Smith of Wootton Major

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The book began as an attempt to explain the meaning of Faery by means of a story about a cook and his cake, and Tolkien originally thought to call it The Great Cake. It was intended to be part of a preface by Tolkien to George MacDonald's famous fairy story The Golden Key. [1] Tolkien's story grew to become a tale in its own right. Flieger opposes viewing Smith of Wootton Major as an allegory, instead seeking comparisons with Tolkien's other fantasies. [8] [12] She argues that the story had sufficient "bounce" that no allegorical explanation was necessary, and indeed that such explanation detracts from the story of travels in the land of "Faery" and the element of mystery. [12] She likens the "first Cook" to a whole series of "Tolkien's far-traveled characters", namely Alboin Errol, Edwin Lowdham, Frodo Baggins, Eärendil, Ælfwine-Eriol "and of course Tolkien himself—all the Elf-friends." [11] So this is a pretty fun little volume. Not related to Middle-Earth at all, but the fairies of the first tale have a kinship to Tolkien's elves and the dragon of the second is dragony like Smaug. These two short stories were very charming to read, I'm a bit surprised no nerds and geeks talk about them; or seem to have read them! Hammond, Wayne G.; Scull, Christina (9 September 2012). "Our Collections: Pauline Baynes". Too Many Books and Never Enough. Archived from the original on 2 June 2015 . Retrieved 25 July 2023.

Il fabbro di Wootton Major è un racconto di J.R.R. Tolkien pubblicato nel 1967, l'ultima opera mentre l'autore era ancora in vita. Romanticamente potremmo considerarla una sorta di commiato dell'autore al mondo di Faerie, una fiaba per bambini ben ponderata (come dimostrano le diverse stesure e gli appunti dell'autore a riguardo) ed equilibrata piuttosto che uno spontaneo volo d'immaginazione. La novella avrebbe dovuto essere parte della prefazione di Tolkien a The Golden Key, storia di fate di George MacDonald, ma si sviluppò come racconto a sé.

Tropes included in the tale:

Tolkien’s most popular works, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are set in Middle-earth, an imagined world with strangely familiar settings inhabited by ancient and extraordinary peoples. Through this secondary world Tolkien writes perceptively of universal human concerns – love and loss, courage and betrayal, humility and pride – giving his books a wide and enduring appeal. The Cook let Smith decide who would receive the star the next, and Smith chose a boy named Tim. At the Feast Smith saw Tim swallow his piece of cake, and noticed how the boy changed – became merrier and radiant. Thus, the journey of the star and its new owner began. Update this section! The point of the story is that one can see and experience enchantment without needing to understand its reason for being, or else go too far in a realm where there are ‘pitfalls for the unwary’ and ‘dungeons for the overbold’. The nature of Faery But there were things he did not forget, and “ they remained in his mind as wonders and mysteries that he often recalled”. One of such memories was an occasion when he “ came at last to a desolate shore and saw a great ship cast high upon the land, and the eleven mariners passed over him and went away into the echoing hills”. This is my second time wrestle-I-mean-reading! something by Tolkien. I will openly admit, I slept-read The Hobbit. *gasp*

Connected All Along: It turns out that the Master Cook who brought Alf into the town is actually Smith's grandfather. Though nobody noticed the star on the Smith’s forehead he himself was always aware of it, as he knew that this star gave him an ability to enter Faery. He used to go for the walks to this magical country, and each time he discovered there something new, and each time the picture in front of his eyes was different and never repeated. He was warriors coming to the strand from a ship, or dreadful big trees, or beautiful valleys. Once he witnessed wild wind which wanted to take him away. A little birch helped Smith, but the Wind took all her leaves and she was sadly crying standing before Smith naked. She asked him to leave and never return. Smith had not entered Faery for many years since then. Carpenter, Humphrey (1977). J. R. R. Tolkien: A Biography. New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 978-0-04-928037-3. a b c d e f Flieger, Verlyn (2001). "Pitfalls in Faërie". A Question of Time: J.R.R. Tolkien's Road to Faërie. Kent State University Press. pp.227–253. ISBN 0-87338-699-X. a b c d e f g h Long, Josh B. (2021). "Faery, Faith, and Self-Portrayal: An Allegorical Interpretation of Smith of Wootton Major". Tolkien Studies. 18: 1–38. doi: 10.1353/tks.2021.0007.

