Presentation By: Kalie Bennington J.R.R. Tolkien “Fantasy is escapist, and that is its glory. If a soldier is imprisoned by the enemy, don't we consider it his duty to escape?. . .If we value the freedom of mind and soul, if we're partisans of liberty, then it's our plain duty to escape, and to take as many people with us as we can!” Presentation By: Kalie Bennington

Early Life Born in 1892 in South Africa to British parents Dad passed away at age of 5 and moved to the West Midlands in the UK Family converted to Catholicism in 1900 causing family rift Mom dies in 1904 and is orphaned-passed between family members and group homes

Young Adult Life Attended Oxford University from 1911-1915 Immersed himself into languages Fluent in Latin, Greek, Gothic, Finnish, and Welsh Started to make up his own languages Married his longtime love, Edith, in 1916 They will have four children over their marriage Sent to the Western Front in WWI shortly after his marriage and contracted trench fever Returned to Oxford as a professor 1925

Oxford University and The Inklings Oxford was home to Tolkien and he continued to live here throughout his life Gained importance with his criticism on Beowulf One of the founders of a group of Oxford professors called “The Inklings” Met at the Eagle and Child to discuss literature, life, and their writings Other important member was C.S. Lewis, a close friend

The Lord of the Rings Took over 16 years to write his sequel to “The Hobbit” Written as one epic adventure, it was published in three parts between 1954-1955 The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King Went beyond a children’s story and created a whole world with histories, languages, and geography Received mixed reviews at the time of the release but popular with the public

The Hobbit “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.” First written on a piece of paper that eventually was written into a story First shared with his children then “The Inklings” Most importantly with C.S. Lewis, they were each other's first readers for all publications Published in 1937 Immediate success and was immediately asked to write a sequel

Tolkien’s Later Life Became very successful and wealthy from the success of his sales Went on to publish a number of other works including some poetry Continued to live in Oxford for the rest of his life Died in 1973

Tolkien’s Legacy Tolkien created one of the most complex fantasy worlds known to readers around the world. Middle Earth isn’t just a place that is contained to the pages of a book but it has taken ahold of this world and engrained itself into our hearts and mind. His series paved the way for other fantasy series and inspired one of the most successful film franchises in the world. Because of Tolkien’s imagination and writing, we are given a world that contains characters that we love and places we dream about visiting.

Connection to British Children’s Literature Study Abroad Tour 2015 Oxford University We will be visiting Oxford, England during our time in the UK. Here we will be walking where Tolkien walked as he was inspired to write, teach, and discuss literature. We will also have the chance to visit The Eagle and Child, a pub where Tolkien and “the Inklings” met. Tolkien considered Oxford his home like many other children’s authors. I hope that we can all be inspired as we visit this beautiful and enchanting city.

Works Cited The Tolkien Society Biography http://www.tolkiensociety.org/author/biography/ Tolkien Library http://www.tolkienlibrary.com/abouttolkien.htm Tolkien Timeline http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ngbeyond/rings/timeline.html Tolkien and C.S. Lewis http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/news/2003/aug29.html Tolkien and Oxford http://www.chem.ox.ac.uk/oxfordtour/tolkientour/

“It is not the strength of the body, but the strength of the spirit “It is not the strength of the body, but the strength of the spirit.” – J.R.R. Tolkien