Posted by
Hemos
on from the from-way-back-in-the-vaults dept.
AngrySpud writes "For those LotR fans out there, Salon.com has posted an MP3 of J.R.R. Tolkien himself reading from The Two Towers. It can be found here."
These were released -- on this side of the Atlantic, at least -- a few years ago by HarperCollins, who have their own Tolkien imprint. There's a double cassette of the great man, not only reading, but singing all those elven things that I tend to skip over in the book.
If you're interested, wander over to here (which is a frame inside this)
Say to thorin 'carry me'|say to thorin 'go window'|se|e|se|e|get ring|n|d|n|go crack
Incredible scope? Incredible scope?!?! Damn, that's an understatement. It requires five pages of genealogical charts, a pronunciation guide, dozens of pages of glossary, a fold out map, an index, and footnotes every other page just to make heads or tails of it.
For comparison, I've never seen a history textbook with that much scope, nor that much detail.
-- .sig: Now legally binding!
...and in other news.
by
spellcheckur
·
· Score: 5
Next week on the Micro$oft website, William Gates himself reading from the M$ End User License Agreement...
He tried to get it published several times before the
Hobbit was even written, and nearly gave up in frustration. If he had, we never would have had the Hobbit, nor the
LotR.
The really remarkable thing about the Silmarillion, IMO, is that it was apparently never really finished. Tolkein continued to revise and completely rewrite sections well after the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings were published. Part of the reason that the Silmarillion is of such uneven tone and polish throughout is that some of the stories hadn't been revised since the 1930's, while others had been rewritten shortly before his death. The Silmarillion as published was really a compilation of stories in different stages of revision, and even from slightly different stages of his conception of the underlying story, edited just enough to ensure coherence, as they existed at the time of Tolkein's death.
This stuff is revealed (in inordinate detail) in the whole History of Middle Earth series, which is basically his son's editing and deciphering of his papers. If you're a hardcore Tolkein fan, or just somebody who's very interested in the creative process, it's fascinating to see how the stories developed over time. What is particularly interesting is the way in which elements that were minor and trivial in the earliest versions gradually became more important, and vice versa. It makes you wonder if such a thing could even be possible today, given the way that people tend to overwrite their old word processing files instead of leaving paper copies of their work at different stages around to be looked over by later scholars.
--
There's no point in questioning authority if you aren't going to listen to the answers.
OK, I consider myself something of an expert on the LOTR, having read dozens of times, as well as "The Road To Middle Earth", the Silmarillion, and the entire history. Anyway.
The plot is NOT illogical. There is an excellent reason why Frodo is chosen to carry the ring, and not Gandalf, Glorfindel, or one of the other much more powerful characters.
The Ring tends to corrupt anyone who owns it, and is a huge temptation for the powerful. Gandalf was offered the Ring by Frodo and refused it, since he knew it would make him far more powerful, but also that he would not be able to resist the urge to use it... "Do not tempt me!... I shall have such need of it".
Frodo, on the other hand, has far less innate power and thus is not so tempted. Even so, by the time he and Sam get to Mordor Frodo has reached the point where he can barely resist using the ring, and certainly cannot throw it into the Fire on his own willpower.
If you didn't get that fundamental point in the plot, no wonder you didn't enjoy the book.
Didn't you notice the discussion between Gandalf and Denethor about the ring? Denethor, who has great power, makes exactly the same complaint you do."To send this... in the hands of a witless halfling [into Mordor] is foolishness".
But Gandalf replies "Were it buried beneath the roots of [Mount] Mindolluin, still it would burn your mind away.... I do not trust you... Nay, stay your anger! I do not trust myself in this matter".
And that is why Frodo carried the ring. Please, read the book again - or at least the two chapters "The Shadow of the Past" and "The Council of Elrond" from the first book. All of this stuff is very carefully set up by Tolkien so the rest of the book follows logically from these premises.
Torrey Hoffman (Azog)
-- Torrey Hoffman (Azog) "HTML needs a rant tag" - Alan Cox
If you're a hardcore Tolkein fan, or just somebody who's very interested in the creative process, it's fascinating to see how the stories developed over time. What is particularly interesting is the way in which elements that were minor and trivial in the earliest versions gradually became more important, and vice versa.
Although if you do read those books you will probably be shocked to find out that Strider was originally called "Trotter" and "Trotter" was a Hobbit and not a Numenorian. An incredible read, for the hardcore fan, but it does put a little ding in the magic...
In later years a Tolkein-groupie approached my grandmother asking all sorts of questions about Mrs Tolkein, her theory being that Galadriel was based on her.
Tolkien imagined his wife more as Luthien, the most beautiful woman to have ever lived. Read about her in the story of Beren and Luthien in the Silmarillion. A love so strong that it defied the gods and death itself. In fact, John's and Edith's tombstones read:
EDITH MARY TOLKIEN LUTHIEN 1889-1971
JOHN RONALD REUEL TOLKIEN BEREN 1892-1973
They refused the ring simply because they knew it too well
No. The powerful (Gandalf, Galadriel) didn't refuse the One Ring because they "knew it too well". What would that have to do with it? They refused it because they knew it would corrupt them and turn them to evil.
It was their skills that Sauron had copied in order to make it.
No. Sauron did not copy the Elves' skills to make the one ring. He gave the elves (Celebrimbor, actually) much of the neccessary knowlege, and he had a hand in making all the rings except the Three (Narya, Nenya, and Vilya). He was the source of the knowlege for making the rings.
But since Sauron was giving this information to Celebrimbor, he knew more than he said and thus was able to forge the One Ring to rule all the others. While he wore the One Ring, he could read the thoughts of the other ring bearers.
they did not know almost anything about hobbits and their resistance to magic or the other physical wounds that you mention as no hobbit before Frodo and his friends had been in such an adventure
No. Gandalf was an expert on Hobbits. And Bilbo had been on a similar, if lesser adventure. Gandalf knew that Bilbo had amazing powers of resistance to the Ring, and knew that Frodo could resist it as well. After all, Frodo had kept the ring for about twenty years already at the start of the story without too much effect, and Gandalf had been keeping an eye on him to see how he did.
It seems to me that when Tolkien was writing this, whenever he got stuck he thought "Oh, time to bring Gandalf to save the day".
Actually, if you read the history of the LOTR you can find out a lot of what Tolkien was thinking as he designed the plot. Gandalf certainly saves the day sometimes, but what would you expect - he is the most powerful, magic-using person short of Sauron himself. But Gandalf can't be everywhere. When he saved Faramir from the funeral pyre, a consequence of it was that Eowyn and Merry had to face the chief of the Nine Riders unaided - and very nearly died as a result. Gandalf had planned to be in the battle instead of saving Faramir, and he worried aloud about the consequences.
but it does not come close to becoming a proper mythology (like the ancient Greek legents with real heroes battling real monsters and god
Uh, have you actually read any Greek mythology? Do you know how little sense that stuff makes? Do greek myths have maps, a cast of thousands of characters, a continuous and consistant imaginary history spanning thousands of years... Ok enough ranting.
Torrey Hoffman (Azog)
-- Torrey Hoffman (Azog) "HTML needs a rant tag" - Alan Cox
It is difficult to have a battle of wits with an unarmed man. I'm not meaning that personally, but you do not have a good grasp of the material.
You are wrong. Gandalf, Elrond, Aragorn, Galadriel all refuse the ring because they fear that they will succomb to it's power. Galadriel's temptation is the most elegant and complete description of this temptation. The Council of Elrond provides the background. Frodo knew very well the burden he was bearing, and what it was capable of. That is why he offered it to Galadriel, because he saw the good she could do with it; she saw the evil.
Sauron did not copy the skills of Gandalf, Elrond, or Galadriel. The elven rings were made by Celebrimbor (grandson of Feanor the greatest elven smith ever) and Sauron never touched them. However, since their construction was dependent upon ring lore which Sauron revealed to Celebrimbor, they were still slaves to the One Ring.
