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[Mumei]

25% Christmas discount at the UK Tolkien Book Shop until January 5th

I really want that deluxe edition of The Silmarillion, but I think purchasing it from here (or here)would be better after I factor in exchange rates and shipping costs. It was actually ~$66 on the UK site last week, too.... but unfortunately I didn't get it.

 

[Loxley]

"Gender Switched Bilbo Makes 'The Hobbit' a Better Read"

And the actual article itself:

My five-year-old insists that Bilbo Baggins is a girl.

The first time she made this claim, I protested. Part of the fun of reading to your kids, after all, is in sharing the stories you loved as a child. And in the story I knew, Bilbo was a boy. A boy hobbit. (Whatever that entails.)

But my daughter was determined. She liked the story pretty well so far, but Bilbo was definitely a girl. So would I please start reading the book the right way?

I hesitated. I imagined Tolkien spinning in his grave. I imagined mean letters from his testy estate. I imagined the story getting as lost in gender distinctions as dwarves in the Mirkwood.

Then I thought: What the hell, it’s just a pronoun. My daughter wants Bilbo to be a girl, so a girl she will be.

And you know what? The switch was easy. Bilbo, it turns out, makes a terrific heroine. She’s tough, resourceful, humble, funny, and uses her wits to make off with a spectacular piece of jewelry. Perhaps most importantly, she never makes an issue of her gender—and neither does anyone else.

Despite what can seem like a profusion of heroines in kids’ books, girls are still underrepresented in children’s literature. A 2011 study of 6,000 children’s books published between 1900 and 2000 showed that only 31 percent had female central characters. While the disparity has declined in recent years, it persists—particularly, and interestingly, among animal characters. And many books with girl protagonists take place in male-dominated worlds, peopled with male doctors and male farmers and mothers who have to ask fathers for grocery money (Richard Scarry, I’m looking at you). The imbalance is even worse in kids’ movies: Geena Davis’ Institute on Gender and Media found that for every female character in recent family films, there are three male characters. Crowd scenes, on average, are only 17 percent female.

More insidiously, children’s books with girl protagonists sometimes celebrate their heroines to a fault. Isn’t it amazing that a girl did these things, they seem to say—implying that these heroines are a freakish exception to their gender, not an inspiration for readers to follow. Children’s lit could benefit from a Finkbeiner Test. (Well-intentioned kids’ media can, ironically, introduce their youngest listeners and viewers to gender barriers: The first time my daughter heard the fabulous album Free to Be … You and Me, she asked “Why isn’t it all right for boys to cry?”)

So Bilbo, with her matter-of-fact derring-do, was refreshing. With a wave of my staff I turned Gandalf into a girl, too, with similarly happy results. I started to fool around with other books and their major and minor characters, sometimes by request and sometimes not. In The Secret Garden, Dickon, the animal-loving adventurer who rescues Mistress Mary, became Mary’s best friend Diana. In the Finn Family Moomintroll books, the Snork Maiden and her brother the Snork traded genders. In the Narnia series, Peter Pevensie and his sister Susan made the pronoun switch. (That was a nice fix for the infamous line about Susan’s abandoning Narnia for “nylons and lipstick and invitations.”)

Friends tell me they pull similar tricks while reading to their sons and daughters: Women who farm become not “farmer’s wives” but “farmers.” Boy animal characters become girls, and vice versa. Sleeping Beauty goes to MIT. Their kids, boys and girls alike, get to hear about a world as full of women as the real one—and as free of stereotypes as we’d like ours to be. Kidlit may be catching up to our kids, but we don’t have to wait for it.

My daughter might forget all about the heroines and heroes she helped create. But she might not. I hope that years from now, when she has a chance to take her own unexpected journey, she’ll remember the story of Bilbo—and be a little more inclined to say yes.

 

[Jindrax]

Silmarillion is pretty awesome. In a lot of ways I like it better than Hobbit + LotR. First Age is a wonderful setting.

Morgoth is an awesome villain

Really? I only have 1 friend who's finished it... the rest say it's pretty unreadable...

