Tolkien's Funny Bone

[Kuruharan]

I don't have time to respond at length, I'm afraid.

But I don't see the Silmarillion this way. In fact, if you ask me, the Silmarillion is at the opposite extreme - it's an intensely serious work. In fact, it's one of the few works I can think of that is just about utterly devoid of humor.

-Aiwendil

-and-

So are you saying that comedy lies in the eye of the beholder?

-Bethberry

Bethberry basically restated my point in a much more concise (and intelligible) manner.

But I don't see the Silmarillion this way. In fact, if you ask me, the Silmarillion is at the opposite extreme - it's an intensely serious work. In fact, it's one of the few works I can think of that is just about utterly devoid of humor.

The same thing could be said of Dr. Strangelove if you wanted to view it from that perspective.

The stories are constructed with different goals in mind. Kubrick designed Dr. Strangelove to be funny complete with witty dialogue, etc. Tolkien was intending The Sil to be serious and he did this through dialogue and tone. You are not going to be reading The Sil for hilarious dialogue...unless your sense of humor is truly bizarre.