Mark Twain House

The Charles Williams Society

The Society exists to promote the study and appreciation of the life and writings of Charles Walter Stansby Williams (1886-1945).

Charles Williams is probably best known, to those who have heard of him, as a leading member (albeit for a short time) of the Oxford literary group, the Inklings, whose chief figures were C. S. Lewis and J. R. R Tolkien. He was, however, a figure of enormous interest in his own right: a prolific author of plays, fantasy novels (strikingly different in kind from those of his friends), poetry, theology, biography and criticism.

He worked nearly all his life for the Oxford University Press, also lecturing extensively on English literature for evening institutes and latterly for Oxford University. Much of his critical writing grew out of this activity. His seven novels appeared from 1930 onwards; unlike much fantasy fiction, they deal not with imaginary magical worlds but with the irruption of supernatural elements into everyday life. A legal officer has bequeathed to him the original set of Tarot cards; the investigation of a murder in a publisher's office merges with the rediscovery of the Holy Grail; the ghost of a girl killed in an accident helps thwart a plot for world domination.

His later poetry, which he considered his main work, included a number of striking plays (Thomas Cranmer of Canterbury was the second Canterbury Festival commission after Eliot's Murder in the Cathedral) and two volumes of poems on themes connected with the Arthurian cycle, Taliessin through Logres (1938) and The Region of the Summer Stars (1944) (since republished, together with earlier verses, in Arthurian Poems. edited by D. L. Dodds (1991).

He was perhaps the most original lay theologian of the century (his chief books in this field being The Descent of the Dove, "A Short History of the Holy Spirit in the Church"(1939), and He Came Down From Heaven (1938). Above all, he was passionately interested in the ways in which romantic love can be a key to understanding our relationship with God. This vision blended with his critical work in his great study of Dante, The Figure of Beatrice (1943). A collection of his shorter writings, covering a wide range of his interests, was edited by Anne Ridler, with a biographical introduction, and published by the Oxford University Press in 1958 as The Image of the City.

The Society is a registered charity, and a member of the Alliance of Literary Societies.

The Society meets three times a year, and publishes a quarterly newsletter, which normally includes the papers delivered at the meetings. It also occasionally has short residential conferences, the most recent of which took place on June 16th/17th, 2000. It maintains a lending and reference library. The subscription is £10 a year (£15 for joint members; concessionary rates are also available).

Details,application forms and other information are available from the Secretary:

Dr. R. L. Sturch,
3 The Rise, Islip, Kidlington,
Oxfordshire OX5 2TG,
United Kingdom

e-mail: rsturch@compuserve.com or Ian Blakemore, Rosley Books.

Website: www.geocities.com/charles_wms_soc/

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The Tolkien Society

In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit...

Published in 1937, these words introduced a new world, Middle-earth, to the reading public, they were written by J.R.R. Tolkien. 17 years later his epic work The Lord of the Rings was published to critical acclaim, the years that followed saw many people become fans of his work, many of whom wanted to know more about Middle-earth and its peoples.

In 1969 the Tolkien Society was founded, its aim being to further interest in the life and works of J.R.R. Tolkien, CBE, the author of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and other works of fiction and philological study. Based in the United Kingdom and registered as an independent, non-profit making charity, the Society boasts an international membership. The Tolkien Society is a Registered Charity (No. 273809) and a member of the Alliance of Literary Societies.

The Society helps to bring together those with like minds, both formally and informally, with gatherings throughout the year. There are three such events at a national level: an Annual General Meeting and Dinner, the Seminar and Oxonmoot. The AGM is held in the spring in a different town or city in the UK each year, at the AGM committee members are elected and the running of the Society is discussed whilst after the formal Dinner there is always a Guest Speaker, often someone who knew J.R.R. Tolkien, or a scholar and author on Tolkien's works. The second event, the Seminar, takes place in the summer at which a programme of talks are given on a Tolkien-related subject. These range from the serious to the light in tone and there is always something for everyone. The special event of the Tolkien Society year is Oxonmoot, held over a weekend in September in an Oxford College. There are a range of events such as talks, discussions, slide-shows and a costume party. It is a great time for learning more, having fun and making new friends.

The society produces two publications; the bulletin, Amon Hen, appears six times a year with Tolkien-related reviews, news, letters, artwork and articles, both humorous and serious. The annual journal, Mallorn, is more serious in nature with longer critical articles, reviews and essays.

Within the Society there are local groups spread throughout Britain and the world called Smials (after hobbit homes). Here both members and non-members can gather to discuss Tolkien's works, as well as other writers and topics. The formality and seriousness of meeting varies depending on the inclinations of members. There are also postal Smials for those who live far from a local group, with regular newsletters and occasional meetings. In addition to these there are also Special Interest Groups, covering topics such as collecting, biography and Tolkien's languages. For Young Members there is an active group, "Entings", which has its own section in the Society bulletin. We also maintain an extensive Lending Library and Archive, both of which are accessible to members.

The Society has a web-site which provides members and non-members with general information about itself and the world of Tolkien:

www.tolkiensociety.org

For further details please write to:

The Secretary (RBk),
210 Prestbury Road,
CHELTENHAM GL52 3ER,
United Kingdom.

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Owen Barfield

Owen Barfield, born Arthur Owen Barfield in London in 1898, he was the youngest of four children. His father, Arthur, was a solicitor; his mother, Elizabeth (Lizzy), was an ardent feminist; a suffragette and a lover of music. He served in the Royal Engineers during World War I and later graduated from Wadham College, Oxford. From 1931 to his retirement in 1959, he was a practicing solicitor. Throughout his life he read widely in diverse fields: language, literature, historical semantics, comparative religion, and the history of science. He died in 1987.

In the 1920s Barfield joined Rudolf Steiner's anthroposophical movement - an occurrence which "hideously shocked" Lewis. Later, as Lewis learned more about anthroposophy, he found his initial horror turning into disgust and resentment. Lewis' attempts to discourage Barfield's belief in Steiner's philosophy took the form of a series of letters and essays which the two friends exchanged for the next several years. In his autobiography, Surprised by Joy, Lewis christened this debate, the Great War (named after the World War I).

Barfield's first book The Silver Trumpet was published in Great Britain by Faber and Gwyer (now Faber and Faber) in 1925, a little over a year after it was written. It sold respectably, and was well received by critics. C. S. Lewis first read Barfield's story in manuscript and recorded the following in his diary entry for October 20, 1923:

"… I began to read Barfield's faery tale The Silver Trumpet in which with prodigality he squirts out the most suggestive ideas, the loveliest pictures, and the raciest new coined words in wonderful succession. Nothing in its kind can be imagined better."

Because of Lewis, the J. R. R. Tolkien family also read Barfield's story.

Barfield's main works are: