The ongoing allure of Tolkien
Harvard’s Stephen Mitchell, professor of Scandinavian and folklore and a longtime fan of the fantasy author J.R.R. Tolkien, recently sat down with the Gazette’s Colleen Walsh to discuss some of the inspirations behind Tolkien’s 1937 classic “The Hobbit,” the prelude to the author’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, and a new major motion picture based on the early work. GAZETTE: When did you first read “The Hobbit”? MITCHELL: It must have been about 1965 or 1966 because I was no longer in elementary school. I am sure I was in high school, and the reason I remember that is because I played hooky for a day or two until I had read through it and the “Ring” trilogy. I pretended I was sick and stayed at home. I am of the generation that experienced [Tolkien’s books] in the hippie, West Coast, counterculture world. You know these buttons that are very popular from...