 

[CorvoSol]

So I've seen this topic come up a lot in recent threads about the movies, and I just thought I would put it to this group, here: Do you think that Tolkien would really be that upset with the movies nowadays, and more importantly, do you think that matters?

 

[Loxley]

So I've seen this topic come up a lot in recent threads about the movies, and I just thought I would put it to this group, here: Do you think that Tolkien would really be that upset with the movies nowadays, and more importantly, do you think that matters?

*edit - Well, this certainly got longer than I thought it would.

Tolkien was absolutely convinced The Lord of the Rings and the Middle-earth legendarium at large was "un-filmable". No director or Hollywood studio could successfully replicate the Middle-earth he saw in his mind when writing the books. Obviously Tolkien passed away before the advent of digital effects and CGI - so who's to say if he'd feel the same way given how far technology has come since the 60's and 70's.

But the question of whether of whether or not Tolkien would have enjoyed any aspect of Jackson's films to me has always seemed a silly one because, well, it's impossible to know. The man's been dead for over 40 years, so who's to say what his exact opinions on these adaptions would have been. Of course purists love to take up the banner and shout from the hill-tops that Tolkien would have hated these films, when in fact 100% of them have absolutely zero idea what he would have actually thought about them because - again - he died long before they were ever even conceived. The closest we can get is what Christopher Tolkien himself thinks - but he's not his father, and his opinions are his own. Reading his notes on his father's work - it's clear that even to his own children Tolkien was a bit of an enigma to an extent; no one fully knew what was going on his head. Obviously Christopher Tolkien has a closer grasp on his father's mindset than anybody else, but it's still not 1:1. He's said himself that he's occasionally had to guess at his father's motivations and use his best judgement when fleshing out and finishing his father's works for posthumous publication.

The way I look at it, Tolkien's legacy lies in his literary works, not on film - it's what this whole thread is dedicated to. Nothing can ever change that, no matter how many adaptions we see of his books. If you know enough about Tolkien, you can see just exactly how much of himself he poured into The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion in particular - and it's through those books that he lives on. When people make the claim that all these movies are tarnishing Tolkien's legacy - ignore them, it's hyperbole of the most annoying kind. Peter Jackson isn't going into the source material and scribbling out Tolkien's words and placing in his own. The films don't effect what happens in the books; this isn't the Star Wars universe.

At the end of the day, the books are still there and always will be. So you don't like Peter Jackson's interpretation of Tolkien's stories - that's absolutely fine. Some day another film-maker will come along and we'll get their interpretation of them, but it won't be the end of the world if it's not literally the book projected on the screen. And also, whether people who dislike the films are willing to admit it or not, these films are all doing one thing very well - creating new fans of Tolkien; myself included. The movies are an incredible gateway drug to the source material, which is part of the reason why The Lord of the Rings is the second-best selling novel of all time. More people are reading about and studying Tolkien than ever before thanks to the films. While one can probably assume with relative safety that's something Tolkien would be thrilled by - purists and non-purists can definitely agree that's exciting.

 

[Megalosaro]

Really? I only have 1 friend who's finished it... the rest say it's pretty unreadable...

That's a shame, because some of the passages in the book are amongst Tolkien's most elegantly written

 

[Dalthien]

Really? I only have 1 friend who's finished it... the rest say it's pretty unreadable...

Yeah, it's a tough read. Huge chunks of it feel like you're reading a history textbook - which is essentially what it is. It's some short stories mixed in with a lot of historical details about the creation and the 1st-age, with some stuff from the 2nd-age thrown in as well. If you love the realm of Middle-Earth and want to dive further into its back-story and history, then there is a lot of great stuff contained within the book, but it is largely unreadable for anyone who doesn't have a passion to learn about the history of Middle-Earth.

 

[Rookje]

Has Peter Jackson said whether he'll include the blue wizards in any of the films?

 

[Loxley]

Has Peter Jackson said whether he'll include the blue wizards in any of the films?

