"Philological Inquiries"

[Bêthberry]

In a clever display of typing competence, fuelled by frustration over various arguments, I thoughtlessly nuked this post yesterday. I had first posted it on October 7, just after H-I bumped this thread up. Since Sharkû has complimented me on it, I will repost it here, not being vain or anything at all like that. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

Originally posted October 7/02:

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*pushes aside cobwebs and dust to enter this ancient barrow full of treasures*

I would be inclined to view the initial question here in terms of Tolkien's larger attitude towards making and creating. The distinction is articulated in the Ainulindalë through the very different motivations of Melkor and Aulë. Melkor desires

rather to subdue to his will both Elves and Men, envying the gifts with which Ilúvatar promised to endow them; and he wished himself to have subjects and servants, and to be called Lord, and to be a master over other wills.

Compare this with

but the delight and pride of Aulë is in the deed of making, and in the thing made, and neither in possession nor in his own mastery; wherefore he gives and hoards not, and is free from care, passing ever on to some new work.

The distinction is important--I would even argue crucial--to Tolkien, for he uses it to defend his enigma, Tom Bombadil. In the draft of Letter 153, to Peter Hastings, Tolkien alludes to this difference between pure enjoyment in the act of creation and the desire to manipulate the thing created. Tolkien in fact contrasts Tom Bombadil with the Elves:

[Tom represents] the spirit that desires knowledge of other things, their history and nature, because the are 'other' and wholly independent of the enquiring mind, and entirely unconcerned with 'doing' anything with the knowledge...Even the Elves hardly show this: they are primarily artists.

Sauron, of course, breaks the rules to create Black Speech in order to gain domination over others. Such was not Tolkien's intent in his creation of languages, but rather the pure enjoyment of the act of creating.

There is a tradition of skeptical criticism of Art as enclosure, restriction, bondage and it is that tradition which I think Tolkien has in mind here.

But I bow to the wisdom of others on this thread, whose knowledge of Tolkien is much greater than mine.
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Bethberry