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Iarwain · 10-27-2007, 09:41 PM

I spent several years of my life reading, re-reading, thinking, talking, and writing about Tolkien and his books. I got much enjoyment out of doing so, but since then I've "seen the light" so to speak. What did the light tell me?

There are much better books out there.

Yes, Tolkien is wonderful. I adore the Lord of the Rings, the Silmarillion, the Hobbit, and so on. Yes, he's better than basically anything else in the genre he basically created. Yes, he's even better than most non-fantasy fiction. However, if you haven't realized this already, there is greater literary content beyond the limits of Arda. Even beyond the limits of the sci-fi/fantasy subculture.

A lot of this great literature comes under the musty title of "classic". Titles like "The Iliad", "War and Peace", "Great Expectations", "Les Miserables", and others come to mind. They strike us as impressive, inaccessible, and dull. They are meant for old men wearing tweed jackets who smoke pipes in private studies not far removed from their collections of pinned-down butterflies. This somehow makes them unappealing. We open a massive copy of "The Brothers Karamazov" and feel intimidated, as though we're holding a brick and being asked to scrape through it with our teeth. Outdated translations and long, heady introductions turn us away.

However, I'd like to point out that the reason "classic" books are so "classic" is that they are the so accessible and engaging. They've got exciting plots, interesting characters, but beyond that they tend to have something Tolkien lacks: intellectual content. However much we debate about whether Balrogs have wings, or what sort of being Tom Bombadil was, our discussions lose their significance once we leave them. Other than some nice bits of moral education he may have handed on (things about suffering and self-sacrifice), Tolkien doesn't give us much that we can carry out into reality. This is one big difference between him and the authors that surpass him.

Furthermore, classic novels aren't outdated and probably never will be, because they are so good. We've all heard (and perhaps participated in) discussions about whether J.K. Rowling's books will still be around in a generation or two, but that question has been permanently settled with classic novels. They're here and they're staying, because they are so amazing, because they're well constructed and well told, beautiful, and relevant. They tell us about the world, about ourselves. They show us possibilities and realities and pose difficult questions about life. Questions that help us grow as people (if we think about them).

So, what books exactly am I talking about?

Here's a list (including a lot of non-fiction):

http://books.mirror.org/gb.titles.html

Best Wishes!
Iarwain

10-27-2007, 09:41 PM	#1
Iarwain Pugnaciously Primordial Paradox Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Birnham Wood Posts: 800	Yes, Tolkien is Wonderful, but... I spent several years of my life reading, re-reading, thinking, talking, and writing about Tolkien and his books. I got much enjoyment out of doing so, but since then I've "seen the light" so to speak. What did the light tell me? *There are much better books out there.* Yes, Tolkien is wonderful. I adore the Lord of the Rings, the Silmarillion, the Hobbit, and so on. Yes, he's better than basically anything else in the genre he basically created. Yes, he's even better than most non-fantasy fiction. However, if you haven't realized this already, there is greater literary content beyond the limits of Arda. Even beyond the limits of the sci-fi/fantasy subculture. A lot of this great literature comes under the musty title of "classic". Titles like "The Iliad", "War and Peace", "Great Expectations", "Les Miserables", and others come to mind. They strike us as impressive, inaccessible, and dull. They are meant for old men wearing tweed jackets who smoke pipes in private studies not far removed from their collections of pinned-down butterflies. This somehow makes them unappealing. We open a massive copy of "The Brothers Karamazov" and feel intimidated, as though we're holding a brick and being asked to scrape through it with our teeth. Outdated translations and long, heady introductions turn us away. However, I'd like to point out that the reason "classic" books are so "classic" is that they are the so accessible and engaging. They've got exciting plots, interesting characters, but beyond that they tend to have something Tolkien lacks: intellectual content. However much we debate about whether Balrogs have wings, or what sort of being Tom Bombadil was, our discussions lose their significance once we leave them. Other than some nice bits of moral education he may have handed on (things about suffering and self-sacrifice), Tolkien doesn't give us much that we can carry out into reality. This is one big difference between him and the authors that surpass him. Furthermore, classic novels aren't outdated and probably never will be, because they are so good. We've all heard (and perhaps participated in) discussions about whether J.K. Rowling's books will still be around in a generation or two, but that question has been permanently settled with classic novels. They're here and they're staying, because they are so amazing, because they're well constructed and well told, beautiful, and relevant. They tell us about the world, about ourselves. They show us possibilities and realities and pose difficult questions about life. Questions that help us grow as people (if we think about them). So, what books exactly am I talking about? Here's a list (including a lot of non-fiction): http://books.mirror.org/gb.titles.html Best Wishes! Iarwain __________________ "And what are oaths but words we say to God?"