At the moment from a pure legal perspective, he can't. The blue wizards are largely tied to Unfinished Tales and The Silmarillion - which the Tolkien Estate has never sold the film rights to.

 

[Jindrax]

Just wondering because I can't find it anywhere.
Are they're any books depicting the story just before the hobbit?
Books on gandalf doing stuff?
Or is it just the hobbt, lotr, and then the simarilion and unfinished tales?

 

[Gordon0Freeman]

Is there an "English version" of the Silmarillion?

 

[Megalosaro]

I'm not sure what you mean by that. The book was written in English

 

[jason10mm]

You know, I think JRR would LOVE the Jackson LOTR series, as I think he would largely ignore the plot and just revel in the costumes and set design, plus be ecstatic that so much of his languages were spoken on screen. I don't think he would care one bit if the plot was changed.

now the Hobbit, that is a different matter.

 

[The Artful Dodger]

You know, I think JRR would LOVE the Jackson LOTR series, as I think he would largely ignore the plot and just revel in the costumes and set design, plus be ecstatic that so much of his languages were spoken on screen. I don't think he would care one bit if the plot was changed.

now the Hobbit, that is a different matter.

Idk, I think he'd find them too loud and too "action-y".

I heard he refused to go into a pub if there were radios playing inside. I can't imagine how he'd feel about CG, or the film industry in general.

 

[jason10mm]

Oh, it was something of a joke. You know how sellers can sometimes demand hilariously unrealistic prices for items that are not offered by Amazon? This was one of those times.

This is what was being sold. I wonder what the quality is like.

Edit: Found a video that shows that they have very thin pages. Feh.

I have this set. I'll go look at it tomorrow and try to do a paper comparison to some other common books like the LOTR 50th anniversary or something. IIRC it is at least comparable to my EB great books set (ie, thin but not tissue paper).

 

[B-Dubs]

Idk, I think he'd find them too loud and too "action-y".

I heard he refused to go into a pub if there were radios playing inside. I can't imagine how he'd feel about CG, or the film industry in general.

He'd probably appreciate all the people reading the books because of the movies. A whole generation picking them up that may not have done so. I think it's safe to say he'd absolutely love that.

He'd probably also love what they did with the settings and the Shire. You're probably right about the action and CG though.

 

[CorvoSol]

Is there an "English version" of the Silmarillion?

There is no break down of the Silmarillion of that sort. It'd be nice to get it novelized (by which I just mean the Tale of the Silmarils) but I don't think that's been done. I think the Children of Hurin is probably the closest you'll get?

 

[jason10mm]

Ok, I've done a detailed look at my set of the HoME three volume edition (this set though, wow!, I paid a tenth of that price! http://www.amazon.com/dp/0007105088/?tag=neogaf0e-20) the pages ARE thin, easily translucent with sunlight, and it is fairly easy to see (though not read) text printed on the other side, especially on pages with a thin column of text such as a poem. The print is visible even with the page down flat. The paper quality is nice, bright white, however. About the paper weight of my Encylopedia Brittannica sets. So, adequate for careful adult reading in a calm setting. One MAJOR downside is that the ink will smudge fairly easily, so a long session will undoubtedly leave your thumb a little black. If I let the books lay out a bit perhaps the ink will dry, but my EB books, for example, DO NOT smudge, so that is clearly where some corners were cut. I'd say the paper is about what I've seen on MMPBs of massive books (like Tom Clancy) but without the grayish tones those cheap paper books have. A step down from the 50th anniversary edition LOTR of course, but then at that paper weight either the font would be unreadably tiny or the set would be several more volumes.

Still, for the presentation aspect, if given a decent price, it is a good set as it has a nice binding, clear dark print on a bright white page, and has a yellow ribbon (though, for a research type tome such as this, I would have preferred several placemark ribbons in different colors). But it isn't a book you are gonna read at the gym or wherever, both due to the size and the page fragility.

