Tree and Leaf: Includes Mythopoeia and The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth
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- Author：J.R.R. Tolkien
- ISBN：0007105045
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Summary
This volume is a provocative and entertaining collection of works which reveals the diversity of J。R。R。 Tolkien's imagination and the breadth of his talent as a creator of fantastic fiction。
Reviews
Jeremy Reed
，
This collection speaks volumes to me of Tolkien’s worldview and intellect。 More potently though， it inspires my heart and soul。 While I have no idea the significance of The Homecoming of Beorthnoth， the first 3 parts of the collection are pure gold and deserving of the full 5 stars。 Through an essay， then a poem， then a story， Tolkien expresses what making art is all about: creativity as an act of being made in the image of God。 Each tugs at my heart on a different level。 I will read the others This collection speaks volumes to me of Tolkien’s worldview and intellect。 More potently though， it inspires my heart and soul。 While I have no idea the significance of The Homecoming of Beorthnoth， the first 3 parts of the collection are pure gold and deserving of the full 5 stars。 Through an essay， then a poem， then a story， Tolkien expresses what making art is all about: creativity as an act of being made in the image of God。 Each tugs at my heart on a different level。 I will read the others of Tolkien’s works with fresh eyes next time。 。。。more
Sara G。
，
Le 5 stelle sono soprattutto per il racconto "Foglia， di Niggles"。 Più che una favola， un racconto filosofico， un piccolo capolavoro di poesia e spiritualità， da cui traspare la profonda fede cristiana di Tolkien。 Le 5 stelle sono soprattutto per il racconto "Foglia， di Niggles"。 Più che una favola， un racconto filosofico， un piccolo capolavoro di poesia e spiritualità， da cui traspare la profonda fede cristiana di Tolkien。 。。。more
Ophelia
，
I don’t agree with everything he says， but he says it all so well。
Ștefania
，
I will quote the benevolent Second Voice since its words reflect a mirthful way of perceiving this work: “As a holiday， and a refreshment （…） for many it is the best introduction to the Mountains。”
Hellen
，
Tolkien escreveu umas coisas super aleatórias específicas e as editoras resolveram juntar elas e vender num livro lindo pra caralho， esperando algum besta que compre livro pelo nome do autor （eu）。 （foi minha mãe na vdd）。
Tim Littleford
，
Tree and Leaf:On Fairy Stories- Brilliant essay， wept in the epilogue。 Pure work of genius。Leaf by Niggle - described in other works but a joy to read myself， very moving。 Claws at kingdom desires。Smith of Wotton Major:Delightful little fairy tale， you see evidence of Tolkien's theories in "On Fairy Stories" at full play。 Loved it。Beorhtnoth: wasn't sure what I was expecting， whatever that was， this wasn't it。 But still a fascinating insight into Tolkien's work as a Philologist。 Tree and Leaf:On Fairy Stories- Brilliant essay， wept in the epilogue。 Pure work of genius。Leaf by Niggle - described in other works but a joy to read myself， very moving。 Claws at kingdom desires。Smith of Wotton Major:Delightful little fairy tale， you see evidence of Tolkien's theories in "On Fairy Stories" at full play。 Loved it。Beorhtnoth: wasn't sure what I was expecting， whatever that was， this wasn't it。 But still a fascinating insight into Tolkien's work as a Philologist。 。。。more
Jo-Kai
，
From an essay on the appeal of Faerie to a poem that's inspired by The Battle of Maldon， this book packs so much juicy content for people wishing to sub-create worlds in just 150 pages。A fantastic book I can't recommend more to fantasy writers。 From an essay on the appeal of Faerie to a poem that's inspired by The Battle of Maldon， this book packs so much juicy content for people wishing to sub-create worlds in just 150 pages。A fantastic book I can't recommend more to fantasy writers。 。。。more
Lyndon Goodacre
，
