How Did Christopher Tolkien Change Tolkien Studies?

How Did Christopher Tolkien Change Tolkien Studies?

Like his father, Christopher Tolkien was a philologist and

fellow of Oxford University. Growing up, he became

fascinated by language (particularly Germanic languages)

and his father’s stories of Middle-earth. This upbringing

inspired Christopher to pursue an academic career, but

something else followed. His passion for language and

firsthand experience with his father’s work enabled him to

understand the ideas underlying his father’s Middle-earth

mythology.

What Was Christopher Tolkien’s Early Life?

Christopher Tolkien was the third son of J. R. R.

Tolkien and Edith Tolkien. He was born in 1924 and showed

a close interest in his father’s stories from a young

age. According to one of his siblings, at four years old,

Christopher’s father read aloud from The Hobbit and

Christopher commented on a discrepancy from an earlier

part of the story his father read.

Christopher grew up Catholic and respected his father’s

faith. He appreciated that although Christian themes could

be found in The Lord of the Rings, the epic fantasy book is a

myth written for people of all worldviews set in a pre-

Christian age. Tolkien stated in a letter that The Lord of the

Rings was a work of fantasy latent with Christian theology.

Though Christopher never publicly stated his worldview, he

expressed great respect for his father’s Christian faith in

interviews and print.

Christopher kept offering helpful critiques of his father’s

work as he grew up. During his World War Two service, he

regularly corresponded with his father about his work.

After returning home in 1945, Christopher became a

member of the Inklings. The group started in the 1930s and

included C. S. Lewis and his brother Warnie, as well as J. R.

R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, Hugo Dyson, Robert

‘Humphrey' Havard, Owen Barfield, and various other

writers and academics who lived near the Oxford area. The

Inklings read many of their works to each other,

including The Lord of the Rings and Lewis’ Space Trilogy.

Christopher made several contributions to the group,

including reading his father’s works aloud for constructive

Criticism.

Christopher received a degree in English in 1949.

In 1954, he saw some of the work he had given so much

feedback on reach audiences: The Fellowship of the Ring was

published. The Two Towers followed four months later,

and The Return of the King was published the following year.

The high fantasy work took a few years to become a

publishing sensation but had a huge impact. It is considered

the breakthrough work that made fantasy literature

mainstream and convinced many critics it could be literary.

Today, Tolkien courses are taught at colleges, numerous

Tolkien societies exist around the world, and J. R. R. Tolkien

is considered the father of modern high fantasy literature.

Christopher taught at Oxford colleges from the 1950s

through the early 1970s, lecturing on Old English, Middle

English, and Old Icelandic. A key change in his career came

when his father died in 1973, and Christopher became a key

part of his father’s literary estate. Christopher retired from

teaching in 1975 and devoted his time to editing and

publishing his father’s works.

One of Christopher’s first goals was publishing The

Silmarillion. The multifaceted work combines ideas from

Celtic, Norse, Greek, Hebrew, Finnish, and Egyptian

mythology to produce a creation account for Tolkien’s

Middle-earth.

J. R. R. Tolkien began working on The Silmarillion during

World War One, and after finishing writing The Lord of the

Rings, he focused on finishing The Silmarillion. Initially,

Tolkien wanted it to be published with The Lord of the

Rings as a single volume. However, post-World War Two

paper shortages, Tolkien’s busy academic life, and his

constant revisions kept this from happening.

With the help of Guy Gabriel Kay, Christopher edited his

father’s drafts of The Silmarillion to create a single volume. It

appeared in 1977.

Under Christopher ’s leadership, the Tolkien estate

released many of his father’s never-before-seen works. The

History of Middle-Earth, 12 volumes explaining the back story

of his father’s mythology, was published between 1983 and

1996. Various children’s books appeared, including The Father

Christmas Letters, Mr. Bliss, and Roverandom. New editions of

his father’s scholarship about classic literature—such as his book on Beowulf, The Monsters and The Critics—were also released.

One of the more unique books that Christopher edited

was Pictures by J. R. R. Tolkien in 1979, highlighting his

father’s gift as a visual artist. While growing up, his mother

gave him his love for languages and illustration, being a

gifted artist herself. An updated version of the book was

released in 2021 by HarperCollins.

What Did Christopher Tolkien Do in His Later Years?

In 2001 Peter Jackson’s first film version of The Lord of the

Rings premiered, followed by The Two Towers in 2002 and The

Return of the King in 2003. Although the public reception of

the film was good, Christopher expressed his

disapproval on the grounds that the films did not do the

book justice. Whether or not his father would have approved

is up for debate. Despite Christopher’s disapproving

opinion, the film trilogy made almost three billion dollars,

won many Oscars, and introduced many people to the books.

The debate about whether the films helped or damaged the

books’ reputation initially created a rift between Christopher

and his son, Simon. However, they reconciled in the early

2010s.

The business side of the estate work changed in 2011 when

it reorganized into The Tolkien Estate Limited.

Christopher continued editing his father’s work until his

final years, his last book appearing in 2018. His final

published works included his father ’s translations

of Beowulf and the Norse legend of Sigurd and Gudrún, as well as the Middle-earth story, The Fall of Gondolin. He stepped

down as director of the Tolkien Estate in 2017, with his sister,

Priscilla, and other family members staying on board. He

passed away at 95 years old in 2020. Tributes include a

moving recognition of Christopher’s work and legacy by

William M. Fliss, released in Mythlore.

Christopher’s sister Priscilla became the literary executor

of the Tolkien Estate from 2020 until her death in 2022.

Christopher is survived by his wife, Baillie Class, along with

many children and grandchildren.

What Else Did Christopher Tolkien Write?

Besides Tolkien studies, Christopher greatly contributed to

linguistic and mythological studies by translating the

Icelandic poem ‘The Saga of King Hendrik the Wise.' A

fascinating essay about the Goths and the Huns was

included in the publication.

‘Of The Ruin of Doriath' in The Silmarillion was written

solely by Christopher because his father never finished it.

Knowing enough about his father’s mythology and having

access to its various drafts gave Christopher enough material

to finish the chapter.

Are There Other Writers in the Tolkien Family?

Christopher’s son Simon is a prolific writer who has

released eight works of fiction so far. His first book, the

thriller Final Witness, was published in 2002. His most recent

book, the World War One historical fiction novel No Man’s

Land, was published in 2016. Simon currently resides in

Southern California.

Christopher’s nephew, Michael George Reuel Tolkien, is

the author of several books of poetry and has contributed

letters to the Tolkien Society’s publication, Mallorn. He

currently resides in the United Kingdom and is one of the

board members of the Tolkien Estate Limited.

Royd Tolkien is Christopher’s great-nephew. Royd played

one of the ranger extras in Peter Jackson’s trilogy. Royd also

wrote a memoir called There’s a Hole In My Bucket: The Journey

of Two Brothers. The memoir is about the loss of his brother,

Mike. While grieving Mike’s loss, Royd discovered a bucket

list that Mike left behind. The book combines humor with

grief as Royd details how he sought to complete each item on

the bucket list.