TCG Letter #1786

Tolkien writes apologetically because he has missed the deadline for the program (of the year's Oxford Summer Diversions); he had looked through The Canterbury Tales and some of Gower (probably Confessio Amantis, since it is in English) for some-thing suitable and then had to grade some Civil Service papers. Last night he finally worked out the reading: either the same as the previous year, or a cut version of "The Reeve's Tale" with one revised link for one passage cut and with the Northern dialect as worked out in Tolkien's article.

Hammond/Scull note that "Masefield decides in favour of Tolkien reciting the ‘Reeve’s Tale’. Tolkien prepares the text for his reading, which is published as a pamphlet, presumably for the audience on 28 July."^{Chronology, p. 244. It is however unknown if this was communicated to Tolkien in a letter or in person. Also see 28 July 1939 for details on Tolkien's reading.[1]}