Jessica--When did you first read Tolkien and what were your first impressions of him? First impressions of his work?

Verlyn Flieger--I first read The Lord of the Rings in the winter of 1957. I had no first impressions of him, because I did not know anything about him. It was clear from the book that he was extremely knowledgable about Northern European myth and literature, which seemed reasonable, as I knew he was a professor at Oxford. My first impression of his work was that it was bigger than most people realized, and more tied in to medieval literature.

Jessica--When did the notion of Time first make an impression on you? And how did this notion speak to you through Professor Tolkien’s works?

Verlyn Flieger--In 1984 I examined the rough drafts of The Lord of the Rings, and a friend and colleague pointed out a marginal notation in which Tolkien dealt with time in Lórien. That got me looking at the whole idea of how he handled time.

Jessica--What do you think the function of modern fantasy is? And, how do you think Tolkien has fulfilled that function?

Verlyn Flieger--I think the function of any fantasy, modern or ancient, is to give the reader a sense of enchantment and sufficient distance from his or her own reality to be able to see it clearly. Read Tolkien's essay “On Fairy-stories.” He says it better than I can. And yes, I think he has fulfilled that function.