 

[Erigu]

You know, I think JRR would LOVE the Jackson LOTR series, as I think he would largely ignore the plot and just revel in the costumes and set design, plus be ecstatic that so much of his languages were spoken on screen. I don't think he would care one bit if the plot was changed.

I don't know that he would have loved it, but he would certainly admit it could have been much worse.

 

[Shrennin]

Not sure if this is the right place for this, but I want to reread the Hobbit, then read the LotR books in their entirety.

With that said, I'll be reading them on my Kindle Paperwhite - Amazon has given three different versions of the Hobbit to choose from:

The Hobbit:

Hobbit (Kindle Edition): http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0079KT81G/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Hobbit 75th anniversary edition (with audio and video): http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007978NU6/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Hobbit with Alan Lee illustrations: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009VN1Q00/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Amazon has given two different versions of The Lord of the Rings - one version is in one volume and the other version is in three different parts.

The Lord of the Rings:

The Lord of the Rings: One Volume (Kindle Edition):

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007978OY6/?tag=neogaf0e-20

The Fellowship of the Ring: Being the First Part of The Lord of the Rings (Kindle Edition):

Fellowship of the Ring - Volume One

The Two Towers: Being the second part of The Lord of the Rings (Kindle Edition):

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007978PKY/?tag=neogaf0e-20

The Return of the King: Being the third part of The Lord of the Rings (Kindle Edition):

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007978P18/?tag=neogaf0e-20

So from what I can tell, those are all the versions available on the Kindle store - I just want the most accurate and true version that goes with Tolkien's desires for the series. I don't really care about commentary or art not officially approved by Tolkien.

 

[The Artful Dodger]

This cracked me up:

 

[Loxley]

'The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and Other Verses from the Red Book' to be re-released in a new edition this fall, thanks to the team of Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull.

“This new edition will contain the sixteen poems as published in 1962, together with the original drawings by Pauline Baynes. But it will also include earlier versions of the poems, where earlier versions exist – some of these were published in magazines and journals which are now hard to find – and it will reprint a later ‘Bombadil’ poem, Once upon a Time. In addition, we are very pleased to be allowed to publish for the first time, from Tolkien’s manuscript, the predecessor of Perry-the-Winkle, called The Bumpus, and the complete, tantalizingly brief fragment of a prose story featuring Tom Bombadil, in the days of ‘King Bonhedig’. To these, we have added an introduction, comments on the poems and on Tolkien’s preface, and glosses for unusual words, as we did previously for Roverandom and Farmer Giles of Ham.”

Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull have done fantastic work before (namely 'The Art of the Hobbit' and 'J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist & Illustrator') so I'm sure this will be just as good. I've never read it myself, so I'll definitely be picking it up. And hey, anytime never-before-published Tolkien material is released its certainly cause for excitement.

 

[Log4Girlz]

I bought a Hobbit/LOTR boxed set (movie tie-in set eww) just so I can have them and re-read them. The Hobbit in particular is such a fun read.

 

[Loxley]

Middle-earth/Arda rendered as a real planet using 'Outerra', a universe rendering/simulation engine.

I bought a Hobbit/LOTR boxed set (movie tie-in set eww) just so I can have them and re-read them. The Hobbit in particular is such a fun read.

It's funny, even though for most people The Hobbit is the very first Tolkien book they ever read, it was the very last one I'd ever read. My order of the major books was The Lord of the Rings --> The Silmarillion --> The Histories --> Unfinished Tales --> The Children of Húrin --> The Hobbit.

Yeah, I went from one of the most messed up, depressing stories Tolkien had ever written to one of the most light-hearted, child-friendly ones. It was quite jarring, and perhaps part of the reason why for me personally, The Hobbit as a story isn't nearly as interesting as everything else Tolkien would go on to write.

 

[Deleted member 80556]

Middle-earth/Arda rendered as a real planet using 'Outerra', a universe rendering/simulation engine.

How I wish that WB hadn't done a C&D on that modder who was working on a Skyrim LOTR mod. This looks beautiful.

By the way, what order do you suggest me for reading Tolkien's books? Including The Ring too.

