Once from a devotee of another Inkling, who (in passing) characterized Lewis's references to Numinor in That Hideous Strength as "plagiarism" of Tolkien's Númenor. This is apparently the claim Tolkien himself made in Letter #169, although Tolkien hastened to add: "well, not that, since he used the word, taken from my legends of the First and Second Ages, in the belief that they would soon appear."
[Historical note: Tolkien's letter was written in 1955, 10 years after the publication of That Hideous Strength, and perhaps 5 or 6 years after the Inklings had ceased meeting. Coincidentally, during that post-Inklings period (1950-55), Lewis had published his first 6 Narnia books.]
To the extent that plagiarism is, as I understand it, unattributed copying, the charge is false. In the Preface to That Hideous Strength, dated "Christmas Eve, 1943," Lewis states:
Those who would like to learn further about Numinor and the True West must (alas!) await the publication of much that still exists only in the MSS. of my friend, Professor J. R. R. Tolkien.(I have the "First Paperback Edition" - New York: Collier Books, 1965.)
Moreover, the concept of plagiarism is perhaps a little difficult to apply to a bona fide work of creative fiction. Lewis was, as far as I can see, telling his own independent story, even though he took time to forge a connection with his friend's secondary world, through six references. He wanted his tale, set in a dystopian near future, to share the same glorious past as Tolkien's world of Middle-earth (which itself is suggested as a distant past for our own world).
It is worth noting that Númenor is only one of two glorious legendary pasts Lewis invokes -- the other is the Arthurian mythos. In other words, he was elevating the then-unknown Númenor, written by a friend of his, to the status of the Arthurian legends. That is a pretty powerful tribute.
In a later post, I'll try to analyze the six references to Numinor and see what I can make of them.
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