The Tolkien scholar Tom Shippey writes that "defeat hangs heavy" in the story, [6] while Tolkien called it "an old man's book", with presage of bereavement. [T 6] Shippey adds that when Tolkien presents images of himself in his writings, as with Niggle, the anti-hero of " Leaf by Niggle" and Smith, there is "a persistent streak of alienation". [7] While Tolkien had stated that the story was "not ' allegory'", he had immediately added "though it is capable of course of allegorical interpretation at certain points". [8] Shippey presents evidence in support of the claim. [8] Tom Shippey's analysis of "Smith of Wootton Major" as an allegory [8] Story element Now, almost 40 years on, this enchanting tale of a wanderer who finds his way into the perilous realm of Faery is being republished, but in addition to a facsimile of the illustrated first edition this new version includes a manuscript of Tolkien's early draft of the story, notes on the genesis, chronology and alternate ending of the story, and a lengthy essay on the nature of Faery, all of which is previously unpublished. J. R. R. Tolkien was a scholar of English literature, a philologist and medievalist interested in language and poetry from the Middle Ages, especially that of Anglo-Saxon England and Northern Europe. [T 1] [2] He was a son of the Smith, and when his father died he took his place. The young Smith became more and more handsome with every day, and all the people loved him both for his skilfull crafts and for his singing. Smith really was a master of iron and made great things out of this metal. While forging he always was singing.

The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún · The Fall of Arthur · The Story of Kullervo · The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun The second was definitely my favorite. The dragon is literally named Gold-guarder the Rich which is pretty great. It features exactly the sort of dragon riddling I love. I'd recommend this to the Tolkien fans out there who also enjoy some more folktale-inspired light fantasy and want a lighter read. It's super short so it's not a huge time commitment either. I wouldn't just throw it out though, it's worth a look. Plus, this edition has these wonderful drawings. I love the cover! Chrysophylax and Giles are right in the middle of riddling! Giles seems to say, "I ENT HAVIN NONE O THAT SHENANIGANS FIREWURMLING." And Cyrsophylax seems to reply, "Oh simpering human let I, mighty fire drake that I am, consider your words (WHILE I WAIT FOR A LAPSE IN YOUR JUDGMENT AND SLAY YOU WHERE YOU STAND MWAHAHA)." "For dragons always have such evil thoughts in their hearts." The Fair Folk: The Land of Faery is dangerous even to Smith; at one point when he ventures into forbidden territory a storm drives him out. However, the elves that he meets are basically benign. Brutal Honesty: Alf is diplomatic with Nokes during his apprenticeship, but after Nokes retires he tells him what a vain, lazy bastard he thinks he actually is.Smith of Wootton Major" is a late work by J. R. R. Tolkien, about a smith who received, when a young child, a magical star that let him travel in the Land of Faerie. Two great novellas by Tolkien which, I'd hazard to say, most readers (and probably most fans of JRRT's) don't know exist, but which are both among his stronger works. Both stories would make great animated adaptations like the Rankin/Bass productions of "The Hobbit" and "The Return of the King."

Smith of Wootton Major" is my favorite of the two and in it Tolkien gives us a more intimate view of Faery Land than in his other works. Faery remains mysterious, beautiful, and dangerous but we are treated to more interactions with the King and Queen of Fairy than in any other story. It is a story that is both happy and sad, which is fitting for any treatment of Faery Land. There are two short stories in this slim little book, although really I think "Farmer Giles of Ham," the second of the two, is more novella-length. Both are what Tolkien himself would have called "fairy-stories", and both are very obviously written for children. People call The Hobbit a children's book, in that Tolkien created it as a bedtime story for his son Christopher, but The Hobbit has precise worldbuilding and consistently follows the in-universe rules Tolkien created for himself. It is situated in a very firm date and place. These two stories are not. If you think about either of them for too long, the worldbuilding in both makes less and less sense. Little kids don't care about that kind of thing. This expanded edition includes the original illustrations by Pauline Baynes as well as notes concerning the writing and revisions of the original. An excellent companion for "On Fairy Stories"* from The Tolkien Reader, since Smith of Wootton Major is just such a fairy story. The time came for another Feast of Good Children. Smith had possessed his gift for most of his life, and the time had come to pass it on to some other child. So he regretfully surrendered the star to Alf, and with it his adventures into Faery. King of Faery, who had become Master Cook long before, baked it into the festive cake once again for another child to find. After the feast, Alf retired and left the village; and Smith returned to his forge to teach his craft to his now-grown son. In Faery at first he walked for the most part quietly among the lesser folk and the gentler creatures in the woods and meads of fair valleys, and by the bright waters in which at night strange stars shone’.Tolkien himself called it “an old man’s book, already weighted with the presage of bereavement”, and taking their cue from him, many have read Smith’s surrender of the star as Tolkien’s farewell to his art.” Both tales are whimsical and quintessentially Tolkienesque in style, exploring themes such as the environment, philology, and personal growth. They were both illustrated by Pauline Baynes, with the professor's approval during his lifetime. Both stories are commonly understood as examinations of English literature within a narrative context, delving into deeper aspects of life beyond their surface narratives. I think publisher's decision to pair them in a single edition was incredibly wise.