A Sense of Tales Untold: Exploring the Edges of Tolkien’s Literary Canvas

by Grybauskas

Exploring the uncanny perception of depth in Tolkien’s writing and world-building

A Sense of Tales Untold examines the margins of J. R. R. Tolkien’s work: the frames, edges, allusions, and borders between story and un-story and the spaces between vast ages and miniscule time periods. The untold tales that are simply implied or referenced in the text are essential to Tolkien’s achievement in world-building, Peter Grybauskas argues, and counter the common but largely spurious image of Tolkien as a writer of bloated prose. Instead, A Sense of Tales Untold highlights Tolkien’s restraint―his ability to check the pen to great effect.

The book begins by identifying some of Tolkien’s principal sources of inspiration and his contemporaries, then summarizes theories and practices of the literary impression of depth. The following chapters offer close readings of key untold tales in context, ranging from the shadowy legends at the margins of The Lord of the Rings to the nexus of tales concerning Túrin Turambar, the great tragic hero of the Elder Days. In his frequent retellings of the Túrin legend, Tolkien found a lifelong playground for experimentation with untold stories.

“A story must be told or there’ll be no story, yet it is the untold stories that are most moving,” wrote Tolkien to his son during the composition of The Lord of the Rings,cutting straight to the heart of the tension between storytelling and world-building that animates his work. From the most straightforward form of an untold tale―an omission―to vast and tangled webs of allusions, Grybauskas highlights this tension. A Sense of Tales Untold engages with urgent questions about interpretation, adaptation, and authorial control, giving both general readers and specialists alike a fresh look at the source material of the ongoing “Tolkien phenomenon.”

176 pages, Hardcover

First published November 23, 2021

Reviews

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting exploration of the way Tolkien uses stories he hints at but does not tell to give a sense of depth and history to his work. Peter Grybauskas also uses Hemingway's 'iceberg theory' to help explore Tolkien's practice, which many might find an unexpected juxtaposition, but it works. The introduction and first four chapters are excellent, filled with many thoughtful and thought-provoking discussions of The Second Age, Turin Turambar, and Tolkien's Beorhtnoth. The fifth chapter sets up Tolkien's practice in relation to the ways in which 'untold tales' are exploited in film and video games, especially those related to or derivative of Tolkien's work. To be honest, I have no interest in and little knowledge either of these areas and so I cannot fairly judge them.

But this is a good book that fans and scholars alike will benefit from reading.

[Alina · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I read this book, I had a great time learning more about Tolkien from a different perspective. Going into it, I didn’t realize that much of what he wrote connected somehow to other pieces of his writing. Since Tolkien tended to write with a purpose, it was also great seeing how all of what he wrote somehow incorporated his personal beliefs and experiences in life, while also telling a story at the same time. The quote “Everywhere in Tolkien’s writing are signs of tradition” (pg 15) definitely helped me understand how Tolkien chooses what to put in his writing. He likes to spin some of what he knows and turn his experiences into a fantasy event for the stories he creates. An example of this is when he wrote The Hobbit’s War of the Ring, most likely referencing his own experience in WWI. Overall, I enjoyed this read because it taught me more about Tolkien’s life and how he connected to his writing, or how he was able to make connections to the world at the time.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this thoughtfully and stylishly written exploration of Tolkien's techniques. I appreciated, too, that while I'm not an expert in Tolkien's work, I could follow Grybauskas' claims and research, and I really felt like I learned something. I'm now noticing the techniques Grybauskas discusses in other works I read. A helpful and interesting book that I recommend to other Tolkien fans looking to learn more.

[Clay · Rating 5 out of 5]

a really interesting book about how not saying the lore actually makes the lore seem deeper. something i need to consider when writing my infinitely long nonsense stories spending half my time extolling random lore bits