I read Leaf by Niggle in 2012 or 2013 and it was an instant classic in my world。 On the occasion of gifting it to someone， I went back and reread it and the accompanying essay， which I'm not sure I finished reading before。 For me， "On Fairy-Stories" is of a piece with CS Lewis's "On Three Ways of Writing for Children。" The writers were close friends and shared aspects of their outlooks and approaches。"Critics who treat ‘adult’ as a term of approval， instead of as a merely descriptive term， canno I read Leaf by Niggle in 2012 or 2013 and it was an instant classic in my world。 On the occasion of gifting it to someone， I went back and reread it and the accompanying essay， which I'm not sure I finished reading before。 For me， "On Fairy-Stories" is of a piece with CS Lewis's "On Three Ways of Writing for Children。" The writers were close friends and shared aspects of their outlooks and approaches。"Critics who treat ‘adult’ as a term of approval， instead of as a merely descriptive term， cannot be adult themselves。 To be concerned about being grown up， to admire the grown up because it is grown up， to blush at the suspicion of being childish; these things are the marks of childhood and adolescence。 And in childhood and adolescence they are， in moderation， healthy symptoms。 Young things ought to want to grow。 But to carry on into middle life or even into early manhood this concern about being adult is a mark of really arrested development。 When I was ten， I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so。 Now that I am fifty I read them openly。 When I became a man I put away childish things， including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up。"That was CS Lewis （and I read it young and his view has always influenced me）， but it could almost have been lifted from this volume。 Tolkien's theory is a little bit more elaborate。 Lewis simply makes a good argument about two positive ways and one negative way to think about winning over an audience of children。 Tolkien develops a handful of mythic concepts。 。。。more
HD Tolson
，
“God is the Lord， of angels， and of men - and of elves。 Legend and History have met and fused。” Need I say more？
Ella
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 An informative insight towards Tolkien’s work and his opinions on fantasy and sci-fi writing。 It’s a bit long winded and there’s tons of notes but I found it very interesting。 He covers a lot of topics with in the genres ！
~Jo~
，
I adore Tolkien。 I adore his mind， his craft and the pure genius that it took to create and build my most favourite places （apart from the Lake District） which is of course， Middle Earth。 It is crystal clear， that Tolkien is masterful in the writing of adult fairytales， and although I didn't enjoy this collection as much as other works， I've still left feeling Tolkien-ized。This is a rather small collection， which begins with an essay about fairy stories， and his defence as to why they are credib I adore Tolkien。 I adore his mind， his craft and the pure genius that it took to create and build my most favourite places （apart from the Lake District） which is of course， Middle Earth。 It is crystal clear， that Tolkien is masterful in the writing of adult fairytales， and although I didn't enjoy this collection as much as other works， I've still left feeling Tolkien-ized。This is a rather small collection， which begins with an essay about fairy stories， and his defence as to why they are credible。 This purely shows the reader just how dedicated he was to his art。Mythopoeia， is a letter from an individual that writes fairytales， to a person that disbelieves in them。 This was engaging for the most part， but it wasn't dazzling。 Leaf by Niggle is a an interesting little story， that I think one can appreciate better， by reading the first two parts of the book first。 This is where you'll find the essence of Tolkien。 Lastly， we have The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth， which wasn't as good as the previous， primarily because it was a tad confusing， and lots of foreign names were used。 Overall， this book was insightful， and it really gives a person a taste of just how intelligent Tolkien really was。 。。。more
Angela
，
this isn’t the edition I read， I found a hidden 1965 edition at library that doesn’t include the poems。 （Literally hidden。。。。 the library had it listed as lost when I tried to check it out）。 Most of the “fairy story” analysis is over my head but I did like the Leaf by Niggle story at the end， very much。
Jade
，
I found Tolkien's defense of the faerie and fantasy as a genre for adults quite interesting and you could definitely see the philosophy that Tolkien had for his own writing。 Leaf by Niggle was a charming story though perhaps a touch allegorical for my taste。 I found Tolkien's defense of the faerie and fantasy as a genre for adults quite interesting and you could definitely see the philosophy that Tolkien had for his own writing。 Leaf by Niggle was a charming story though perhaps a touch allegorical for my taste。 。。。more
Levi Liberda
，
Important Tolkien stuff in here。 A delightful read。 The guy was a genius。
Michael
，
Excellent。
Joan D
，
