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Old 06-18-2004, 06:33 AM   #3
mark12_30
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Eomer, I've edited my original post.

I'll talk a little bit about "high, purged of the gross". By "high" I think he means "heroic", in one sense, and also highly moral in another sense. Some people use the phrase "called higher" in a moral sense; I think Tolkien would like that phrase. There are many different aspects of this.

As a quick (and dirty) example, as Tolkien tells the story, I don't think there are many moments in the common activities of the characters in LOTR that one would respond to with "Eeew, gross." Tolkien reserves the feeling of slimy revulsion for the works of the enemy. When they get to the Dead Marshes, Shelob and her lair, orcs and their strongholds, and (interestingly) Gollum eating whatever he can find, *then* we are meant to feel revulsion.

As another instance, when Frodo and Sam get to Dagorlad, and there are ashes and oily pits everywhere, Sam's response is "I feel sick." We are meant to understand that the whole place nauseates him. But notice that Tolkien doesn't say that he loses his lunch; that would be "gross", wouldn't it?

One can argue that it's natural enough to lose one's lunch when one is nauseated, and I doubt Tolkien would argue; but he chose not to discuss it in detail, only to hint at the possibility. We could call it "tasteful", we could call it decorum or propriety. Or we could cal it "heroic tone"; none of the old epics talk about things we think of as normal and messy and unpleasant.

But there are many other aspects of Tolkien's "high" aspirations. For instance, Tolkien states somewhere in the appendices talking about orc speech, that it was actually a lot worse than he reported. Worse how? More obscene? More blasphemous? More vulgar? He specifically does *not* tell us. Why? Because that would lower the tone of the tale.

There are many aspects like this, where Tolkien *just doesn't talk* about stuff.

Does Tolkien fandom reflect that? Do Tolkien fans want to reflect that? Do we value that? What's good about it?
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