 

[Loxley]

How I wish that WB hadn't done a C&D on that modder who was working on a Skyrim LOTR mod. This looks beautiful.

By the way, what order do you suggest me for reading Tolkien's books? Including The Ring too.

Honestly I would just go the usual path of The Hobbit --> The Lord of the Rings (as well as the Appendices at the end of The Return of the King). Once you've finished those two, if you're interested in learning more about Middle-earth, I would then go onto The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales. But just a heads up, a lot of people try to read those last two but never really finish because they go in expecting an over-arching narrative similar to The Hobbit or LotR. In reality The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales are sort of half-way between novel and encyclopedia on the origins/history of Middle-earth. They're a bit of a weird read the first time around, but if you stick with it you'll find some of Tolkien's best writing.

If and when you do make it that far into the Legendarium and you're still yearning for more, you should read the 12 (yeah) books on the Histories of Middle-earth - the individual books are listed in the OP but I'll re-list them here:

- The Book of Lost Tales 1 - Published 1983
- The Book of Lost Tales 2 - Published 1984
- The Lays of Beleriand - Published 1985
- The Shaping of Middle Earth - Published 1986
- The Lost Road and Other Writings - Published 1987
- The Return of the Shadow (The History of The Lord of the Rings v.1) - Published 1988
- The Treason of Isengard (The History of The Lord of the Rings v.2) - Published 1989
- The War of the Ring (The History of The Lord of the Rings v.3) - Published 1990
- Sauron Defeated (The History of The Lord of the Rings v.4) - Published 1992
- Morgoth's Ring (The Later Silmarillion v.1) - Published 1993
- The War of the Jewels (The Later Silmarillion v.2) - Published 1994
- The Peoples of Middle Earth - Published 1996

Pretty much anything after The Lord of the Rings is just icing on the Tolkien cake. I would definitely describe The Hobbit and LotR as required reading, but everything after that is only necessary if you find that you're really interested in the world. Hell even then I've spoken with many self-professed hardcore Tolkien fans who've admitted to not reading all of them.

And I agree that it stinks that WB shut down that Middle-earth Skyrim mod, I was so jazzed for that. But now that they've announced Shadow of Mordor - their own open-world "LotR" game, I can see why they went after it. Still unfortunate though, I loved what I saw of what the modders had completed.

 

[Loxley]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXAvF9p8nmM&sns=em

Pretty good lecture titled "How to Read J.R.R. Tolkien".

 

[Loxley]

So this is awesome, the Tolkien Estate signed a deal with Harper Collins to publish Tolkien's unfinished translation of Beowulf, with the title "JRR Tolkien's Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary". Releasing May 22nd of this year.

http://www.tolkienbeowulf.com

In a world rights deal, the Tolkien Estate has signed with HarperCollins to publish for the first time Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary by J.R.R. Tolkien. This new book has been edited by Christopher Tolkien, who comments:

‘The translation of Beowulf by J.R.R. Tolkien was an early work, very distinctive in its mode, completed in 1926: he returned to it later to make hasty corrections, but seems never to have considered its publication. This edition is twofold, for there exists an illuminating commentary on the text of the poem by the translator himself, in the written form of a series of lectures given at Oxford in the 1930s; and from these lectures a substantial selection has been made, to form also a commentary on the translation in this book.

From his creative attention to detail in these lectures there arises a sense of the immediacy and clarity of his vision. It is as if he entered into the imagined past: standing beside Beowulf and his men shaking out their mail-shirts as they beached their ship on the coast of Denmark, listening to the rising anger of Beowulf at the taunting of Unferth, or looking up in amazement at Grendel’s terrible hand set under the roof of Heorot.

But the commentary in this book includes also much from those lectures in which, while always anchored in the text, he expressed his wider perceptions. He looks closely at the dragon that would slay Beowulf “snuffling in baffled rage and injured greed when he discovers the theft of the cup”; but he rebuts the notion that this is “a mere treasure story”, “just another dragon tale”. He turns to the lines that tell of the burying of the golden things long ago, and observes that it is “the feeling for the treasure itself, this sad history” that raises it to another level. “The whole thing is sombre, tragic, sinister, curiously real. The ‘treasure’ is not just some lucky wealth that will enable the finder to have a good time, or marry the princess. It is laden with history, leading back into the dark heathen ages beyond the memory of song, but not beyond the reach of imagination.”

