<font face="Verdana"><table><TR><TD><FONT SIZE="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Wight
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Re: Smith of Wootton Major
Greetings Mithadan,
Thanks for the rewelcome [although I fear this wight will not be haunting the downs long this next couple of seasons] ,
I almost mentioned something about the sense of continuity w/ ME that is latant in Smith of WM, as if it is some 5th or 6th age story, I won't pretend there are not impossibilities in this, but the spirit of it is the same, and I think you hit the nail on the head w/ theeriol-aelfwine/cottage of lost play connection. I would go so far as to say that smith might have been JRRT's way ofsalvaging those elements he held dear in Lost tales about the English Myth and commoners having access to elvendom and thus a rememberance of the wonderous that is possible in everday life if one is willing and able to make journeys into territory that simply is not on the maps of most folks' reality .
I feel there is a thread running through Farmer Giles [ all sense of the wonderous seems to be gone even though there are still magic swords and dragons [and primitive guns!] and then to Leaf by Niggle where the outside world [ours or a communist style one] is devoid of the wonder of Elvenhome[I have a hard time bringing myself to use Faerie-as it just does not carry the associations for me that it seems to have for the Prof.] except in
stray peices of art. The world of Noggle seems hopelessly polarized into dull practicalists and ineffective idealists; magic [another word I try and avoid] or a sense of childlike wonder has disappeared from everyday life as seen in Niggle not being able to share w/ love with his curmudgony neighbor and Parish{?} being unable to see the beauty peeping through his neighbors Magnum Opus.
Tolkien seems to see this duality which has become nearly crystallized in modern times as being only capable of cure in Paradise.
I wonder if 'What Dreams May Come " was inspired by Leaf [sans reincarnation]?
I was certainly reminded of it, mountains trees and all.
Well that has exhausted the water in that well for me - unless there was to be an elaboration on how to bring wonder into daily life w/out becoming an ineffectual diletante [ but as I am still working on that one I await the wisdom of others: ) .
Lindil
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The dwindling Men of the West would often sit up late into the night exchanging lore & wisdom such as they still possessed that they should not fall back into the mean estate of those who never knew or indeed rebelled against the Light.
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