1 of 1

Write now Article Tools

One ring to rule them all, One ring to find them, One ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them. So begins the trilogy that captured the world in it's tale of hobbits and orcs; good versus evil; and a ring which turns the wearer invisible, but corrupts him with an ancient evil that turns men into creatures of jealous lust for this precious magic ring. For years the world has been captivated by John Ronald Reuel Tolkien's vision of a world he called Middle-earth. His trilogy, The Lord of the Rings, redefined the fantasy genre, and many admire Tolkien as the man who revived, if not inspired, fantasy literature.

Ever since he was young, Tolkien has expressed his literary genius. Tolkien always held an interest in different languages, both ancient and modern. During the time Tolkien was living in King's Heath his linguistic imagination was engaged by the coal trucks going to and from South Wales bearing destinations like "Nantyglo", "Penrhiwdeiber", and "Senghenydd." Tolkien began to study languages, some of which included Latin, Greek, Gothic, and later Finnish. By 1904 Tolkien was already showing remarkable linguistic gifts. Then, in 1911, after he had become a little older, he went up to Exeter College, Oxford where he stayed to study the Classics, Old English, the German languages, Welsh and Finnish. Eventually, as a result of receiving a disappointing second class degree in Honour Moderations, he changed his school from Classics, to English language and literature. He finally received a first class degree in 1915. His linguistic gift demonstrates how brilliant a man he truly was.
His gift for languages certainly played a large role in his books and his life. Not only did he master Latin and Greek, and become more then proficient in a number of both ancient and modern languages. He also began to create languages of his own, complete with their own sets of characters, like the beautiful, lyrical languages Sindar and Quenya; the rugged, robust languages such as Khazad and Rohirim; and the ugly foul languages such as The Black Tongue. He did it purely for fun, and never intended anyone else to see them, at least at first. Although many are incomplete, his languages are so complex and unique that thousands of linguists and Tolkien freaks around the world have tried to study and learn them for themselves. His innate talent for languages eventually earned him the position of Reader (approximately Associate Professor) in English

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about Author reviews: J. R. R. Tolkein - The man who redefined the Fantasy Genre?
We want to hear your view. Write now!