Middle Earth come to life - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

littlemanpoet · 05-22-2002, 02:53 PM

Yesssss! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] Thank you, Kalessin, for picking up on what I had more or less hoped and intended out of this thread in the first place (but expanded it for a wider discussing audience).

Actually, I think you must have read a pre-edited form of this post, since I think I decided to chuck all that in order to get the wider audience. Hmmm. Anyway:

And now for it:

Yes, I am aware that Tolkien's style is, as you say, not modern as in Steinbeck and the others. In theme, however, I think he is forgotten in error. He is thoroughly modern in what the story is all about. I will not go into a laundry list of themes and expose myself to either extreme of (1) "you forgot the theme of -fill in the blank-", or (2) "the story is simply about itself". As you pointed out, he shares World War One experience with others - I would go so far as to say "modern war" experience. As I have said before, this book could not have been written in any century other than when it was, and of course, Tolkien being a lover of language among other things, HIS story is unlike Steinbeck and most of the other 20th century greats in that it is (out on a limb here) not self-consciously written in order to be published for the writer to be recognized as a relevant author. Rather, it is written foremost because Tolkien loved telling stories. I may have garbled that badly.

05-22-2002, 02:53 PM	#19
littlemanpoet Itinerant Songster Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: The Edge of Faerie Posts: 7,066	Yesssss! [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] Thank you, Kalessin, for picking up on what I had more or less hoped and intended out of this thread in the first place (but expanded it for a wider discussing audience). Actually, I think you must have read a pre-edited form of this post, since I think I decided to chuck all that in order to get the wider audience. Hmmm. Anyway: And now for it: Yes, I am aware that Tolkien's style is, as you say, not modern as in Steinbeck and the others. In theme, however, I think he is forgotten in error. He is thoroughly modern in what the story is all about. I will not go into a laundry list of themes and expose myself to either extreme of (1) "you forgot the theme of -fill in the blank-", or (2) "the story is simply about itself". As you pointed out, he shares World War One experience with others - I would go so far as to say "modern war" experience. As I have said before, this book could not have been written in any century other than when it was, and of course, Tolkien being a lover of language among other things, HIS story is unlike Steinbeck and most of the other 20th century greats in that it is (out on a limb here) not self-consciously written in order to be published for the writer to be recognized as a relevant author. Rather, it is written foremost because Tolkien loved telling stories. I may have garbled that badly.