The Autobiographical Tolkien - 'Leaf by Niggle'... - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Estelyn Telcontar · 08-31-2002, 04:53 AM

Bethberry, I have been thinking about JRR and Christopher Tolkien in relationship to the story characters. Smith's son Ned was a craftsman, but not an imaginative creator like his father. I think that applies to Christopher as well - he gathered, edited and published his father's work but did not really wander on the paths of fantasy himself.

So who was the child to whom Smith passed on the star? My guess is that Tolkien would like to have known, if he had the feeling the gift was taken from him, so he wrote that answer into the story. Wishful thinking, perhaps? I have seen no indication that there was an heir to his gift; can someone who has read the letters add fact to this speculation?

As to why he had the feeling that the gift was taken from him, I have been wondering about that too, since that is the sad conclusion of the story. I do miss the sense of eucatastrophe in 'Smith' that the ending of 'Leaf' has! I suppose it is "better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all", but the grief over the loss of entrance to Faery is almost overwhelming. Any more about that in the 'Letters'?

08-31-2002, 04:53 AM	#19
Estelyn Telcontar Princess of Skwerlz Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: where the Sea is eastwards (WtR: 6060 miles) Posts: 7,500	Bethberry, I have been thinking about JRR and Christopher Tolkien in relationship to the story characters. Smith's son Ned was a craftsman, but not an imaginative creator like his father. I think that applies to Christopher as well - he gathered, edited and published his father's work but did not really wander on the paths of fantasy himself. So who was the child to whom Smith passed on the star? My guess is that Tolkien would like to have known, if he had the feeling the gift was taken from him, so he wrote that answer into the story. Wishful thinking, perhaps? I have seen no indication that there was an heir to his gift; can someone who has read the letters add fact to this speculation? As to why he had the feeling that the gift was taken from him, I have been wondering about that too, since that is the sad conclusion of the story. I do miss the sense of eucatastrophe in 'Smith' that the ending of 'Leaf' has! I suppose it is "better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all", but the grief over the loss of entrance to Faery is almost overwhelming. Any more about that in the 'Letters'? __________________ 'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth...'