The Elves were not the supreme race on earth. You seem convinced of that and I don't understand why. Read the Silmarillion, find out why the Elves were glad for the arrival of the Edain (men) into Beleriand because they were a hardy race and able to keep watch on Morgoth (Sauron's mentor; think Emperor to Sauron's Darth Vader) in the extreme cold where the elves would not go for long. Read about how the dwarves were the only ones to withstand the onslaught of the Father of Dragons, Glaurung, while the elves fled. Find out about Turin Turambar who slew Glaurung, and Hurin his father, the greatest warrior to ever live, who defended the retreat of the elves during the 5th battle and was the last on the field that day, killing 70 trolls as he hacked through the ranks of the bodyguard of the Lord of Balrogs.
The Wise did know of Hobbits. Gandalf had taken an interest in them for many years and long studied them. The Dunedain, the survivors of the ancient kingdom of Arthedain (of which Aragorn was chief), had long guarded the Shire and kept watch on the hobbits. Bilbo had adventures, had carried the ring, and he was known and loved by elves, dwarves, and men. He had found the One Ring, saved the dwarves, helped bring about the downfall of the great dragon Smaug, and indirectly helped bring Elves, men, dwarves, and eagles together to wipe out a large portion of the goblins in that area of the world. Bilbo legitimized hobbits like no other. The Wise knew of hobbits.
Two lesser hobbits? I assume you mean Merry and Pippin. The two hobbits who raised the Ents to take action and destroy Saruman's war machine? The hobbits who became knights of two of the most powerful kingdoms of men? The hobbits who helped with the killing of the Chief of the Nazgul, who helped recover the Shire from Saruman's clutches, who sat exposed to the will of Sauron himself through the palantir and resisted as even Saruman could not?
Gandalf does not just ride in to save the day. He sacrificed himself against the Balrog, yes. If not him, Aragorn, or Boromir, or Legolas would have. He did not lead the Hourns to Helm's Deep, they came because of their hatred of orcs, they were mustered by the Ents, who were roused to fight by Treebeard, who was convinced by the two hobbits you discounted. Gandalf was not a deux ex machina, as you would have him be. His appearances and arrival make good sense. Did he save the hobbits from Old Man Willow? The Barrow Wights? Bree? Weathertop? Shelob's Lair? Cirith Ungol? No, he did not. Did he seize an opportunity to direct the eagles to the rescue of Frodo and Sam once the ring had been destroyed? Yes, he is intelligent and knew what was happening.
The Lord of the Rings is not a children's story in the sense that you mean it. It is high fantasy, epic, dark, glorious, and real. Many people hold that themes get repeated, and the same is true for LotR. Tolkien was a professor of Anglo-Saxon literature and he drew upon many stories, names, legends, etc to create his work. In fact, he did such a good job, that Tolkien's very complete fantasy world helps a modern reader better understand such works as Beawulf, King Arthur, and the Ring Cycle. It can however, be enjoyed by children and adults.
Boromir was not a weak human. In fact, he is a typical man. Strong, capable, and frustrated that he can not exercise his will (which in his heart he believes to be pure) for the good of everyone. He was strong in that he realized his errors and short comings. Boromir is everyman in a very real way.
There are very good reasons why the Lord of the Rings is a book/books that appears at the top of every most influential books list. I'm sorry that you are missing them.
"'The Lord of the Rings', on which he'd worked for over 14 years, had been refused by publishers and he had almost given up hope of ever seeing it in print."
How close...
IMHO, the world would be a worse place without this book (these books). And I'm sure there are plenty of others out there who will agree with me.
Thanks for this, Hemos. Don't know why I like this, but I really do.
Not to mention that the man was dead before anyone picked up the Silmarillion, which is an absolutely amazing piece of work, once you take the time and patience to read it. The scope of it is simply incredible. To give people who have read the LotR perspective, that entire series' synopsis resides in the last six or so pages of the Silmarillion. It is that dense in its storytelling, and the stories are far more beautiful and fantastic. He tried to get it published several times before the Hobbit was even written, and nearly gave up in frustration. If he had, we never would have had the Hobbit, nor the LotR.
