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A review by fae_noir
Leaf by Niggle by J.R.R. Tolkien
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Such a beautiful story about a painter who can't finish his masterpiece because of life's interruptions, and the journey he goes on that not only sees his work realized greater than he could have expected, but also in a way that repairs the lackluster relationship he had with his neighbor. There's a twist to all this that you have to read to find out, and it'll have you crying both happy and bittersweet tears.
Tolkien was famously not a fan of DIRECT allegory. I put that word in all-caps because Tolkien's works are all highly symbolic, he just hated it when something in a story was a 1-to-1 equivalent to something in the real world. (Probably the most famous example is that he wasn't thrilled his friend C.S. Lewis made Narnia a direct allegory of Christian theology.)
"I much prefer history – true or feigned – with its varied applicability to the thought and experience of readers. I think that many confuse applicability with allegory, but the one resides in the freedom of the reader, and the other in the purposed domination of the author." - Tolkien
Yet Niggle is arguably the most allegorical insight into Tolkien's personal struggle with perfectionism and his efforts to finish as much of the history of Middle Earth as possible before his death. He did manage to finish The Lord of the Rings, but The Silmarillion (which LotR was meant to be a direct continuation of) eluded completion.
The most beautiful thing about Niggle is not just the insight into Tolkien's struggles with perfectionism and finding time to indulge his creativity, it's the applicability (to use Tolkien's own word) to the struggles of all artists, writers, and creators. We're all Niggle. All of us have grander visions in our heads than we find manifesting on the page or screen or canvas. All of us want more time to create, and groan at the interruptions. All of us dread running out of time to realize the vision that means so much to us. All of us struggle to balance that drive to create with investing time into the people and relationships we want to share our creations with.
I was so skeptical I was going to like this story, despite being a life-long Tolkien fan. For the longest time it just didn't appeal to me when I'd rather spend my time lost in Middle Earth. And yet I firmly believe that stories find people when they need them most, and this story definitely found me at a time when I've been in a really hopeless place with my writing. Thank you, Niggle. Thank you Professor, for putting this beautiful metaphor of a story onto the page.
Tolkien was famously not a fan of DIRECT allegory. I put that word in all-caps because Tolkien's works are all highly symbolic, he just hated it when something in a story was a 1-to-1 equivalent to something in the real world. (Probably the most famous example is that he wasn't thrilled his friend C.S. Lewis made Narnia a direct allegory of Christian theology.)
"I much prefer history – true or feigned – with its varied applicability to the thought and experience of readers. I think that many confuse applicability with allegory, but the one resides in the freedom of the reader, and the other in the purposed domination of the author." - Tolkien
Yet Niggle is arguably the most allegorical insight into Tolkien's personal struggle with perfectionism and his efforts to finish as much of the history of Middle Earth as possible before his death. He did manage to finish The Lord of the Rings, but The Silmarillion (which LotR was meant to be a direct continuation of) eluded completion.
The most beautiful thing about Niggle is not just the insight into Tolkien's struggles with perfectionism and finding time to indulge his creativity, it's the applicability (to use Tolkien's own word) to the struggles of all artists, writers, and creators. We're all Niggle. All of us have grander visions in our heads than we find manifesting on the page or screen or canvas. All of us want more time to create, and groan at the interruptions. All of us dread running out of time to realize the vision that means so much to us. All of us struggle to balance that drive to create with investing time into the people and relationships we want to share our creations with.
I was so skeptical I was going to like this story, despite being a life-long Tolkien fan. For the longest time it just didn't appeal to me when I'd rather spend my time lost in Middle Earth. And yet I firmly believe that stories find people when they need them most, and this story definitely found me at a time when I've been in a really hopeless place with my writing. Thank you, Niggle. Thank you Professor, for putting this beautiful metaphor of a story onto the page.