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**lindil** · 10-09-2002, 01:01 PM

"how do you define canon"

Orodhromeus
Wight

Member # 2045

Member Rated:

posted March 19, 2002 04:04 PM
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To start with, I can't pretend to be a Tolkien expert (far from it, though I promise someday I will be, it needs work ), but I would like to clear up some things. I'm beginning to read the earlier posts and forgive me if my answers are already there, though I'm certain this matter is still debatable. But amidst all of Tolkien's posthumous work, it's hard to decide what can be considered as canon, what material was earlier work later abandoned, what was unfinished drafts and so on. Tolkien was a perfectionist - the number of his published work while was alive shows this - and much was left uncompleted. How much unfinished are the published "Unfinished Tales"? What can be unarguably considered as canon?
And, most of all, what was the extent of Christopher Tolkien's reworking, editing, rewriting, pasting? What did he originally have and how much did he "harm" the original excerpts of writings to assemble a Silmarillion? For the HoME series? I don't mean disrespect for him, but the introduction of the Silmarillion doesn't help me much, and I have yet to find a HoME volume... I think such matters ought to be solved before the fans sink into the details of a revised Silmarillion, with all due respect.

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Posts: 209 | From: Greece | Registered: Mar 2002 | IP: Logged

Mhoram
Dead and Loving It

Member # 208

Member Rated:

posted March 19, 2002 05:08 PM
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Well, all I can say is that to answer your questions you are going to have to study HoME. Based on having done that I think Chris did a good job, he harmed very little imo.
As far as defining canon, I suggest the two articles by Micheal Martinez that you will find links to in the thread "A funny thing happened on the way to the forum"

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\m/ Lyrics...wasted time between guitar solos! \m/

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Posts: 420 | From: The land of fast cars and loud guitars. | Registered: Apr 2001 | IP: Logged

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10-09-2002, 01:01 PM	#6
lindil Seeker of the Straight Path Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: a hidden fastness in Big Valley nor cal Posts: 1,681	"how do you define canon" Orodhromeus Wight Member # 2045 Member Rated: posted March 19, 2002 04:04 PM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To start with, I can't pretend to be a Tolkien expert (far from it, though I promise someday I will be, it needs work ), but I would like to clear up some things. I'm beginning to read the earlier posts and forgive me if my answers are already there, though I'm certain this matter is still debatable. But amidst all of Tolkien's posthumous work, it's hard to decide what can be considered as canon, what material was earlier work later abandoned, what was unfinished drafts and so on. Tolkien was a perfectionist - the number of his published work while was alive shows this - and much was left uncompleted. How much unfinished are the published "Unfinished Tales"? What can be unarguably considered as canon? And, most of all, what was the extent of Christopher Tolkien's reworking, editing, rewriting, pasting? What did he originally have and how much did he "harm" the original excerpts of writings to assemble a Silmarillion? For the HoME series? I don't mean disrespect for him, but the introduction of the Silmarillion doesn't help me much, and I have yet to find a HoME volume... I think such matters ought to be solved before the fans sink into the details of a revised Silmarillion, with all due respect. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posts: 209 \| From: Greece \| Registered: Mar 2002 \| IP: Logged Mhoram Dead and Loving It Member # 208 Member Rated: posted March 19, 2002 05:08 PM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Well, all I can say is that to answer your questions you are going to have to study HoME. Based on having done that I think Chris did a good job, he harmed very little imo. As far as defining canon, I suggest the two articles by Micheal Martinez that you will find links to in the thread "A funny thing happened on the way to the forum" -------------------- \m/ Lyrics...wasted time between guitar solos! \m/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posts: 420 \| From: The land of fast cars and loud guitars. \| Registered: Apr 2001 \| IP: Logged All times are Eastern U.S. Time __________________ 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.