Its interesting isn't it, that almost all geeks seem to be into fantasy/roleplaying and all like the same kind of stuff, star trek, tolkein etc.
I've lost count of the wasted hours I've spent on some of the old warhammer games, sometimes the line between fantasy and reality became somewhat blurred
The herbal remedies I was partaking of at the time probably did not help, but then, that also goes with being a geek.
Another thing seems to be that it is the Unix geeks above all who seem to have a higher artistic sensibility, and like tolkien more than the average NT geek, for whom the "hitchhikers guide to the galaxy" seems to hold more interest. I suppose it could be because reading tolkien is very similar to the old 'colossal cave' adventures that many of us older geeks cut our teeth on.
Go North
I cannot go north
You have been killed by a Kobold
etc etc etc
I wonder if there is some kind of 'geek gene' that we have all inherited? Tolkein has so many subtle depths and hidden meanings, and thats before you even start to problematize (look it up on google) the text. Was Gandalf a homosexual? Was the hobbit an African-american ? There is just so much to take in.
Could the current popularity of the 'Harry Potter' series of books be due to the recent emergence of the 'cool geek' and 'geek chic' ?
It is excellent that these recordings have been released. It will be good to hear the words of one of the greatest and most creative writers of the millenium speak to us down the generations. My sister enjoys painting scenes from the Hobbit, and hopefully these words will give her a new creative input.
Knowing more about the creator means you know more about his works. I look forward to appreciating his genius all the more.
KTB:Lover, Poet, Artiste, Aesthete, Programmer.
--
KTB:Lover, Poet, Artiste, Aesthete, Programmer. There is no
Don't you think that it would far less cynical to simply wait before condemning unfinished movies for not living up to your expectations? Not all movies have ruined the books they were based upon. For example, I thought that the Princess Bride was a rather good adaptation. Mostly I think it comes down to the ethics of the producers, the dedication of the director, a faithful screenplay and a well chosen cast. From what I have seen, all of these criteria are at least plausibly being met.
For this story, none of this applies, as it is simply Tolkein reading verbatim from his own manuscript. And that recording is old... Why not try and find more of these, as they are out there?
My grandparents were Tolkein's neighbours in Oxford shortly after LOTR became well-known. Apparently they kept fairly much to themselves (Tolkein & wife).
In later years a Tolkein-groupie approached my grandmother asking all sorts of questions about Mrs Tolkein, her theory being that Galadriel was based on her. My grandmother had to break it to her that Mrs Tolkein was actually short, plump, and completely down to earth and unimaginitive.
Just some Tolkein trivia for yas.
Pentapod
-- All I ask is a warm bed, a kind word, and UNLIMITED POWER
Slashdot Mirror
These were released -- on this side of the Atlantic, at least -- a few years ago by HarperCollins, who have their own Tolkien imprint. There's a double cassette of the great man, not only reading, but singing all those elven things that I tend to skip over in the book.
If you're interested, wander over to here (which is a frame inside this)
Say to thorin 'carry me'|say to thorin 'go window'|se|e|se|e|get ring|n|d|n|go crack
Incredible scope? Incredible scope?!?! Damn, that's an understatement. It requires five pages of genealogical charts, a pronunciation guide, dozens of pages of glossary, a fold out map, an index, and footnotes every other page just to make heads or tails of it.
For comparison, I've never seen a history textbook with that much scope, nor that much detail.
.sig: Now legally binding!
Next week on the Micro$oft website, William Gates himself reading from the M$ End User License Agreement...
Cool, he came out of the grave to help promote the new films. Now that is professionalism
Slashdot: Proof that a million monkeys at a million typewriters can create a masterpiece
MP3 without annoying pop-up
Refrag
I have a website. It's about Macs.
