University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a centre for learning in the city of Leeds in Yorkshire, England. J.R.R. Tolkien was a appointed a Reader in 1920, and served as a professor between 1921 and 1925.
History
The University was Tolkien's second post-war employer. After the New English Dictionary and a year of tutoring students in Oxford, Tolkien decided to apply for a post at the University of Leeds. Tolkien had an interview with George S. Gordon, the University's Professor of English, in June 1920.[1] It was a fruitful job interview: Tolkien was appointed a Reader in English Language in October of the same year, with a free commission to develop the linguistic side of a large and growing School of English Studies.[2]
The start was rough: though Gordon found Tolkien a room in Leeds,[3] Edith and young John still lived in Oxford. In weekends, Tolkien would go to his family - now expanded with the birth of Michael. Not until 1921 did Tolkien get full housing for his family at 11 St. Mark's Terrace,[4] after a short stay in rooms. Later, they moved to 2 Damley Road.[5]
Under Gordon, Tolkien began focusing on philology, and taught various courses, such as "History of English", "Middle English texts", "Old and Middle English philology", "introductory Germanic philology", the second-year course "Old Icelandic" and "Medieval Welsh".[2] He might even have continued to fret on some of his hardest assignments of his time at the OED; several notes of his time show his added thoughts on "walrus" and "walnut" in Leeds notebooks.[6] The post of Reader was changed into a Professorship,[3] and in 1922, Tolkien was joined by E.V. Gordon.[4] Together, they started work on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and Tolkien continued to work on his A Middle English Vocabulary.[7] A year later, they would be joined by Lascelles Abercrombie.[3]
Publications
Tolkien contributed several poems to The Gryphon, Yorkshire Poetry, A Northern Venture and Leeds University Verse. He also finished stories that would later become The Book of Lost Tales.[4]
External links
- Official website
- University of Leeds at Wikipedia
References
- ↑ Humphrey Carpenter, J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography, "Oxford Interlude"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 J.R.R. Tolkien, Humphrey Carpenter, Christopher Tolkien (eds.), The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter 7 (dated June 27, 1925)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 J.R.R. Tolkien, Humphrey Carpenter, Christopher Tolkien (eds.), The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter 46 (dated November 26, 1941)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Humphrey Carpenter, J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography, "Northern venture"
- ↑ J.R.R. Tolkien, Baillie Tolkien (ed.), Letters from Father Christmas
- ↑ Peter Gilliver, Jeremy Marshall, Enmund Weiner, The Ring of Words, page 23
- ↑ Wayne G. Hammond, Douglas A. Anderson, J.R.R. Tolkien: A Descriptive Bibliography, "A: Books by J.R.R. Tolkien"
