In a 1951 letter to the publisher Milton Waldman, J.R.R. Tolkien described his youthful ambition to create a cycle of connected legends, some of which would be tales told in full and others that would exist merely as scraps and fragments.
These fragments would, he hoped, be a catalyst for future writers and artists to develop: “The cycles should be linked to a majestic whole, and yet leave scope for other minds and hands, wielding paint and music and drama.” Tolkien’s wry comment on his own ambition, in that same letter, is that is was “absurd”.
Despite this self-reflexive ruefulness, Tolkien’s approach to the creation and writing of Middle-earth was indeed to view it as a myth cycle – that is, a linked series of stories with recurring themes and characters that span time periods and cultures.
