Tolkien was a scholar of Icelandic history and literature, the tales of which highly influenced his own fiction. He was educated at the University of Oxford, initially studying a Classics degree course, but later moving onto English Literature and Language, graduating in 1915 with first-class honours. As a young man, he entered into a programme whereby he delayed his enlistment until his graduation, allowing him to attain a full education, however at the cost of his reputation as he was publicly scorned by almost everybody in his life for not instantly volunteering to join the army. Tolkien recalled, “In those days, chaps joined up or were scorned publicly. It was a nasty cleft to be in for a young man with too much imagination and little physical courage.”
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