Leaf by Niggle

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By J. R. R. Tolkien
Foreword by Alonzo L. McDonald
(2003)

Group Discussion Guide Included

This charming and haunting story, which Tolkien used to demonstrate what he meant by the “mythopoeic” power of fairy-stories, addresses the question of life’s purpose and the legacy we leave behind us.

Not only does the story illustrate Tolkien’s personal struggle with his writing process—his vivid imagination, painstaking and all-consuming detail, desire for perfection, and neglectful procrastination—but it speaks to the deeper life issues that haunt us all—life and death, purpose, relationships, and preparing for eternity. 

Category: Readings (No. 35)

The great end of life is not knowledge but action.

Thomas Huxley

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