The Inklings facts for kids
The Inklings was a group of friends who loved talking about books and writing. They met at the University of Oxford in England for almost 20 years, from the early 1930s to 1949. Two of the most famous members were J. R. R. Tolkien, who wrote The Lord of the Rings, and C. S. Lewis, who wrote The Chronicles of Narnia.
The Inklings really believed in the power of storytelling, especially in fantasy books. They encouraged each other to write exciting new stories. Besides Tolkien and Lewis, other well-known members included Charles Williams and Owen Barfield.
Contents
Who Were The Inklings?
Many members of The Inklings were teachers and scholars at Oxford University. They were all men, which was common for university groups back then.
Some of the regular members included:
- Owen Barfield
- C. S. Lewis
- Warren Lewis (C. S. Lewis's older brother)
- J. R. R. Tolkien
- Christopher Tolkien (J. R. R. Tolkien's son)
- Charles Williams
- Hugo Dyson
- Robert Havard
There were also other friends who visited less often or came as guests.
Where Did They Meet?
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The Inklings were not a formal club with rules or officers. They were just a group of friends who enjoyed spending time together.
Their main goal was to read and talk about the stories they were writing. Imagine hearing parts of The Lord of the Rings or Out of the Silent Planet for the very first first time! These books were read aloud to the Inklings before they were published.
The group also liked to have fun. They sometimes had competitions to see who could read really bad writing for the longest without laughing!
The Name "Inklings"
The name "Inklings" actually came from an older student group at Oxford. This first group, started around 1931, also read unfinished writings aloud. When that group ended, Tolkien and Lewis decided to use the name for their own new group.
Meeting Places
Until late 1949, the Inklings usually met on Thursday evenings. They gathered in C. S. Lewis's rooms at Magdalen College.
They also had informal meetings on Tuesday mornings at a local pub called The Eagle and Child. People in Oxford often called it "The Bird and Baby" or just "The Bird." The pub owner let them use a private room for their discussions. Sometimes, if there wasn't enough beer during the war, they met at other pubs like the White Horse. But The Eagle and Child is the most famous place where they met.
Their Lasting Impact
The Inklings left a big mark on literature. Their ideas and the stories they shared influenced many readers and writers.
- The Marion E. Wade Center at Wheaton College, Illinois keeps many important items related to the Inklings. These include letters, original writings, photos, and recordings.
- The Mythopoeic Society is a group started in 1967. It focuses on studying the fantasy works of Tolkien, Lewis, and Williams.
- There is even a journal called Journal of Inklings Studies that started in 2011. It publishes articles about the group.
The Inklings in Stories
Because they were so well-known, the Inklings have appeared in other books too!
- In the book Swan Song (1947) by Edmund Crispin, characters talk about seeing C. S. Lewis at the Eagle and Child pub.
- In The Late Scholar (2013) by Jill Paton Walsh, characters visit "The Bird and Babe" pub, which is the Eagle and Child. They mention that C. S. Lewis often ate lunch there with his friends.
- Tolkien, Lewis, and Williams are main characters in James A. Owen's fantasy series, The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica. The books even mention how the Inklings group started.
See also
In Spanish: Inklings para niños
