The Keys of Middle-earth: Discovering Medieval Literature through the Fiction of J.R.R. Tolkien

Perhaps the most sensible reason for Tolkien drawing on medieval literature as his inspiration, was that it satisfied his role as a ‘sub-creator’, something he stated in his essay ‘On Fairy Stories’ that was essential if your audience was to be drawn into the tale. In essence this means the creation of a credible secondary world (in this case Middle-earth), and the way to achieve this was by giving it depth, in terms of history, mythology, geography, flora and fauna. Even his most savage critics recognize that this is one of Tolkien’s strengths. By using medieval literature, therefore, Tolkien had a wealth of ideas, but more importantly stories or elements of stories that would strike a chord of familiarity with his audience. This association with hidden memories would add to the depth of the story and make it ‘feel right’.