TCG Letter #1377 / Carpenter Letter #38a

Tolkien replies to a letter from his son Michael where he had evidently spoken about his feelings about events of the world, studies, etc. Tolkien is relieved he has, and says that they don't discuss matters with him enough. Tolkien wonders if he in fact comes across as critical.

In a very long passage, Tolkien discusses many personal family matters with his son, with mentions of Edith's health, her religious activities, their life in general, Michael's love life, and more...

Disagreements were surprisingly few, although the decision over the inclusion (or not) of a single comma in one sentence was cordially debated across several letters!^{Foreword to the Revised and Expanded edition - Chris Smith 2023[1]}

The cordial debate between Humphrey Carpenter and Christopher Tolkien was over a comma in this letter.