The Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C.S. Lewis & J.R.R. Tolkien by John Hendrix
The Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C.S. Lewis & J.R.R. Tolkien by John Hendrix is a wonderful telling of the influence and friendship of two literary legends. The story is told in a mix of imaginative retelling and factual accounts weaved within a beautiful narrative with illustrations, graphic novel panels, and traditional prose. Readers will not only be captivated by the story, but by Hendrix’s creative style that utilizes the fantastical so beloved by Lewis and Tolkien.
The structure of the story opens with a Lion and a Wizard as the narrators speaking to the readers and taking them through time and scenes of Tolkien and Lewis separate and together as their lives intertwine due to passion and circumstance. An additional feature is the use of “portals” in which the reader can be transported to separate later sections in the book for additional information. Additional characters are introduced in this section as they lead the readers deeper and further into the story.
The first section of the story focuses on different myths and their influence specifically on Tolkien, but also to an extent on Lewis as well. The idea presented is that myth can ultimately speak to a deeper truth and a longing of the heart that points to the Creator of all. And so, they wrestled early in their careers with the ideas of myth and fairy tale as this was not yet an established genre of writing.
Lewis’s atheism is also present in the first half of the book. Hendrix shares how much of Lewis’s disillusionment and struggle came from this lack of faith and his opposition to it. Lewis does refer to himself as “the most reluctant convert.” However, it is this struggle that allowed him to speak so profoundly in a way to reach a wider audience with truth and theology.
A majority of the story is their combined experience during World War I and the growing literary groups they had over the course of their lifetimes. In short, much of their life was spent in “iron sharpening iron” as the many members pushed and challenged each other. According to Hendrix, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings might not exist today had it not been for C.S. Lewis’s great encouragement of Tolkien, who was extremely sensitive and worrisome about sharing his work with the world. Unfortunately, due to disagreements in philosophy of world building, Tolkien was not encouraging of Lewis’s Narnia series and it was another man who saved the manuscript and encouraged Lewis in one of his most profound works of literature.
The last section of the book details the decline of their relationship and the slow breaking of their fellowship, much to do with jealousy on Tolkien’s part and a withholding from C.S. Lewis in sharing parts of his life with Tolkien. In the final pages, Hendrix takes literary license and transforms our faithful narrators - the Lion and Wizard - into Lewis and Tolkien in a moment of final moment of reconciliation and an enjoyment of a cup of tea.
Noteworthy quotes/mentions:
“Tolkien’s Catholic worldview did not discord him as the skeptic Lewis might have expected. In fact, Jack could see a colleague whose work was not diminished by his belief in God but rather relied upon it” (81).
“Myth is invention about truth” - Tolkien (95).
One aspect of the creative workings of both writers was not so much the creation of the worlds of Middle-Earth and Narnia, but that they believed and operated from the position of discovery. “As always, he was determined to uncover the story. In his universe, Tolkien was never fabricating, but discovering” (116). Lewis more so operated off of images and visions within his imagination that lead to the unfolding and discovery of his stories.
Anyone interested in learning more about Lewis and Tolkien’s friendship will greatly enjoy the story and stylistic telling. It captures the imagination and does justice to the subject.
