Tolkien and the Somme
July 1st marked the 90th anniversary of the start of the Battle of the Somme. JRR Tolkien was one of the survivors of the battle and in her article at bbc.co.uk Lisa Jardine discusses some of Tolkien’s experiences and their influences on his work.
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The article is worth reading if you’re new to Tolkien, and/or know nothing about WW1. If you are a Tolkien enthusiast all this will be old stuff to you. (It didn’t need much researching!) Do read the comment below the article about how JRRT was chased by Uhlans, though.
It’s a pity the article is illustrated by stills from the film. There’s a tendency among the ignorant to think the film represents the book and can speak for it. It can’t; indeed it betrays quite a few of JRRT’s ideals. For example, that dreadful moment in TT (the movie) when Frodo says ‘What are we fighting for?’ The meaning of the book, as discussed in the BBC article, depends very heavily on Frodo knowing exactly what he’s fighting for.