I bought this in order to read Tolkien's essay On Fairy-Stories， a seminal work on the subject。 It is referenced regularly by writers on Tolkien。 I will have to read it a second time to get more out of it， though many of the ideas I have heard others reference from it were familiar。 My favorite in this book was Leaf by Niggle。 I think you might call it a parable about the life of us all and our salvation。 The story is sweet and simple。 I will return to Tree and Leaf for a reread soon。 I bought this in order to read Tolkien's essay On Fairy-Stories， a seminal work on the subject。 It is referenced regularly by writers on Tolkien。 I will have to read it a second time to get more out of it， though many of the ideas I have heard others reference from it were familiar。 My favorite in this book was Leaf by Niggle。 I think you might call it a parable about the life of us all and our salvation。 The story is sweet and simple。 I will return to Tree and Leaf for a reread soon。 。。。more
Robert Luff
，
As a while， this collection is oddly thrown together。 I got it for "Leaf by Niggle，" which did not disappoint -- 4。5 stars。 But the essay and two poems did not fit with each other， nor with Leaf。 I wholeheartedly recommend this brilliant allegorical short story， but the rest of the material is difficult to wade through。 As a while， this collection is oddly thrown together。 I got it for "Leaf by Niggle，" which did not disappoint -- 4。5 stars。 But the essay and two poems did not fit with each other， nor with Leaf。 I wholeheartedly recommend this brilliant allegorical short story， but the rest of the material is difficult to wade through。 。。。more
Matthew Richey
，
Leaf by Niggle should be read by everyone who appreciates Tolkien。 It really gives a window into his view of himself and the creative process。 5 Stars， easy。On Fairy Stories is good。 Some excellent insights and mostly enjoyable， though a bit laborious at times （but honestly， mostly good）。 Solid 4 stars。Rounded down to 4 since the latter is much longer than the former。 （Whatever the heck it means to rate books - I'm just telling you how much I liked it。。。 I don't pretend to be telling you how goo Leaf by Niggle should be read by everyone who appreciates Tolkien。 It really gives a window into his view of himself and the creative process。 5 Stars， easy。On Fairy Stories is good。 Some excellent insights and mostly enjoyable， though a bit laborious at times （but honestly， mostly good）。 Solid 4 stars。Rounded down to 4 since the latter is much longer than the former。 （Whatever the heck it means to rate books - I'm just telling you how much I liked it。。。 I don't pretend to be telling you how good it actually is - read it and find out！） 。。。more
Jack
，
Mit dem Essay "Über Märchen" konnte ich （heute， mein Kopf war voller anderer Dinge） wenig anfangen。 Ich konnte der Definition von Märchen nicht folgen und Zweck und Pointe des Ganzen sind mir leider auch durch die Lappen gegangen。 Einige Passagen waren aber dennoch interessant und regen zum Nachdenken an。Blatt von Tüftler dagegen war genau das， was ich heute gebraucht habe。 Ich habe mir noch keinen fertigen Reim drauf gemacht， was dort mit Tüftler passiert。 Aber es hat Tüftler letztlich an einen Mit dem Essay "Über Märchen" konnte ich （heute， mein Kopf war voller anderer Dinge） wenig anfangen。 Ich konnte der Definition von Märchen nicht folgen und Zweck und Pointe des Ganzen sind mir leider auch durch die Lappen gegangen。 Einige Passagen waren aber dennoch interessant und regen zum Nachdenken an。Blatt von Tüftler dagegen war genau das， was ich heute gebraucht habe。 Ich habe mir noch keinen fertigen Reim drauf gemacht， was dort mit Tüftler passiert。 Aber es hat Tüftler letztlich an einen besseren Ort verschlagen und er hat sich von seinem eigenen Leid befreit。"Er konnte seine Gutherzigkeit nicht ablegen。 'Ich wollte， ich wäre aus härterem Holz'， dachte er manchmal bei sich und meinte damit， er wünsche， dass anderer Leute Kummer ihn nicht unglücklich mache。" uff。 #relatableDas hat gesessen。 Aber ich glaube es wird besser。 Aber was weiß ich schon。 Vor lauter anderen Dingen in Kopf ist da vermutlich viel an mir vorbeigegangen。 。。。more
Amanda Palmer
，
This short story has so much depth and meaning - I absolutely love it！
G。 Lyons
，
This is essential reading for lovers of Tolkien， or aspiring creators of fantasy。
Tristan
，
