J.R.R. Tolkien on Creating Fictional Worlds

In this interview from archived BBC footage, J.R.R. Tolkien offers his thoughts on world-building, and insight into how he created the Lord of the Rings.

[patbau]

Bowen: So that you had invented, literally invented the world before you even wrote the Hobbit?
Tolkien: Oh yes indeed.
Bowen: Why?
Tolkien: Because it's so much fun, Bowen!

[gavenace]

“I don’t believe in absolute evil but I do believe in absolute good”
That is bafflingly powerful.

[brianconnor]

"Would you rather be remembered as a man who has said something or as a man who has made something?"
"I don't think you can distinguish. The made thing unless it says something won't be remembered."

[sleigh.]

It’s fascinating watching Tolkien try to explain modern fantasy and secondary worlds to a society and time that was completely confused yet curious to what it was.

[tSp]

"The made thing, unless it says something, won't be remembered".

I am deeply impressed. An off-the-cuff remark that explains how craft becomes art.

[skatemetrix]

Bowen: So that you had invented literally invented the world before you even wrote the Hobbit.
Tolkien: Oh yes indeed.
Bowen: Why?
<Tolkien shrugs>

What a legend!

[thegreenthunder]

I do not think I’ve ever seen Tolkien speaking before, and certainly not for this long. I’ve know he was a professor and extraordinarily intelligent, but it’s a giddy pleasure to hear him speak and see him talk with such thoughtfulness, composure, and sharpness. And his answers are so earnest and quick that I’m flabbergasted. This was so cool to see

[simonyoung]

I know I sound foolish, but in 2024, even beyond the subject of discussion, it's just refreshing to hear two intelligent people having a conversation. I'm a huge fan of Tolkien's work and the content they're discussing is also fascinating, but it reminds me how simplified discourse has become in media.

[Grancigul]

Man the interviewers back then were far superior to the ones we have today, there are of course exceptions and we deeply appreciate them

[julianbryant]

It’s just fucking insane to drop one of the most iconic and legendary quotes of all time right there at the end as a quick retort to a closing question.

[chrislee]

“I don’t think you can distinguish the made thing, unless it says something, it won’t be remembered.”

No wonder he ended the interview there. Professor’s on another level.

[TomorrowWeLive]

I so wish we had more Tolkien interviews. I could listen to him endlessly.

[ethanwelch]

“You invented this World before you invented the Hobbit. Why?”

Tolkien: “Why not.”

[Erinya]

Bowen: Is this another word for what Freud would call the unconscious?
Tolkien: No.
Bowen: No I didn't think it was.

A+ pivot there, modern journalists would be proud XD

[DavidRoberts]

Correction: "partly Torah" in the subtitles should be "partly auctorial'.

[anderslennartsson]

"Let's avoid the word lecture for a moment because it suggests a propagandist work"
-Bowen.
If only writers today could take this to heart.

[youjust]

And now we have rings of power, shitting on this brilliant man's dream

[casualhistory]

That interviewer was asking some crazy intelligent questions, fair play to him 👏👏

[byrnhard]

This seems like a sorrowful relic from a bygone era; when a creator and an interviewer were both on a vastly higher intellectual plane than any and all media nowadays. (Sorry for the hyperboly.)
And what is most surprising: The creation - the Middle Earth mythos with its centerpiece being the Lord of the Rings - STILL holds up in the face of intense intellectual scrutiny - even when compared to what came after it in popular culture.
In the era of Fast Food Media like Marvel and Harry Potter, this truly shines a light on the greatness of Tolkien and his peers.
(Edit: Spelling errors corrected. Yes, I'm aware of the irony. 😉)

[TheGrindelwald]

An interview with intellectual questions. Nothing about his favourite colour or if he identifies with his characters. Someone actually discussing his work on an existential and philosophical level.