Quote:
Originally Posted by Iarwain
Haha well, davem, you're much better read than I am. What I'm trying to do is something I wish someone had done for me five years ago. I don't think the fact that there are other really excellent authors is obvious to everyone. I know it wasn't obvious to me. I'm not trying to be patronizing at all. I'm not looking for an argument, or for agreement, I just wanted to make a statement. Obviously there are a lot of people here who don't need to hear this statement, and I beg them not to be offended. I'm not trying to put down the Barrowdowns or make generalizations about the people who post here.
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Thanks, that's a little clearer.
Unfortunately I don't think what you're trying to give to (younger?) Tolkien fans can ever really be given, or taken, at least not in this way. Partly this is because there is so very much great literature in the world. What you seem to be saying is, "The world is full of great books! Go read some!" To which many people (the choir to whom you're largely preaching here at the Downs) will respond, "Yes, thanks, I've done so and will persevere in my quest to read EVERYTHING, just as soon as I claw my way out from under the stack of books that used to be my house..." Unfortunately, the people you seem to be trying to reach (those who don't yet have a well-defined sense of what, to them, is a good read) are likely to be overwhelmed by any list of great authors or works. Where to begin?
Maybe you could share with us something about your own personal journey outward from Tolkien, since it seems to be an important part of your relationship with literature. What was the first book that caught you? What was the first book you read that was "better" (your word, your opinion, your show) than Tolkien? How did you decide to read it? What were the second and third books?
What you've written so far (and pardon me if I'm overstepping the bounds of courtesy) reads a little like a harangue--patronizing to those who've indeed read widely, as you've discovered from the tenor of the responses you've received so far, and perhaps intimidating to those who haven't. Give us a little more to go on, and I'd imagine you'll get a much better reception from both ends.