Was Tolkien an antiwar?

Tolkien never says no war, but he often indicates the horrors of it (“tears unnumbered”), and repeatedly comes up with ways to short-circuit it (Eowyn and Merry and the Witch-king). The War of the Ring isn’t even the end of LoTR.

Is Lord of the Rings about PTSD?

J.R.R. Tolkien, a World War I veteran and philologist who became the most renowned fantasy writer in history, seems to have suffered from PTSD from the war, too — although Tolkien would never admit it.

Are there drugs in Lord of the Rings?

Many of the characters of Middle Earth are drawn to hallucinogenic plants. The ‘little people’ in the Shire used hallucinogenic drugs, mostly “the herb called pipeweed”. Even the dark wizard Saruman, who was curious about the Shire because Gandalf showed an interest, had taken to the “halflings’ leaf”.

What did J.R.R. Tolkien suffer from?

Tolkien was suffering from trench fever, which is transmitted by lice, and causes fever. His records detail he had “pyrexia of unknown origin” – headaches, rashes, eye inflammation and leg pains.

Was J.R.R. Tolkien in World War 2?

This timely addition to the critical literature on Tolkien sheds new light on the author’s life and works. Tolkien, one of the world’s most beloved authors, was a World War I signaling officer who survived the Battle of the Somme, and two of his sons served during World War II.

Why is Tolkien considered the father of high fantasy?

While many other authors had published works of fantasy before Tolkien, the great success of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings led directly to a popular resurgence of the genre. This has caused Tolkien to be popularly identified as the “father” of modern fantasy literature —or, more precisely, of high fantasy.

How did William Morris influence Tolkien?

One of the greatest influences on Tolkien was the Arts and Crafts polymath William Morris. Tolkien wished to imitate Morris’s prose and poetry romances, from which he took hints for the names of features such as the Dead Marshes in The Lord of the Rings and Mirkwood, along with some general aspects of approach.

How did Tolkien use racism in his writing?

Tolkien used racism as a literary device to divide his imaginary cultures, to allow them to exceed their high moral potential and face the temptation of believing in their own superiority. When these “superior castes” cross that line they must pay a terrible price for their moral failures.

What book inspired Tolkien to write The Lord of the Rings?

Tolkien wrote of being impressed as a boy by S. R. Crockett’s historical novel The Black Douglas and of basing the battle with the wargs in The Fellowship of the Ring partly on an incident in it.