“If you have an apple and I
have an apple and we exchange these apples then you and I will still each have
one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these
ideas, then each of us will have two ideas." - George
Bernard Shaw
As this is the first post
of the Thinklings blog, it seems only right to say a little about the Tolkien
Ideas Group and the purpose behind the blog itself.
Thinklings (or TIG) was set up by myself in 2012 with the aim of bringing together students of Royal Holloway who had an interest in Tolkien’s work.
Thinklings (or TIG) was set up by myself in 2012 with the aim of bringing together students of Royal Holloway who had an interest in Tolkien’s work.
‘Inklings’, you are no doubt aware, was the name of
an informal literary discussion group of which Tolkien was a key member. This
name was the inspiration for RHUL ‘Thinklings’ and gave birth to an informal
discussion group where ideas about Tolkien’s work could be shared and explored.
In the beginning, Thinklings was called an 'ideas' group as opposed to a
'reading' group simply because TIG was deemed a better acronym than TRG; but,
now I think on it, I am pleased with this decision as I have come to understand
and appreciate the very nature and implication of ideas themselves.
The exchange of ideas is always progressive. As Victor Hugo once said, Ideas can no more flow backward than can a river.And all ideas are valuable. It’s ok if your idea does not sound all that great to you: A half-baked idea is okay as long as it's in the oven (author unknown). I could imagine a hobbit coming up with this humorous, homely quote - although an everyday hobbit would probably frown upon such talk of 'ideas' and 'progression'. Hobbits, after all, prefer to talk about Shire gossip, especially if it involves their neighbours. Perhaps Tolkien had a similar thought in mind to Tobias S. Gibson when he invented the nature of hobbits: Great people talk about ideas. Small people talk about other people. For hobbits, of course, 'small' would take on a double meaning, denoting both stature and small-mindedness![1]
The exchange of ideas is always progressive. As Victor Hugo once said, Ideas can no more flow backward than can a river.And all ideas are valuable. It’s ok if your idea does not sound all that great to you: A half-baked idea is okay as long as it's in the oven (author unknown). I could imagine a hobbit coming up with this humorous, homely quote - although an everyday hobbit would probably frown upon such talk of 'ideas' and 'progression'. Hobbits, after all, prefer to talk about Shire gossip, especially if it involves their neighbours. Perhaps Tolkien had a similar thought in mind to Tobias S. Gibson when he invented the nature of hobbits: Great people talk about ideas. Small people talk about other people. For hobbits, of course, 'small' would take on a double meaning, denoting both stature and small-mindedness![1]
One of my favourite quotes, and
one which I think I will use to motivate myself in future, is: A mediocre idea that generates enthusiasm will go
further than a great idea that inspires no one (Mary Kay Ash). The main aim of
Thinklings is to generate and harvest enthusiasm for Tolkien’s work through the
exchange ideas. By exchanging ideas, we multiply them, as George Bernard Shaw
suggests with his apple-idea comparison. Whether you consider yourself to be a
wise wizard, a learned elf, or a humble hobbit when it comes to Tolkien lore,
your opinion always matters.
By sharing our discussions with you via weekly posts on this blog, I hope ideas about Tolkien’s work will continue to be exchanged and multiplied.
By sharing our discussions with you via weekly posts on this blog, I hope ideas about Tolkien’s work will continue to be exchanged and multiplied.
- C. Dale
[1] Since writing this entry I have discovered a lovely quote from an interview with Tolkien that explains why he chose to make the hobbits small in size: 'Hobbits are just rustic
English people, made small in size because it reflects (in general) the small
reach of their imagination - not the small reach of their courage or latent
power.' (Broadcast Jan 1971 on BBC Radio 4's 'Now Read On ...'). I'm glad I found this; 'small-mindedness' felt like an inadeqaute way to describe the nature of hobbits!
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