John Ronald Reuel Tolkien
To understand the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien, one must examine the circumstances of his life. It is Tolkien’s own varied background that has enabled a mind of such literary creations as The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, and many others. Critics may have initially overlooked Tolkien’s ability as an accomplished novelist, but his appeal to both young and old have garnered him a place in literary history.
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born January 3, 1892 in Bloemfontein, South Africa. His father died when he was only four and his mother returned to England with her two children. They resettled in the small village of Sarehole and the rich countryside made such an impression that he would refer to these memories for the vibrant fantasy world he would come to create. His love for fantasy and the intricacies of language he acquired from his mother. She was educated in Latin and French and would spend much time in teaching these to her sons along with music and drawing. Tolkien’s mother Mabel also converted to Catholicism, which caused a great stir amongst her relatives. Unfortunately her early death from diabetes left Tolkien and his brother in the care of Father Francis Xavier Morgan, a Roman Catholic Priest. John Ronald was twelve years old and his brother was only ten.
Tolkien’s education is as equally rich as his mother’s influence. He attended King Edward VII School in Birmingham then went on to college at Exeter College in Oxford and then after a brief service in World War I he received a master’s degree from Oxford University. During his years at Father Francis’ he met another young orphan, Edith Bratt. The circumstances with which Ronald and Edith met led them to find affection from each other. When Ronald was merely seventeen and Edith nineteen, they decided they were in love. Unable to do anything at that age, they waited until Tolkien was 24 to marry . Tolkien would even use his memories of he and Edith’s early feelings of love in Aragon’s song of Beren and Luthien:
“The leaves were long, the grass was green,
The hemlock-umbels tall and fair,
And in the glade a light was seen
Of stars in shadow shimmering.
Tinuviel was dancing there
To music of a pipe unseen,
And light of stars was in her hair,
And in her raiment glimmering.
There Beren came from mountains cold
And lost he wandered under leaves,
And where the Elven-river rolled
He walked alone and sorrowing.
He peered between the hemlock-leaves
And saw in wonder flowers of gold
Upon her mantle and her sleeves,
And her hair like shadow following.”