SKU: 31003508376

A Secret Vice: Tolkien on Invented Languages: J.R.R. Tolkien

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A Secret Vice: Tolkien on Invented Languages: J.R.R. Tolkien*UNSIGNED* J. R. R. Tolkiens linguistic invention was a fundamental part of his artistic output, to the extent that later on in life he attributed the existence of his mythology to the desire to give his languages a home and peoples to speak them. As Tolkien puts it in A Secret Vice, the making of language and mythology are related functions. In the 1930s, Tolkien composed and delivered two lectures, in which he explored these two key elements of his

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J.R.R. Tolkien’s linguistic invention was a fundamental part of his artistic output, to the extent that later on in life he attributed the existence of his mythology to the desire to give his languages a home and peoples to speak them. As Tolkien puts it in ‘A Secret Vice’, ‘the making of language and mythology are related functions’.

In the 1930s, Tolkien composed and delivered two lectures, in which he explored these two key elements of his sub-creative methodology. The second of these, the seminal Andrew Lang Lecture for 1938–9, ‘On Fairy-Stories’, which he delivered at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, is well known. But many years before, in 1931, Tolkien gave a talk to a literary society entitled ‘A Hobby for the Home’, where he unveiled for the first time to a listening public the art that he had both himself encountered and been involved with since his earliest childhood: ‘the construction of imaginary languages in full or outline for amusement’.

This talk would be edited by Christopher Tolkien for inclusion as ‘A Secret Vice’ in The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays and serves as the principal exposition of Tolkien’s art of inventing languages. This new critical edition, which includes previously unpublished notes and drafts by Tolkien connected with the essay, including his ‘Essay on Phonetic Symbolism’, goes some way towards re-opening the debate on the importance of linguistic invention in Tolkien’s mythology and the role of imaginary languages in fantasy literature.

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SKU: 31003508376

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Emily Heater
Massapequa, US
★★★★★ 5
Awesome product!!!
Size: 3 Panel-102"W, Color: Beige, Size: 3 Panel-102"W, Color: Beige
This thing is really awesome. I actually bought 2 of them and made myself a nice little enclosure to keep out any peeping Toms while I’m trying to work on my summer tan. What I was looking for is FULL privacy and this DEFINITELY provides that. Fabric is completely opaque, you cannot see anything through it which is exactly what I needed. Another huge bonus is the strips of fabric to cover the spaces in between the panels, giving TRUE privacy. This is a really well-made product, great design, great structure, and pretty easy to put together overall. The only downside is that with strong gusts of wind, it wants to tip over so as you can see I secured the bottom feet with a couple bricks to make it stable and that did the trick. But to me that is a minor inconvenience given all its other great aspects. So many other privacy dividers were still see-through… totally defeating the purpose. But this one is absolutely full privacy and PERFECT for what I needed it for!!!
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Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2024
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MJL06
West Palm Beach, US
★★★★★ 5
Nice temporary divider or screen
Fairly easy to assemble and ensures privacy.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2026
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extrasupervery
Cuba, US
★★★★★ 1
Broke within an hour of assembly.
Size: 6 Panel-120"W, Color: Beige
This is of horrible quality. Within an hour of building, the feet support were broken on both ends, where they spin in place & do not stay straight to hold the divider up. Pieces of the plastic on the feet were broken simply from assembling the product. The covers for the metal poles were the only reason I bought this divider instead of other similar products, however those only cover one side of the metal poles so they are still visible from the other side. Two of these covers were also torn & not useable within an hour of assembly, one was already partially ripped on arrival & the other one was ripped simply during assembly of the product. I do not recommend this item & would have returned if I was still in the return window. I missed the return window because the product was bought during the holidays & I didn’t have time to mess with the return. I have not been able to use this product even once, the broken feet which do not stay in place make it very unstable & dangerous.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2026
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alena
Louisville, US
★★★★★ 5
WOULD BUY AGAIN.
EASY TO PUT TOGETHER. WORKS EXATCLY AS i NEEDED. I USED ONLY 3 PANELS.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2026
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Tell-it-like-it-is
Natrona Heights, US
★★★★★ 5
Shade for trees
Size: 4 Panel, Color: White, Size: 4 Panel, Color: White
Going to try to use these to shade my trees from the late afternoon sun. I just put them up so we will see how they do! I purposely bought the ones with curved feet since the flat feet wouldn’t have been sturdy on the rocks. Was easy to put together and they look nice. Debating the 6 pack so I can put two on each tree with the connectors.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2026

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