Tolkien the Rhymer

Abstract

Tolkien filled his works with poetry. Some view this as a distraction from the main story, but author Jonathan McColl believes that the poetry should be paid special attention to. McColl identifies three pillars of Tolkien’s poetry of middle-earth. First, he describes plant-based nature quite a lot. Secondly, the structure of the stanzas follows metrical tricks and rhyming. Thirdly, Tolkien brings in the history of his world with his poetry – older stories that create a well-defined and complex backdrop to the story currently being enjoyed. Tolkien also rhymed in two other languages of his own creation – and different races had their own poems and stories as well. He concludes that the poetry is of such a high caliber that the reader should take the time to read them and appreciate them as part of the story.