Lewis and Tolkien Friendship Response

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Liberty University *

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465

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English

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Apr 3, 2024

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docx

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4

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1 Jillian Stevens ENGL465 (D01) Professor Mead March 25, 2024 Communal Literary Interests of Lewis and Tolkien The friendship of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien has made literary history since its inception. The writings of these men exemplify the mutual literary tastes that formed their friendship. When Lewis and Tolkien met at Oxford University, their friendship seemed highly unlikely because of their differences. There are two unparalleled distinctions between the two. Firstly, Tolkien was a Christian theologian, and Lewis was an atheist. Secondly, Lewis was happy being a public figure, while Tolkien was a linguistic scholar. These factors did not stop an unbeatable friendship. Lewis and Tolkien bonded over their love of language, storytelling, and desire to identify the meaning of life. Their bond transpired from mutual literary tastes in romanticism and ancient mythology. Romanticism is a staple in the works of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R Tolkien as a way to emphasize the spiritual realm and a higher power. This literary genre has always been a way to entice children into worlds they have only dreamed about. Yet, Tolkien and Lewis dreamed of romanticism to mean more than that. The writings of these authors reflect a connection between romanticism and reality. Both authors believed that faith and theology of fantasy are equals. According to Duriez, “they both shared a theology of romanticism, a movement which stressed the poetic imagination, instinct, emotion and the subjective over against what it saw as a cold
2 rationalism” (2024). They longed for something more than what reality presented or a sense of otherness. Lewis’s and Tolkien’s literature shows another side to romantic theology. They sought out a way to explore the battle between good and evil. Both authors dove into the world of fantasy to accomplish this mission. By doing this, their creativity was influenced by Charles Williams. Lewis claimed it “does not mean one who is romantic about theology but one who is theological about romance, one who considers the theological implications of those experiences which are called romantic” (Duriez p. 185). This can be seen in the reworking of Milton’s Paradise Lost in Lewis’s Till We Have Faces, where “the death of Maledil (Christ) on our Silent Planet means that the fall of humankind cannot simply repeat itself” (Duriez p. 185). Lewis is exhibiting the sacrifice that Christ made. J.R.R. Tolkien also provides a look into romantic theology. He was fascinated by the idea of spiritual art. He believed spiritual art was “verified by the greatest story of all—the Gospel. Tolkien argued ‘God is the Lord, of angels, and of man—and of Elves. Legend and history have met and fused’” (Duriez p. 185). Tolkien and Lewis provide a window into romantic literature while adding a theological component. While this added to their friendship, it was not the only form of literature that brought the two together. Mythology is just as meaningful as romanticism to the friendship of Lewis and Tolkien. Consequently, one plays off of the other. For example, their love of stories, myths, and languages erupted in the construction of romantic theology in their stories. The two talked about religion and myth and how they could incorporate them into their writing. For example, they analyzed works like Beowulf and John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress. Lewis read Beowulf to Tolkien, and though they did not share the same taste for allegory, Tolkien liked the story (Duriez p. 93).
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