Inklings: Difference between revisions
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* [[Nevill Coghill]]<ref name="Christian History 1985">{{cite journal |last1=no byline |title=The Inklings |journal=Christian History |date=1985 |issue=7 |url=https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/lewis-inklings}}</ref> | * [[Nevill Coghill]]<ref name="Christian History 1985">{{cite journal |last1=no byline |title=The Inklings |journal=Christian History |date=1985 |issue=7 |url=https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/lewis-inklings}}</ref> | ||
* | * James Dundas-Grant{{sfn|Kilby|Mead|1982|p=230}} | ||
* [[Colin Hardie]]<ref>{{cite web |last=Bailey |first=Cyril |title=Hardie, William Ross (1862–1916) |url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/33698 |work=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography |year=2004 |publisher=Oxford University Press |access-date=9 November 2024}}</ref> | * [[Colin Hardie]]<ref>{{cite web |last=Bailey |first=Cyril |title=Hardie, William Ross (1862–1916) |url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/33698 |work=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography |year=2004 |publisher=Oxford University Press |access-date=9 November 2024}}</ref> | ||
* [[Gervase Mathew]]<ref>{{cite journal |last=Chadwick |first=Henry |date=May 1976 |title=Obituary: Gervase Mathew |journal=New Blackfriars |volume=57 |issue=672 |pages=194–196 |doi=10.1111/j.1741-2005 |doi-broken-date= | * [[Gervase Mathew]]<ref>{{cite journal |last=Chadwick |first=Henry |date=May 1976 |title=Obituary: Gervase Mathew |journal=New Blackfriars |volume=57 |issue=672 |pages=194–196 |doi=10.1111/j.1741-2005 |doi-broken-date=1 July 2025 |jstor=43246551}}</ref> | ||
* [[R. B. McCallum]]{{sfn|Kilby|Mead|1982|p=230}} | * [[R. B. McCallum]]{{sfn|Kilby|Mead|1982|p=230}} | ||
* [[Courtenay Edward Stevens]]<ref>{{cite ODNB |last1=Plaskitt |first1=Emma |title=Inklings (act. 1930–1960) |url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-92544 |year=2006 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/92544|isbn=978-0-19-861412-8}}</ref> | * [[Courtenay Edward Stevens]]<ref>{{cite ODNB |last1=Plaskitt |first1=Emma |title=Inklings (act. 1930–1960) |url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-92544 |year=2006 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/92544|isbn=978-0-19-861412-8}}</ref> | ||
* [[Charles Leslie Wrenn]]{{sfn|Kilby|Mead|1982|p=230}} | * [[Charles Leslie Wrenn]]{{sfn|Kilby|Mead|1982|p=230}} | ||
* [[George Temple]]<ref>{{Cite book |editor-last1= Hollings |editor-first1= Christopher |editor-last2= McCartney |editor-first2= Mark |title= Oxford's Sedleian Professors of Natural Philosophy | publication-place=Oxford |publisher=Oxford University Press | publication-date=2023 |page=188 }}</ref> | * [[George Temple (mathematician)|George Temple]]<ref>{{Cite book |editor-last1= Hollings |editor-first1= Christopher |editor-last2= McCartney |editor-first2= Mark |title= Oxford's Sedleian Professors of Natural Philosophy | publication-place=Oxford |publisher=Oxford University Press | publication-date=2023 |page=188 }}</ref> | ||
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The name was associated originally with a society of [[Oxford University]]'s [[University College, Oxford|University College]], initiated by the then undergraduate [[Edward Tangye Lean]] around 1931, for the purpose of reading aloud unfinished compositions. The society consisted of students and dons, among them Tolkien and Lewis. When Lean left Oxford in 1933, the society ended, and Tolkien and Lewis transferred its name to their group at [[Magdalen College, Oxford|Magdalen College]]. On the association between the two 'Inklings' societies, Tolkien later said "although our habit was to read aloud compositions of various kinds (and lengths!), this association and its habit would in fact have come into being at that time, whether the original short-lived club had ever existed or not."