” (276). Garth goes on to say that when dealing with Tolkien and Modernism,
“Tolkien was engaged in ‘an act of deliberate defiance of modern history’” (289). Tolkien
desired to take what was at hand and create something positive and reflective rather
than only producing negative responses like his peers were doing at the time. Garth
presents Tolkien as a man capable of using the good and evil in life to form a sense of
normality and peace in an unstable world. Garth concludes the book by agreeing with
Sassoon (a war poet) in stating, Tolkien, through his mythology, was an epic writer.
The book includes 15 pictures to aid the reader in the understanding the material as
well as two maps of Somme (the area in France where Tolkien fought).
EVALUATION OF TOLKIEN AND THE GREAT WAR
Overall, this book was very good. I feel Garth portrayed the spirit of Tolkien properly
and efficiently. Garth did a large amount of research for this book, including interviews
with Christopher Tolkien and Wiseman, and it is proven to be worthwhile after reading it.
Garth’s personal writing style is captivating and completely understandable. He draws
the reader into the material and allows the reader to feel emotion while the events
unfold. Garth’s journalism experience allows the material presented on the war to remain
informative but not overwhelming; he uses just the right amount of detail and imagery.
Also, Garth’s integration of Tolkien’s early prose is absolutely superb. I found it shocking
that none of these early poems were ever published, especially considering the
importance they play in the creation of Tolkien’s Middle-earth.
Although this book extrapolated positive connotations, it unfortunately had elements
that did not blend well. For example, the mentioning of Tolkien’s childhood and his
friendships with the members of the TCBS, although vital, was drawn out to unnecessary
lengths. Although Garth did this to compel the reader to feel an emotional connection to
the men, there was still too much involvement in this area. Along these same lines, I
would go as far as saying the title misleads the intention of the book. There is a
reasonable amount of material that has nothing to do with the war at all. Even Garth
admits that Tolkien never claimed the war was the foundation for his mythology. I would
have appreciated it more if it were properly labeled.
Aside from these critiques, I was overall completely impressed with this book. I am
pleased with what Garth has done and I feel that this book is on the same level as any
other well renowned book written on Tolkien scholarship.
HIGHLIGHTS OF TOLKIEN AND THE GREAT WAR
Many times while reading this book I found a lot of what Garth said to be very
insightful and inspiring. For example, when Tolkien was dealing with the failure of
creation and its inability to consistently succeed, he mentioned this failure “would
ultimately pave the way for God’s direct intervention as Christ” (277). Although there is
no direct mentioning of God, this ability to have things suddenly change for the better
proves there is a stronger force involved in the world, and that force is Christ.
I also found the fact that Tolkien did not use his book to defy Germany or to preach
about the brutality and gore of war as rather breathtaking. His ability to use the good and
the evil to create a world that encompasses both proves how true to creation Tolkien
really was. Tolkien had no desire to portray Germany as evil in his writings. Many people
assume the evil powers in his writings represent the evil powers in Europe; however,
Tolkien never felt hatred towards Germany. He loved Germany for its ability to preserve
Romanticism and language. After all, it was Tolkien who was enthralled with Germanic
languages and Germanic folk tales. On the other hand, Tolkien did not love war. In fact,
he despised it. While he was in the “trenches, he was actually aware of its shortcomings,
declaring, ‘The utter stupid waste of war, not only material but moral and spiritual…’”
(290). However, he did find a benefit in war – wisdom. It was in wisdom that knowledge
could be acquired, and in this knowledge, change could take place. He believed all
things happened for a reason, and the proper response was to seek wisdom. Tolkien
always believed there was a place for everyone; that even the littlest man could make a
difference if he acted in a proper way. He encouraged his children to “keep a calm mind,
restrain the tongue” (295). This phrase is portrayed in Tolkien’s wisest characters like
Sam and Faramir; it was in these characters that Tolkien’s motto was truly emulated.
Tolkien himself even stated he was like Faramir because he was “an officer but also a
scholar, with a reverence for the old histories and sacred values that helps him through a
bitter war” (310).
Garth’s insights into Tolkien and his youth were very productive and interesting to
me. I truly feel Garth portrayed the real essence of who Tolkien was and what he wanted
to depict in Middle-earth.