Sellic spell, a “marvellous tale”, is a story written by Tolkien suggesting what might have been the form and style of an Old English folk-tale of Beowulf, in which there was no association with the “historical legends” of the Northern kingdoms.’

This is the first book by J.R.R. Tolkien since the internationally bestselling The Fall of Arthur. Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary will be published by HarperCollins on 22nd May 2014 and in the United States by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

 

[Megalosaro]

Awesome. Beowulf was such an impportant poem to Tolkien. Im glad we finally get a translation and interpretation by him. And Christopher's own commentaries are always insightful as well. Will buy.

 

[The Artful Dodger]

Hyped for this.

 

[Megalosaro]

Bad news guys. The horse that played Shadowfax got euthanized

http://www.horsechannel.com/horse-news/2014/04/09-equine-actor-shadowfax-euthanized.aspx

 

[B-Dubs]

Bad news guys. The horse that played Shadowfax got euthanized

http://www.horsechannel.com/horse-news/2014/04/09-equine-actor-shadowfax-euthanized.aspx

He's shown us the meaning of paste.

(I took that from the thread on this news)

 

[Loxley]

Cross-posting from the Hobbit trilogy thread:

Fantastic news everyone! Our old friend and Tolkien scholar Edmond Dantes has been in touch with me, and I'm relieved to pass on that he's okay and will begin posting again shortly

 

[Santiako]

Great news, I was legit worried about him.

 

[Watevaman]

I somehow felt that the bump of this thread would be about Dantes. Glad to hear he's alive and looking forward to his return.

 

[B-Dubs]

We shall look for his coming on the dawn of the fifth day...

 

[bengraven]

This fucking website. I hope he knows how appreciated he is around here by the constant badgering for him.

I have to admit, reading Lox's post made me exhale loudly and go "oh man, thank god" and someone put a freshly cut onion next to my desk that I kicked away quickly because I want to go read another thread about how GOT is sexist...

 

[peanutbutterlatte]

"Dantes....? Yes... that was what they used to call me. I am Edmond the White. And I return to you now, at the turn of the tide."

So, my Tolkien dissertation is done. Handed in. It was only 5000 words (opted to do an extra module instead of a 10,000 word one).

(It was on characters in the Fellowship and how they defy racial barriers and expectations. Lots on the Legolas and Gimli relationship, and Aragorn finally uniting men)

Whilst not being part of the Fellowship, Bilbo’s exploits and character transition in The Hobbit can be seen as a sort of paradigm for all unseemingly adventurous Hobbits going forward, namely in The Lord of the Rings, where one daring Hobbit is supplemented by three companions. And indeed, this has remained unusual for the world, as one of Bilbo’s former companions Gloin remarks that “Nothing like it has happened since Bilbo came with us.” (2004, p.228) Bilbo’s quest is thrust upon him, but when undergoing difficulty and strife he is found to be in fact surprisingly capable, defying any expectations a reader might have had from Tolkien’s initial descriptions Bilbo himself, and his race.

 

[The Artful Dodger]

Cross-posting from the Hobbit trilogy thread:

Spoiler

Happy He's coming back

 

[Dead Man]

Cross-posting from the Hobbit trilogy thread:

Rapt, thanks for the update.

 

[bengraven]

You know, I often wonder what Tolkien would have thought of modern fantasy. I think he would have enjoyed some books you wouldn't expect him to, or he would rather just ignore the genre altogether.

But I think you would be surprised at his reaction to so called "Tolkien-clones". I remember his reaction to comparisons to the Nibelungen. "Both rings were round, and there the resemblance eases".

I wonder if he would feel the same about things like Shannara.

