Lord of the Rings - English Icon

[Lalwendë]

I don't think they are defining 'icon' so rigidly. They are looking for things which simply resonate with English identity. If cultural items such as Alice in Wonderland, Pride and Prejudice and the King James Bible have already been included, then why not Lord of the Rings?

Some of my strongest English Icons would be pieces of music, e.g. The Lark Ascending, Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, Jerusalem and Jupiter from the Planet Suite. None of these could be said to be 'visual' in any way, but when I hear them I immediately think of England. One of these was not composed by an Englishman, but nevertheless it is thoroughly English. Likewise LOTR may resonate with people from other countries in their own way, and they may not see it as specifically English, but I see the whole work, not just the Hobbits and The Shire, as English.

[Mithalwen]

Holst was British - it is a classic quiz question ..so was Delius..... obviously some Germanic heritage (like the queen)but like Handel definitely wrote English music...

Actually - inspired by Formendacil's apologia in "of another World " I got a book out of the library on religion which said that Icons were "windows on heaven"..which is a rather nice definition.

K2 telephone boxes definitely - would anyone understand out there if I call them "Darling Doris"es?- but I think I would consign Stonehenge to Mordor...
It is close enough that you have to take foreign visitors there and they are always disappointed. It was different before - the first time I went you could go right up to the stones and even for someone like me who couldn't be less into the hippy dippy stuff I remember there was a certain spirit of place.... Last time I went I told American friend that there were other stones in the area - meaning Avebury/Amesbury . She said "I think there are some over there" "Actually, I think those are sheep....."

[Bêthberry]

An interesting side issue to this question is whether Peter Jackson's movie would/could be recognised as an English icon, or whether it is only Tolkien's book which can be.

Did Jackson take the 'English' out of the Legendarium? If so, how so?

[davem]

Originally Posted by Bêthberry

An interesting side issue to this question is whether Peter Jackson's movie would/could be recognised as an English icon, or whether it is only Tolkien's book which can be.

Did Jackson take the 'English' out of the Legendarium? If so, how so?

It didn't feel very 'English' to me. Particularly the Shire - the light was wrong for a start & it just felt too 'alien', not recognisable as the kind of place I've lived & walked.

The BBC Radio adaptation, on the other hand, seemed to get across the essential Englishness of the story perfectly.

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Bêthberry

An interesting side issue to this question is whether Peter Jackson's movie would/could be recognised as an English icon, or whether it is only Tolkien's book which can be.

Did Jackson take the 'English' out of the Legendarium? If so, how so?

Good question. I think that The Shire was quite English, myself. But it reminded me more of a Yorkshire Dales village than the Midlands/Southern village I had in mind. In the film it was more the village of a people who are too busy farming to have much time to tend to gardens, whereas I had in mind the more lush, 'chocolate box' type village idyll; the Yorkshire Dales village can be quite a tough environment.

I also still think that the films took away some of the images I had of the Elven lands, Rohan and Gondor. Rohan I still see as the sweeping downs countryside, Gondor as Cornish (stony, airy) and Rivendell as a Lakes/Scottish (yes, I know, Scottish is most definitely NOT English, but the Lakes are! ) community nestled between fells/mountains. And further to that, I often see Lothlorien as like one of the unusual sub tropical gardens we get on the West Coast, dark with towering trees and lush plants.

It's interesting though, that Jackson chose to have his actors speak in different British accents?

[Thinlómien]

Originally Posted by Hilde

Thinlómien, I am assuming that you are refering to afternoon tea?

Yes. Sorry for not making it very clear.

Originally Posted by Bb

An interesting side issue to this question is whether Peter Jackson's movie would/could be recognised as an English icon, or whether it is only Tolkien's book which can be.

I'd say no. It isn't English. It isn't made in England. Most of the makers are not English. I don't think that an un-English thing could become an English icon only by being like English (which can be disputed). If I wrote a book, could it become an English icon?