The really remarkable thing about the Silmarillion, IMO, is that it was apparently never really finished. Tolkein continued to revise and completely rewrite sections well after the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings were published. Part of the reason that the Silmarillion is of such uneven tone and polish throughout is that some of the stories hadn't been revised since the 1930's, while others had been rewritten shortly before his death. The Silmarillion as published was really a compilation of stories in different stages of revision, and even from slightly different stages of his conception of the underlying story, edited just enough to ensure coherence, as they existed at the time of Tolkein's death.
This stuff is revealed (in inordinate detail) in the whole History of Middle Earth series, which is basically his son's editing and deciphering of his papers. If you're a hardcore Tolkein fan, or just somebody who's very interested in the creative process, it's fascinating to see how the stories developed over time. What is particularly interesting is the way in which elements that were minor and trivial in the earliest versions gradually became more important, and vice versa. It makes you wonder if such a thing could even be possible today, given the way that people tend to overwrite their old word processing files instead of leaving paper copies of their work at different stages around to be looked over by later scholars.
There's no point in questioning authority if you aren't going to listen to the answers.
OK, I consider myself something of an expert on the LOTR, having read dozens of times, as well as "The Road To Middle Earth", the Silmarillion, and the entire history. Anyway.
... I shall have such need of it".
... in the hands of a witless halfling [into Mordor] is foolishness".
... I do not trust you ... Nay, stay your anger! I do not trust myself in this matter".
The plot is NOT illogical. There is an excellent reason why Frodo is chosen to carry the ring, and not Gandalf, Glorfindel, or one of the other much more powerful characters.
The Ring tends to corrupt anyone who owns it, and is a huge temptation for the powerful. Gandalf was offered the Ring by Frodo and refused it, since he knew it would make him far more powerful, but also that he would not be able to resist the urge to use it... "Do not tempt me!
Frodo, on the other hand, has far less innate power and thus is not so tempted. Even so, by the time he and Sam get to Mordor Frodo has reached the point where he can barely resist using the ring, and certainly cannot throw it into the Fire on his own willpower.
If you didn't get that fundamental point in the plot, no wonder you didn't enjoy the book.
Didn't you notice the discussion between Gandalf and Denethor about the ring? Denethor, who has great power, makes exactly the same complaint you do. "To send this
But Gandalf replies "Were it buried beneath the roots of [Mount] Mindolluin, still it would burn your mind away.
And that is why Frodo carried the ring. Please, read the book again - or at least the two chapters "The Shadow of the Past" and "The Council of Elrond" from the first book. All of this stuff is very carefully set up by Tolkien so the rest of the book follows logically from these premises.
Torrey Hoffman (Azog)
Torrey Hoffman (Azog)
"HTML needs a rant tag" - Alan Cox
If you're a hardcore Tolkein fan, or just somebody who's very interested in the creative process, it's fascinating to see how the stories developed over time. What is particularly interesting is the way in which elements that were minor and trivial in the earliest versions gradually became more important, and vice versa.
Although if you do read those books you will probably be shocked to find out that Strider was originally called "Trotter" and "Trotter" was a Hobbit and not a Numenorian. An incredible read, for the hardcore fan, but it does put a little ding in the magic...
Try to hack my 31337 firewall!
In later years a Tolkein-groupie approached my grandmother asking all sorts of questions about Mrs Tolkein, her theory being that Galadriel was based on her.
Tolkien imagined his wife more as Luthien, the most beautiful woman to have ever lived. Read about her in the story of Beren and Luthien in the Silmarillion. A love so strong that it defied the gods and death itself. In fact, John's and Edith's tombstones read:
EDITH MARY TOLKIEN LUTHIEN 1889-1971JOHN RONALD REUEL TOLKIEN BEREN 1892-1973
No. Sauron did not copy the Elves' skills to make the one ring. He gave the elves (Celebrimbor, actually) much of the neccessary knowlege, and he had a hand in making all the rings except the Three (Narya, Nenya, and Vilya). He was the source of the knowlege for making the rings.
But since Sauron was giving this information to Celebrimbor, he knew more than he said and thus was able to forge the One Ring to rule all the others. While he wore the One Ring, he could read the thoughts of the other ring bearers.
