(excerpted from an e-mail)
Yes, it was inspired by pure language. No, it isn’t based on Wagner’s Ring. Yes, Tolkien was Catholic and theology infuses his work, but no, it isn’t an encoding of Catholic iconography. That would be allegory and Tolkien disliked allegory. No, the Eagles couldn’t have flown the Ring to Mount Doom. No, Aragorn wasn’t reluctant to become king (that one comes from the movie). Yes, Tolkien was a bit racist (and sexist) by our standards, but it’s far more interesting to talk about the ways in which he isn’t racist or sexist, which can be surprisingly extensive. Yes, Middle-earth is our world, not another planet, and it’s a whole world, not just what fits on a tabletop role-playing game.
Kalimac's corner: a journal by DB
So, Christopher Tolkien HASN'T been milking money out of his father's manuscripts?
ReplyDeleteAlthough answering to that comment is part of the Bullshit Asymmetry Law I cannot but write this:
ReplyDeleteYour comment falls under the Bullshit Asymmetry Law.
Nobody else is going to comment on you wasting other people's lives.
Enjoy.
Why scholars rarely mention that LOTR and Silm were more personal for Tolkien, that it's usually perceive? Just read John Garth's books, and your Middle-Earth never be the same.
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