{{sfn|Carpenter|2023|loc=letter #298 to William Luther White, 11 September 1967}} | The name was associated originally with a society of [[Oxford University]]'s [[University College, Oxford|University College]], initiated by the then undergraduate [[Edward Tangye Lean]] around 1931, for the purpose of reading aloud unfinished compositions. The society consisted of students and dons, among them Tolkien and Lewis. When Lean left Oxford in 1933, the society ended, and Tolkien and Lewis transferred its name to their group at [[Magdalen College, Oxford|Magdalen College]]. On the association between the two 'Inklings' societies, Tolkien later said "although our habit was to read aloud compositions of various kinds (and lengths!), this association and its habit would in fact have come into being at that time, whether the original short-lived club had ever existed or not."{{sfn|Carpenter|2023|loc=letter #298 to William Luther White, 11 September 1967}} | ||
Until late 1949, Inklings readings and discussions were usually held on Thursday evenings in C. S. Lewis's rooms at Magdalen. The Inklings and friends also gathered informally on Tuesdays at midday at a local [[public house]], [[The Eagle and Child]], familiarly and alliteratively known in the Oxford community as The Bird and Baby, or simply The Bird.<ref>{{cite web |title=Eagle & Child pub |website=Headington |url=http://www.headington.org.uk/oxon/stgiles/tour/west/48_49_eagle.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305013616/http://headington.org.uk/oxon/stgiles/tour/west/48_49_eagle.htm |archive-date=5 March 2016}}.</ref> The publican, Charlie Blagrove, let Lewis and friends use his private parlour for privacy; the wall and door separating it from the public bar were removed in 1962.{{sfn|Carpenter|1979|p=149}} During the war years, beer shortages occasionally rendered the Eagle and Child unable to open and the group instead met at other pubs, including the White Horse and the Kings Arms.<ref>{{cite journal |title=When did the Inklings meet? A chronological survey of their gatherings: 1933–1954 |last=King |first=D. W. |journal=Journal of Inklings Studies |year=2020 |volume=10 |issue=2 |pages=184–204 |doi=10.3366/ink.2020.0079 |s2cid=226364975 | Until late 1949, Inklings readings and discussions were usually held on Thursday evenings in C. S. Lewis's rooms at Magdalen. The Inklings and friends also gathered informally on Tuesdays at midday at a local [[public house]], [[The Eagle and Child]], familiarly and alliteratively known in the Oxford community as The Bird and Baby, or simply The Bird.<ref>{{cite web |title=Eagle & Child pub |website=Headington |url=http://www.headington.org.uk/oxon/stgiles/tour/west/48_49_eagle.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305013616/http://headington.org.uk/oxon/stgiles/tour/west/48_49_eagle.htm |archive-date=5 March 2016}}.</ref> The publican, Charlie Blagrove, let Lewis and friends use his private parlour for privacy; the wall and door separating it from the public bar were removed in 1962.{{sfn|Carpenter|1979|p=149}} During the war years, beer shortages occasionally rendered the Eagle and Child unable to open and the group instead met at other pubs, including the White Horse and the Kings Arms.<ref>{{cite journal |title=When did the Inklings meet? A chronological survey of their gatherings: 1933–1954 |last=King |first=D. W. |journal=Journal of Inklings Studies |year=2020 |volume=10 |issue=2 |pages=184–204 |doi=10.3366/ink.2020.0079 |s2cid=226364975 }}</ref> | ||
== Legacy == | == Legacy == | ||
The [[Marion E. Wade Center]], at [[Wheaton College, Illinois]], has holdings on the Inklings [[Owen Barfield]], [[C. S. Lewis]], [[J. R. R. Tolkien]] and [[Charles Williams (UK writer)|Charles Williams]]. These include letters, manuscripts, audio and video tapes, artwork, dissertations, periodicals, photographs, and related materials | The [[Marion E. Wade Center]], at [[Wheaton College, Illinois]], has holdings on the Inklings [[Owen Barfield]], [[C. S. Lewis]], [[J. R. R. Tolkien]] and [[Charles Williams (UK writer)|Charles Williams]]. These include letters, manuscripts, audio and video tapes, artwork, dissertations, periodicals, photographs, and related materials. | ||
