“The Potency of Words and the Wonder of Things” Archaic Pronouns in The Lord of the Rings

Abstract

This study examines how archaic second person pronouns are used in JRR Tolkien’s fantasy epic The Lord of the Rings. In particular, this paper analyses how Tolkien uses archaic pronouns to support the three literary requirements for fantastical realism, as outlined in his lecture “On Fairy Stories” (1939), by using the unmarked/marked archaic second person pronoun distinction described by Wales (1983). This paper demonstrates that archaic pronouns are used (1) intricately in character interactions to create emotional complexity in the story and immerse the reader; (2) in the invocation of oaths and traditions which creates the depth associated with good worldbuilding as well as in teaching readers the importance of language for the recall of the past; (3) to symbolically link the events of Rings with the defeat over evil by Jesus, which Tolkien considers the most “true” of all stories. Ultimately these three tenets give the story emotional, historical and spiritual depth, which creates a more realistic and immersive world.