I have separately read and reviewed “Smith of Wootton Major”。 “Tree and Leaf”， included in this collection， comprises two parts， “On Fairy Stories” （an essay） and “Leaf by Niggle” （a story）， the latter I have also separately read and reviewed。 “The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm’s Son” is the final part。 “On Fairy Stories” is the transcription of a lecture first delivered in the 1930s， and subsequently edited in the 40s and 60s。 It is a rambling exploration of the nature of fairy stories， a I have separately read and reviewed “Smith of Wootton Major”。 “Tree and Leaf”， included in this collection， comprises two parts， “On Fairy Stories” （an essay） and “Leaf by Niggle” （a story）， the latter I have also separately read and reviewed。 “The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm’s Son” is the final part。 “On Fairy Stories” is the transcription of a lecture first delivered in the 1930s， and subsequently edited in the 40s and 60s。 It is a rambling exploration of the nature of fairy stories， and of fantasy， and their proper place in literature， together with a cornucopia of observations on how the world has changed for the worse。 There are gems in there， but Tolkien must have been an infuriating lecturer as his argument is all over the place。 He has a good few withering put downs for critics and dramatists along the way。 It’s an interesting read， but not really illuminating。“Homecoming” is a very short scholarly piece but it is an absolute gem， a required read for anyone interested in heroic fantasy， as this piece absolutely nails the nature of heroism， vastly better than anything else I have ever read。 These few pages justify by themselves the score given to this book。 This short study concerns a poem from the 10th century， and compares it to the Arthur cycle and to Beowulf。 The poem records the story of a disastrous battle between Saxons and Danes， lost by the former because their lord decided to give the Danes a fair chance。 Part of the piece is an extract of a modern-sounding play inspired by a section of the poem， where two retainers search the battlefield at night to retrieve their master’s mangled body， and all the while they discuss their duty。 This bit is horrifyingly atmospheric。 Tolkien distinguishes heroism from chivalry。 Heroism is “uttermost endurance in the service of indomitable will” and heroism is at its purest when expressed by a subordinate in service of a higher authority。 In the poem， this is the soldiery， loyally standing by the lord’s will， when the lord has made a chivalrous blunder。 In this instance， allowing the Danes to cross a river and form up， so as to have a fair fight。 Chivalry is described as going beyond what is necessary in order to meet an ideal， which honours the chivalrous and （where present） the superiors of the chivalrous one， by bestowing glory on them for their act。 But， as happened here， the chivalrous act was an excess of pride that killed the lord， unnecessarily sacrificed his subordinates towards whom he had a duty of care， and jeopardised the safety of the realm。 Tolkien explains that the poem is actually critical of the chivalrous act rather than supportive of it， as it became a sin of pride in Saxon culture。 But the lord’s subordinates were not critical of the obvious blunder。 They supported the chivalry steadfastly。 They showed heroism in the purest sense， standing firm in the face of certain disaster， because that was their duty to their lord。 Through Beowulf and Arthur， Tolkien shows that chivalry， the search for hopeless glory， went contrary to Saxon heroism， which was purposeful。 Society was built on duty and duty had to be immutable to work。 Hence heroism was a requisite of Saxon society: duty bound to the last， but free of pride。 This is very powerful and resonates in so many real world examples of heroism since。 It’s not seeking glory， it’s getting on with the job whatever the cost， resolute but also resigned。 A lot of fantasy writers get this wrong。Definitely a resource to consult time and again， to get the tone right。 。。。more
e。
，
the essay was just exactly what you would expect from a paper written by tolkien and the short story was okay enough。
Steve Webster
，
This book seemed very academic。 It is basically a defense of fantasy fiction that Tolkien likes to call faerie stories。 I found it kind of boring。
Jeremy Johnston
，
This assortment of collected writings by Tolkien is a veritable smorgasbord of insights， offering reading access to his brilliant mind。 Each entry is varied in style and genre （e。g。， short story， essay， drama， history， legend， poetry） but each is rich， complex， and illuminating。 The book is loosely unified by Tolkien's well-developed understanding of mythopoeia， that is， myth-making。 He aligns himself with a Christian and biblical view of human creative faculties， arguing （and exemplifying） huma This assortment of collected writings by Tolkien is a veritable smorgasbord of insights， offering reading access to his brilliant mind。 Each entry is varied in style and genre （e。g。， short story， essay， drama， history， legend， poetry） but each is rich， complex， and illuminating。 The book is loosely unified by Tolkien's well-developed understanding of mythopoeia， that is， myth-making。 He aligns himself with a Christian and biblical view of human creative faculties， arguing （and exemplifying） human imagination not as a process of creating ex nihilo but as an out working of artists as sub-creators， operating within the realm of truth and reality already established by God the Creator。 。。。more