The [[Mythopoeic Society]], with its journal ''Mythlore'', is a literary organization devoted to the study of mythopoeic literature, particularly the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, and Charles Williams, founded by [[Glen GoodKnight]] in 1967 and incorporated as a [[non-profit organization]] in 1971.<ref name="LA Times 2010">{{cite news |last=Nelson |first=Valerie J. |title=Glen Howard GoodKnight II dies at 69; Tolkien enthusiast founded the Mythopoeic Society |url=https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-glen-goodknight-20101114-story.html |access-date=29 September 2020 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=14 November 2010}}</ref> | The [[Mythopoeic Society]], with its journal ''[[Mythlore]]'', is a literary organization devoted to the study of mythopoeic literature, particularly the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, and Charles Williams, founded by [[Glen GoodKnight]] in 1967 and incorporated as a [[non-profit organization]] in 1971.<ref name="LA Times 2010">{{cite news |last=Nelson |first=Valerie J. |title=Glen Howard GoodKnight II dies at 69; Tolkien enthusiast founded the Mythopoeic Society |url=https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-glen-goodknight-20101114-story.html |access-date=29 September 2020 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=14 November 2010}}</ref> | ||
Another journal that focuses on ''The Inklings'' is ''Journal of Inklings Studies'' (founded in 2011).<ref name="Croft 2016">{{cite journal |last=Croft |first=Janet Brennan |author-link=Janet Brennan Croft |year=2016 |title=Bibliographic Resources for Literature Searches on J.R.R Tolkien |journal=Journal of Tolkien Research |volume=3 |issue=1 |at=Article 2 |url=https://scholar.valpo.edu/journaloftolkienresearch/vol3/iss1/2}}</ref> | Another journal that focuses on ''The Inklings'' is ''Journal of Inklings Studies'' (founded in 2011).<ref name="Croft 2016">{{cite journal |last=Croft |first=Janet Brennan |author-link=Janet Brennan Croft |year=2016 |title=Bibliographic Resources for Literature Searches on J.R.R Tolkien |journal=[[Journal of Tolkien Research]] |volume=3 |issue=1 |at=Article 2 |url=https://scholar.valpo.edu/journaloftolkienresearch/vol3/iss1/2}}</ref> | ||
== The Inklings in fiction == | == The Inklings in fiction == | ||
Three of the best-known members of the Inklings – Tolkien, Lewis, and Williams – are the main characters of [[James A. Owen]]'s fantasy series, ''[[The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica]]'', while Warren Lewis and Hugo Dyson are recurring minor characters throughout the series. The existence and founding of the organization are also alluded to in the third novel, ''[[The Indigo King]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/james-a-owen/indigo-king/|title=The Indigo King |publisher=[[Kirkus Reviews]] |access-date=12 November 2025}}</ref> | |||
Three of the best-known members of the Inklings – Tolkien, Lewis, and Williams – are the main characters of [[James A. Owen]]'s fantasy series, ''[[The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica]]'' | |||
== References == | == References == | ||
Latest revision as of 19:10, 14 November 2025
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The Inklings were an informal literary discussion group associated with J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis at the University of Oxford for nearly two decades between the early 1930s and late 1949.Template:Sfn The Inklings were literary enthusiasts who praised the value of narrative in fiction and encouraged the writing of fantasy. The best-known, apart from Tolkien and Lewis, were Charles Williams, and (although a Londoner) Owen Barfield.