No. Gandalf was an expert on Hobbits. And Bilbo had been on a similar, if lesser adventure. Gandalf knew that Bilbo had amazing powers of resistance to the Ring, and knew that Frodo could resist it as well. After all, Frodo had kept the ring for about twenty years already at the start of the story without too much effect, and Gandalf had been keeping an eye on him to see how he did.
Actually, if you read the history of the LOTR you can find out a lot of what Tolkien was thinking as he designed the plot. Gandalf certainly saves the day sometimes, but what would you expect - he is the most powerful, magic-using person short of Sauron himself. But Gandalf can't be everywhere. When he saved Faramir from the funeral pyre, a consequence of it was that Eowyn and Merry had to face the chief of the Nine Riders unaided - and very nearly died as a result. Gandalf had planned to be in the battle instead of saving Faramir, and he worried aloud about the consequences.
Uh, have you actually read any Greek mythology? Do you know how little sense that stuff makes? Do greek myths have maps, a cast of thousands of characters, a continuous and consistant imaginary history spanning thousands of years... Ok enough ranting.
Torrey Hoffman (Azog)
Torrey Hoffman (Azog)
"HTML needs a rant tag" - Alan Cox
It is difficult to have a battle of wits with an unarmed man. I'm not meaning that personally, but you do not have a good grasp of the material.
You are wrong. Gandalf, Elrond, Aragorn, Galadriel all refuse the ring because they fear that they will succomb to it's power. Galadriel's temptation is the most elegant and complete description of this temptation. The Council of Elrond provides the background. Frodo knew very well the burden he was bearing, and what it was capable of. That is why he offered it to Galadriel, because he saw the good she could do with it; she saw the evil.
Sauron did not copy the skills of Gandalf, Elrond, or Galadriel. The elven rings were made by Celebrimbor (grandson of Feanor the greatest elven smith ever) and Sauron never touched them. However, since their construction was dependent upon ring lore which Sauron revealed to Celebrimbor, they were still slaves to the One Ring.
The Elves were not the supreme race on earth. You seem convinced of that and I don't understand why. Read the Silmarillion, find out why the Elves were glad for the arrival of the Edain (men) into Beleriand because they were a hardy race and able to keep watch on Morgoth (Sauron's mentor; think Emperor to Sauron's Darth Vader) in the extreme cold where the elves would not go for long. Read about how the dwarves were the only ones to withstand the onslaught of the Father of Dragons, Glaurung, while the elves fled. Find out about Turin Turambar who slew Glaurung, and Hurin his father, the greatest warrior to ever live, who defended the retreat of the elves during the 5th battle and was the last on the field that day, killing 70 trolls as he hacked through the ranks of the bodyguard of the Lord of Balrogs.
The Wise did know of Hobbits. Gandalf had taken an interest in them for many years and long studied them. The Dunedain, the survivors of the ancient kingdom of Arthedain (of which Aragorn was chief), had long guarded the Shire and kept watch on the hobbits. Bilbo had adventures, had carried the ring, and he was known and loved by elves, dwarves, and men. He had found the One Ring, saved the dwarves, helped bring about the downfall of the great dragon Smaug, and indirectly helped bring Elves, men, dwarves, and eagles together to wipe out a large portion of the goblins in that area of the world. Bilbo legitimized hobbits like no other. The Wise knew of hobbits.
Two lesser hobbits? I assume you mean Merry and Pippin. The two hobbits who raised the Ents to take action and destroy Saruman's war machine? The hobbits who became knights of two of the most powerful kingdoms of men? The hobbits who helped with the killing of the Chief of the Nazgul, who helped recover the Shire from Saruman's clutches, who sat exposed to the will of Sauron himself through the palantir and resisted as even Saruman could not?