Uku
，
Interesting to see glimpse of Tolkiens thoughts about fairytales。 It made me think that he might have been dissapointed to the film adaptations of his own works。 His inner peace was highly insulted by what C。 Lewis had said to him about the nature of fairytales to point that it inspired him to write short story as example and even a poem。 It bothered him。 Deeply。 -As well as plays made from fairytales et cetera did。 Kinda like in modern days it bothers so many of us when there is a movie adaptio Interesting to see glimpse of Tolkiens thoughts about fairytales。 It made me think that he might have been dissapointed to the film adaptations of his own works。 His inner peace was highly insulted by what C。 Lewis had said to him about the nature of fairytales to point that it inspired him to write short story as example and even a poem。 It bothered him。 Deeply。 -As well as plays made from fairytales et cetera did。 Kinda like in modern days it bothers so many of us when there is a movie adaption of some book that we have read and movie just isn't that good。One other thing that bothered him， and already back then， was adapting and altering fairytales and fantasy to fit for children only。 He greatly disliked it and considered that fairytales and fantasy is for everyone to enjoy。 Short story Tree and Leaf was it was like short modern day story。 Fictive and with slight metaphoric but meaning was rather obvious that I kind of hoped that he had talked about death and dying。 By modern standards it might be good and realistic enough story to tell for children and prepare them to the unavoidable fact what's ahead once your life is over。 Poem。。。 there most likely are meanings in it other than showing off to C。S Lewis。 I have had better understanding with Kalevala and Dante's Divine play though。 。。。more
Sara Walker
，
داستان زارع و اژدها خیلی سینمایی بود و دوستداشتنی。
Joe Cowan
，
In a small amount of time， the voice of Tolkien became soothing as I read this。 I have often felt as if Tolkien was kin to my own soul; brave in his sentimentality and bold in his desire to create。 Here in this book I found that each part or sub-book within met me with profound thoughts and emotions， each dear to myself。 In “On Fairy Stories” I was found thinking and escaping; in “Mythopoeia” I was found smiling; in “Leaf by Niggle” I was longing and crying （in the warmest of ways）; in “The Home In a small amount of time， the voice of Tolkien became soothing as I read this。 I have often felt as if Tolkien was kin to my own soul; brave in his sentimentality and bold in his desire to create。 Here in this book I found that each part or sub-book within met me with profound thoughts and emotions， each dear to myself。 In “On Fairy Stories” I was found thinking and escaping; in “Mythopoeia” I was found smiling; in “Leaf by Niggle” I was longing and crying （in the warmest of ways）; in “The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth” I was shivering， reciting， dreaming， and dreading。 I am better now to have read each part of this book。 。。。more
Don Jaucian
，
On Fairy Stories - quite interesting but mostly boring and shows a fair bit of Tolkien’s repulsion towards modern technology （lol）。 Leaf by Niggle - Tolkien apparently wrote this in one go。 Really good example of what he deems as a fairy tale。 Looking forward to reading other Tolkien short stories。 （Should be noted that I read the story in The Big Book of Classic Fantasy because the two-column format is more gorgeous and readable）。 The Homecoming of Beorthnoth - Interesting extrapolation of an i On Fairy Stories - quite interesting but mostly boring and shows a fair bit of Tolkien’s repulsion towards modern technology （lol）。 Leaf by Niggle - Tolkien apparently wrote this in one go。 Really good example of what he deems as a fairy tale。 Looking forward to reading other Tolkien short stories。 （Should be noted that I read the story in The Big Book of Classic Fantasy because the two-column format is more gorgeous and readable）。 The Homecoming of Beorthnoth - Interesting extrapolation of an incident from the Battle of Maldon; and a short riff on the needlessness of war and nobility。 This made me interested on reading Tolkien’s Beowulf although I am afraid the annotation about language will put me into a coma （skipped most of the Ofernod）。 。。。more
Hans Otterson
，