Tolkien’s close literary discussion group that met at Oxford was called The Inklings. The group included writers and scholars who read unfinished work aloud and discussed literature, theology, and ideas.
C.S. Lewis was one of the best-known members, and Tolkien regularly attended meetings during the group’s most active period. Charles Williams and Owen Barfield were also important members. The Inklings met in Oxford locations including the Eagle and Child pub, known to members as the Bird and Baby.
The group was not a formal society with a fixed membership list or published programme. Its value came from criticism and conversation: members could test chapters, poems, and arguments before an audience of trusted friends. Tolkien read parts of The Lord of the Rings to fellow Inklings, while Lewis shared work that became part of his own fiction and apologetics.