Образование

Введение в курс «Путешествие по литературному декадансу: от зарождения до наших дней»

Франция является “матерью” декаданса, которая лелеяла упаднические настроения на протяжении десятилетий. Разочарование постигло французов ещё с провалом революции 1848 года, в результате которой республика установилась лишь на 3 года, свёрнутая путём военного переворота в пользу новой императорской власти. Затем, в 1871 году страну постигло ещё одно унижение – результат франко-прусской войны.

It would be true to claim that, besides all the quests and adventures, John R R Tolkien wrote about relationships in the first place. About tight knots between souls of various creatures: elfs, humans, dwarfs, hobbits, after all. It is extremely easy to recall examples of such close, hearty connections: simply take members of the Fellowship of the Ring, Frodo and Sam, Aragorn and Arwen and all the others. Love and friendship were these crucial aspects of life which Tolkien himself was never deprived of.  He cherished people around him and was considered to be the life of the party.

Tolkien’s literary creations are filled with numerous detailed descriptions of practically everything. But it was the setting that had always been of particular value to him. J.R.R. was a big fan of sketching and drawing. He created illustrations for his own books, which subsequently served as benchmarks for other illustrators of these works and even Peter Jackson when filming the movie adaptations of Tolkien’s masterpieces.

Perhaps, this field of the legendarium was as captivating to Tolkien as it is to us, for he was a devoted linguist from his boyish years of composing his own fantasy languages and drawing in discussions on ancient dialects with fellow companions to his career in New English Dictionary (now known as Oxford English Dictionary), professional life in colleges of the Oxford university and his translation and commentary of Beowulf.

Tolkien was a lucky man to work in the field he was utterly keen on, thus, making his life an exciting mixture of endless discoveries and devoted scrupulous studying. Among the most striking and beloved spheres of Tolkien’s interest were Norse mythology and Old English folklore and literary pieces. These preformed Tolkien’s vision on his future creations: from the fictional universe to the worldview of his characters.

Looking at the photos of cordial and friendly Tolkien smoking his pipe with a smile on his face, you would never think that this man had been through the horrors of war. It always seems that war leaves an indelible, visually accessible imprint on the image of a person. And Tolkien... well, can you imagine that this great bookworm, an admirer of old manuscripts and dead languages, was at war?

Introduction to “Tolkien's Jigsaw: What is Middle-earth made of?” We are going to talk about various factors that influenced and inspired Tolkien to find his legendary land the way we know it today. Events, stories, people, beliefs… we will dive deep in every element and solve one of the greatest puzzles ever created bit by bit, article by article.