Members
The more regular members of the Inklings, many of them academics at the University, included:
- Owen Barfield[1]
- Lord David Cecil[1]
- Hugo Dyson[1]Template:Sfn
- Adam FoxTemplate:Sfn
- Robert Havard[2] (Lewis's and Tolkien's doctor, dubbed "Useless Quack" by Warren Lewis)Template:Sfn
- C. S. Lewis[1]
- Warren Lewis (C. S. Lewis's elder brother)[1]
- J. R. R. Tolkien[1]
- Christopher Tolkien (J. R. R. Tolkien's son)[1]
- Charles Williams[1]
Less frequent visitors included:
- Nevill Coghill[2]
- James Dundas-GrantTemplate:Sfn
- Colin Hardie[3]
- Gervase Mathew[4]
- R. B. McCallumTemplate:Sfn
- Courtenay Edward Stevens[5]
- Charles Leslie WrennTemplate:Sfn
- George Temple[6]
Guests included:
Meetings
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"Properly speaking," wrote Warren Lewis, "the Inklings was neither a club nor a literary society, though it partook of the nature of both. There were no rules, officers, agendas, or formal elections."[7] As was typical for university groups in their time and place, the Inklings were all male. Readings and discussions of the members' unfinished works were the principal purposes of meetings. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings,[8] Lewis's Out of the Silent Planet, and Williams's All Hallows' Eve were among the novels first read to the Inklings. Tolkien's fictional Notion Club (see "Sauron Defeated") was based on the Inklings. Meetings were not all serious; the Inklings amused themselves by having competitions to see who could read the notoriously bad prose of Amanda McKittrick Ros for the longest without laughing.[9]
The name was associated originally with a society of Oxford University's University College, initiated by the then undergraduate Edward Tangye Lean around 1931, for the purpose of reading aloud unfinished compositions. The society consisted of students and dons, among them Tolkien and Lewis. When Lean left Oxford in 1933, the society ended, and Tolkien and Lewis transferred its name to their group at Magdalen College. On the association between the two 'Inklings' societies, Tolkien later said "although our habit was to read aloud compositions of various kinds (and lengths!), this association and its habit would in fact have come into being at that time, whether the original short-lived club had ever existed or not."Template:Sfn
Until late 1949, Inklings readings and discussions were usually held on Thursday evenings in C. S. Lewis's rooms at Magdalen. The Inklings and friends also gathered informally on Tuesdays at midday at a local public house, The Eagle and Child, familiarly and alliteratively known in the Oxford community as The Bird and Baby, or simply The Bird.[10] The publican, Charlie Blagrove, let Lewis and friends use his private parlour for privacy; the wall and door separating it from the public bar were removed in 1962.Template:Sfn During the war years, beer shortages occasionally rendered the Eagle and Child unable to open and the group instead met at other pubs, including the White Horse and the Kings Arms.[11]
Legacy
The Marion E. Wade Center, at Wheaton College, Illinois, has holdings on the Inklings Owen Barfield, C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien and Charles Williams. These include letters, manuscripts, audio and video tapes, artwork, dissertations, periodicals, photographs, and related materials.
The Mythopoeic Society, with its journal Mythlore, is a literary organization devoted to the study of mythopoeic literature, particularly the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, and Charles Williams, founded by Glen GoodKnight in 1967 and incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1971.[12]
Another journal that focuses on The Inklings is Journal of Inklings Studies (founded in 2011).[13]
The Inklings in fiction
Three of the best-known members of the Inklings – Tolkien, Lewis, and Williams – are the main characters of James A. Owen's fantasy series, The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica, while Warren Lewis and Hugo Dyson are recurring minor characters throughout the series. The existence and founding of the organization are also alluded to in the third novel, The Indigo King.[14]
References
Sources
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Further reading
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External links
- Script error: No such module "citation/CS1"., peer-reviewed & academic.
- Script error: No such module "citation/CS1"., a CS Lewis and Inklings resource blog.
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Template:Inklings Template:C. S. Lewis Template:J. R. R. Tolkien Template:Fantasy fiction
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- ↑ Template:Cite ODNB
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Categories:
- Pages with script errors
- Pages with broken file links
- Inklings
- English literary movements
- 1930s establishments in England
- 1950s disestablishments in England
- Literary societies
- History of the University of Oxford
- Culture of the University of Oxford
- C. S. Lewis
- J. R. R. Tolkien
- Writing circles
- Arts organizations established in the 1930s
- Literary circles
- 20th century in Oxford