December 2001 — According to Judith Fisher, professor of English at Trinity University, J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic tale of hobbits, wizards, elves, and a sinister ring began as a bedtime story.  In the 1920s  Mr. Tolkien delighted his children with the adventures of Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit who was persuaded by a wizard to undertake a magical quest.

 “He wrote most of it down except for the ending,” says Professor Fisher. “And when his children outgrew story-telling, he laid it aside. A former student at a publishing house remembered something about the manuscript and asked a colleague to read it.  She did so, liked it, asked Tolkien to finish it, and voila!” The book, titled The Hobbit, immediately became a popular children’s book and Mr. Tolkien was  asked to write more. He eventually wrote a trilogy that would become known as The Lord of the Rings, which was published in the mid-50s.

 “It had a speckled reception because it was obviously a fantasy intended for adults who were ‘supposed’ to like realistic fiction a la Hemingway,” says Professor Fisher. “The poet W. H. Auden loved it; the critic Edmund Wilson hated it, but it lurked around until the mid-60s when we hippy-types latched on to it and the rest is legend.” 

So what is it about the story that has made it a classic? Professor Fisher says one of the major appeals has to do with the writing. “Whether people realize it or not, they are liking Lord of the Rings  because it is so well written.  All Tolkien's fantasy stems from his own fascination with language (he was a professional philologist and medievalist).  So the consequence is a meticulously written, tightly constructed, massive work built on a very thoughtful idea of the importance of ‘fantasy.’” Professor Fisher adds that fantasy is about the only genre these days that dares to deal with big questions of Good vs. Evil. “People find comfort in dealing with issues of moral clarity even if the battle is never over or never securely won.”

Another appeal of the books is Mr. Tolkien’s style. “He is a great stylist,” says Professor Fisher.  “In fact, a very well-known medievalist named Tom Shippey has recently published a new edition of his standard work on Tolkien.  His original title was The Road to Middle-Earth, the new title is, J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century.”

To speak to professor Judith Fisher about the appeal of The Lord of the Rings, contact: Russell Guerrero at (210) 999-8406 or at rguerrer@trinity.edu.