Gandalf does not just ride in to save the day. He sacrificed himself against the Balrog, yes. If not him, Aragorn, or Boromir, or Legolas would have. He did not lead the Hourns to Helm's Deep, they came because of their hatred of orcs, they were mustered by the Ents, who were roused to fight by Treebeard, who was convinced by the two hobbits you discounted. Gandalf was not a deux ex machina, as you would have him be. His appearances and arrival make good sense. Did he save the hobbits from Old Man Willow? The Barrow Wights? Bree? Weathertop? Shelob's Lair? Cirith Ungol? No, he did not. Did he seize an opportunity to direct the eagles to the rescue of Frodo and Sam once the ring had been destroyed? Yes, he is intelligent and knew what was happening.
The Lord of the Rings is not a children's story in the sense that you mean it. It is high fantasy, epic, dark, glorious, and real. Many people hold that themes get repeated, and the same is true for LotR. Tolkien was a professor of Anglo-Saxon literature and he drew upon many stories, names, legends, etc to create his work. In fact, he did such a good job, that Tolkien's very complete fantasy world helps a modern reader better understand such works as Beawulf, King Arthur, and the Ring Cycle. It can however, be enjoyed by children and adults.
Boromir was not a weak human. In fact, he is a typical man. Strong, capable, and frustrated that he can not exercise his will (which in his heart he believes to be pure) for the good of everyone. He was strong in that he realized his errors and short comings. Boromir is everyman in a very real way.
There are very good reasons why the Lord of the Rings is a book/books that appears at the top of every most influential books list. I'm sorry that you are missing them.
How close...
IMHO, the world would be a worse place without this book (these books). And I'm sure there are plenty of others out there who will agree with me.
Thanks for this, Hemos. Don't know why I like this, but I really do.
JJ
Its interesting isn't it, that almost all geeks seem to be into fantasy/roleplaying and all like the same kind of stuff, star trek, tolkein etc.
I've lost count of the wasted hours I've spent on some of the old warhammer games, sometimes the line between fantasy and reality became somewhat blurred
The herbal remedies I was partaking of at the time probably did not help, but then, that also goes with being a geek.
Another thing seems to be that it is the Unix geeks above all who seem to have a higher artistic sensibility, and like tolkien more than the average NT geek, for whom the "hitchhikers guide to the galaxy" seems to hold more interest.
I suppose it could be because reading tolkien is very similar to the old 'colossal cave' adventures that many of us older geeks cut our teeth on.
Go North
I cannot go north
You have been killed by a Kobold
etc etc etc
I wonder if there is some kind of 'geek gene' that we have all inherited? Tolkein has so many subtle depths and hidden meanings, and thats before you even start to problematize (look it up on google) the text.
Was Gandalf a homosexual? Was the hobbit an African-american ? There is just so much to take in.
Could the current popularity of the 'Harry Potter' series of books be due to the recent emergence of the 'cool geek' and 'geek chic' ?
Knowing more about the creator means you know more about his works. I look forward to appreciating his genius all the more.
KTB:Lover, Poet, Artiste, Aesthete, Programmer.
KTB:Lover, Poet, Artiste, Aesthete, Programmer.
There is no
Don't you think that it would far less cynical to simply wait before condemning unfinished movies for not living up to your expectations? Not all movies have ruined the books they were based upon. For example, I thought that the Princess Bride was a rather good adaptation. Mostly I think it comes down to the ethics of the producers, the dedication of the director, a faithful screenplay and a well chosen cast. From what I have seen, all of these criteria are at least plausibly being met.
For this story, none of this applies, as it is simply Tolkein reading verbatim from his own manuscript. And that recording is old... Why not try and find more of these, as they are out there?
My grandparents were Tolkein's neighbours in Oxford shortly after LOTR became well-known. Apparently they kept fairly much to themselves (Tolkein & wife).
In later years a Tolkein-groupie approached my grandmother asking all sorts of questions about Mrs Tolkein, her theory being that Galadriel was based on her. My grandmother had to break it to her that Mrs Tolkein was actually short, plump, and completely down to earth and unimaginitive.
Just some Tolkein trivia for yas.
Pentapod
All I ask is a warm bed, a kind word, and UNLIMITED POWER
That Tolkein's Gollum sounds a lot like Yoda. (OK... that should be the other way around...)
DrLunch.com The site that tells you what's for lunch!