Lewis Carroll's Influence on Tolkien

[littlemanpoet]

In On Faerie Stories, Tolkien uses the works of Lewis Carroll as, first a negative illustration of that which is not fairy-story; and second as a positive illustration of that which is fantasy.

First, as a negative illustration of "what is a fairy-story":

It is at any rate essential to a genuine fairy-story, as distinct from the employment of this form [that of fairy-tale] for lesser or debased purposes, that it should be presented as "true". The meaning of "true" in this connexion I will consider in a moment. But since the fairy-story deals with "marvels," it cannot tolerate any frame or machinery suggesting that the whole story in which they occur is a figment or illusion. The tale itself may, of course, be so good that one can ignore the frame. or it may be successful and amusing as a dream-story. So are Lewis Carroll's [my bold] Alice stories, with their dream-frame and dream-transitions. For this (and other reasons) they are not fairy-stories.

And later, as a positive illustration of fantasy:

For creative Fantasy is founded upon the hard recognition that things are so in the world as it appears under the sun; on a recognition of fact, but not a slavery to it. So upon logic was founded the nonsense that displays itslef in the tales and rhymes of Lewis Carroll. If men could really not distinguish between frogs and men, fairy-stories about frog-kings would not have arisen.

This reveals that Tolkien distinguished between fantasy and fairy-story. All well and good.

I can't remember where I read it, but I did read that whereas Tolkien disliked the Alice stories, he enjoyed the Sylvie and Bruno stories by Lewis Carroll. I have been reading the first of the two
Sylvie and Bruno stories, frankly only because Tolkien said he liked them.

I expect that most of you have not had the opportunity to read them, which I found in The Complete Illustrated Works of Lewis Carroll, Octopus Books, Ltd., 1982. The illustrations are the famous ones (think of the Mad Hatter). Anyway, reflecting on the two quotes above, it is clear why Tolkien liked the Sylvie and Bruno stories. Sylvie, an eight or so year old girl, and her 4 year old little brother, Bruno, begin the story as human children, but they become fairies. Unlike in Alice, they are presented to the reader as real, and able to transition between fairy-land as fairies and mundane England as children, according to certain laws of fairy-nature.

Now for my discovery.

In one of the English segments of the story, the following exchange occurs. A young English gentleman who has fallen for one Lady Muriel, holds forth on the interesting (to him) fact that the smaller the animal, the more legs it has. Then this:

"The other alternative," said the Earl [Lady Muriel's father] "would be a diminuendo of repetitions of the same type. Never mind the monotony of it: let's see how it would work in other ways. Begin wtih the race of men, and the creatures they require: let us say horses, cattle, sheep, and dogs - we don't exactly require frogs and spiders, do we, Muriel?"

Lady Muriel shuddered perceptibly: it was evidently a painful subject. "We can dispense with them," she said gravely.

"Well, then we'll have a second race of men, half-a-yard high----"

"---who would have one source of exquisite enjoyment, not possessed of by ordinary men!" Arthur interrupted.

"What soure?" said the Earl.

"Why, the grandeur of scenery! Surely the grandeur of a mountain, to me, depends on its size, relative to me? Double the height of the mountain, and of course it's twice as grand. Halve myheight, and you produce the same effect."

"Happy, happy, happy Small!" Lady Muriel murmured rapturously. "None but the Short, none but the Short, none but the Short enjoy the Tall!"

Well, you can imagine what popped into my mind as soon as I read that, having been steeped for thirty-six years in the works of Tolkien! Is this (perhaps at a subconscious level) what got Tolkien thinking of "In a hole lived a Hobbit"? Pure speculation, I grant you. But here also you have an illustration of Wonder.

So here's the question, since there needs to be one for there to be a discussion, I suppose: How likely do you think it is that Tolkien got his idea for half-yard-high Hobbits from reading Sylvie and Bruno?

-LMP