The Company They Keep

C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien, the creators of Narnia and Middle-earth, were close friends, colleagues, and members of the Inklings, a writers group that met in Oxford in the 1930s and 1940s, sharing and discussing their works-in-progress. This important study challenges the standard interpretation that Lewis, Tolkien, Charles Williams, Owen Barfield, and the other Inklings had little influence on one another's work, drawing on the latest research in composition studies and the sociology of the creative process.

Diana Glyer invites readers into the heart of the group, examining diary entries and personal letters and carefully comparing the rough drafts of their manuscripts with their final, published work. Her analysis not only demonstrates the high level of mutual influence that characterized this writers group but also provides a lively and compelling picture of how writers and other creative artists challenge, correct, and encourage one another as they work together in community.

“"The Company They Keep is a must for university libraries with strong Inklings collections or that serve institutions with creative writing programs." --Tolkien Studies "I hardly know where to begin when listing the possibilities for Glyer's book for the researcher. Starting with the obvious, anyone researching Lewis, Tolkien, or any of the other Inklings (either the men or their works), will find plenty of useful information both in the text and in the copious and often entertaining footnotes. Glyer's practical illustration of LeFevre's analysis of critique groups (almost a case study) is also valuable when researching such groups and the effect they have on writers in general. The book is relatively free from jargon and accessible to the educated layman. Anyone with a love of literature or writing will gain immense pleasure and knowledge from this thoroughly researched, very well-written book." -- Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts”

"The Company They Keep is a must for university libraries with strong Inklings collections or that serve institutions with creative writing programs." —Tolkien Studies

"I hardly know where to begin when listing the possibilities for Glyer's book for the researcher. Starting with the obvious, anyone researching Lewis, Tolkien, or any of the other Inklings (either the men or their works), will find plenty of useful information both in the text and in the copious and often entertaining footnotes. Glyer's practical illustration of LeFevre's analysis of critique groups (almost a case study) is also valuable when researching such groups and the effect they have on writers in general. The book is relatively free from jargon and accessible to the educated layman. Anyone with a love of literature or writing will gain immense pleasure and knowledge from this thoroughly researched, very well-written book." — Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts

Diana Pavlac Glyer has published extensively on Lewis, Tolkien, and the Inklings, and has received the Clyde S. Kilby Research Grant and the Chase A. Sawtell Inspirational Teaching Award. She is professor of English at Azusa Pacific University.

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