Tolkien and Parody - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Estelyn Telcontar · 09-02-2004, 01:07 AM

Granted, the question "What would Tolkien do?" is facetious! But what would Tolkien think of parodies of his works? We know that he had a wonderful sense of humour from reading his works, but would it have amused him to read spoofs of them, or would he have been annoyed, feeling the plagiaristic aspect as an intrusion on his creation?

Most parodies write "unauthorized" on the front, so it is not necessary to have the author's permission or approval. We joke about JRRT turning in his grave when we read particularly cheeky parodies. (As a matter of fact, Squatter and Underhill "invented" the Travest-O-Meter (TM)

to measure the RPM (rotations per minute). It is presumed to have been destroyed by overload during a recent episode of the "Entish Bow" RPG.

) So are parodists being disrespectful to the work of the original author?

By the way, the above-mentioned apparatus brings yet another term into play here - travesty. How would that be different from parody, spoof, and satire?

(footnote: I just realized that my facetious question is itself a parody! Since the original is a religious topic, I do hope that it's not offensive to anyone. I'm not sure whether my inability to resist a play on words is a strength or a weakness... *sigh* )

09-02-2004, 01:07 AM	#10
Estelyn Telcontar Princess of Skwerlz Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: where the Sea is eastwards (WtR: 6060 miles) Posts: 7,500	W W T D ? Granted, the question "What would Tolkien do?" is facetious! But what would Tolkien think of parodies of his works? We know that he had a wonderful sense of humour from reading his works, but would it have amused him to read spoofs of them, or would he have been annoyed, feeling the plagiaristic aspect as an intrusion on his creation? Most parodies write "unauthorized" on the front, so it is not necessary to have the author's permission or approval. We joke about JRRT turning in his grave when we read particularly cheeky parodies. (As a matter of fact, Squatter and Underhill "invented" the Travest-O-Meter (TM) to measure the RPM (rotations per minute). It is presumed to have been destroyed by overload during a recent episode of the "Entish Bow" RPG. ) So are parodists being disrespectful to the work of the original author? By the way, the above-mentioned apparatus brings yet another term into play here - travesty. How would that be different from parody, spoof, and satire? (footnote: I just realized that my facetious question is itself a parody! Since the original is a religious topic, I do hope that it's not offensive to anyone. I'm not sure whether my inability to resist a play on words is a strength or a weakness... sigh ) __________________ 'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth...' Last edited by Estelyn Telcontar; 09-02-2004 at 01:32 AM.