 

[Altazor]

Cross-posting from the Hobbit trilogy thread:

oh my god, YES! I'm legit happy for this.

Praise the Sun!

 

[Edmond Dantès]

You know, I often wonder what Tolkien would have thought of modern fantasy. I think he would have enjoyed some books you wouldn't expect him to, or he would rather just ignore the genre altogether.

But I think you would be surprised at his reaction to so called "Tolkien-clones". I remember his reaction to comparisons to the Nibelungen. "Both rings were round, and there the resemblance eases".

I wonder if he would feel the same about things like Shannara.

His fastidious nature would probably see him dismiss much modern fantasy, especially those derivative of his work. He would most probably take a detached scholarly viewpoint as he tended to do later on in his life with his own work. One of the reasons he was never able to finish the Silmarillion to his satisfaction.

But, he did read for pleasure and even liked Mary Renault's historical fiction novels, so that is a possible indication of where his reading pleasures would lie as there is a cornucopia of historical fiction now.

 

[The Artful Dodger]

His fastidious nature would probably see him dismiss much modern fantasy, especially those derivative of his work. He would most probably take a detached scholarly viewpoint as he tended to do later on in his life with his own work. One of the reasons he was never able to finish the Silmarillion to his satisfaction.

But, he did read for pleasure and even liked Mary Renault's historical fiction novels, so that is a possible indication of where his reading pleasures would lie as there is a cornucopia of historical fiction now.

Welcome Back Dude!

 

[Edmond Dantès]

Welcome Back Dude!

Thanks, good to be back.

 

[peanutbutterlatte]

I think working on Tolkien for my dissertation was hard at first, as I couldn't narrow down what I wanted to write about. I find every facet of his world fascinating.

 

[The Artful Dodger]

I think working on Tolkien for my dissertation was hard at first, as I couldn't narrow down what I wanted to write about. I find every facet of his world fascinating.

If I were to go back to Grad School, I think it'd be to study Tolkien.

 

[peanutbutterlatte]

If I were to go back to Grad School, I think it'd be to study Tolkien.

Part of my English degree (make jokes as you will!). I hope in the time that I'm a teacher LotR becomes a widely taught literary text.

 

[Altazor]

His fastidious nature would probably see him dismiss much modern fantasy, especially those derivative of his work. He would most probably take a detached scholarly viewpoint as he tended to do later on in his life with his own work. One of the reasons he was never able to finish the Silmarillion to his satisfaction.

But, he did read for pleasure and even liked Mary Renault's historical fiction novels, so that is a possible indication of where his reading pleasures would lie as there is a cornucopia of historical fiction now.

Welcome back, ED - we missed you!

And yes, I guess I was thinking along the same lines, but you put it so much better than what I was trying to go for. I guess Tolkien would've hated the more cynical and shallow modern fantasy that derives from his work, the fact that it takes a lot of elements and yet removes the context in which they are relevant.
I just wonder what he would've thought of A Song of Ice and Fire. GRRM trying to openly subvert some of Tolkien's tropes without being overly cynical or antagonistic towards him.

 

[Edmond Dantès]

I think working on Tolkien for my dissertation was hard at first, as I couldn't narrow down what I wanted to write about. I find every facet of his world fascinating.

I'm sure you'll do well, you've always come across as having a thoroughly good grasp on Tolkien's Legendarium, especially the themes that the critics tend to dismiss and overlook.

Welcome back, ED - we missed you!

And yes, I guess I was thinking along the same lines, but you put it so much better than what I was trying to go for. I guess Tolkien would've hated the more cynical and shallow modern fantasy that derives from his work, the fact that it takes a lot of elements and yet removes the context in which they are relevant.
I just wonder what he would've thought of A Song of Ice and Fire. GRRM trying to openly subvert some of Tolkien's tropes without being overly cynical or antagonistic towards him.

Owing to Tolkien's Catholicism and prevailing attitudes of his generation, the sex may well have bothered him somewhat. His style of romance was more in the classical vein, but nonetheless he would have seen much to his liking.