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Old 09-20-2006, 04:25 AM   #1
davem
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davem is battling Black Riders on Weathertop.davem is battling Black Riders on Weathertop.
At least CT has in the forefront of his mind his father's own wishes & hopes for the work. I wonder if those who follow him in the role will feel the same need or desire. How far one takes 'respect' for the author's wishes is a vexed question. For instance, Tolkien himself repeatedly attacked the breaking down of literary works in search of 'sources'. He first condemned this approach in the 'Tower' allegory in The Monsters & the Critics essay, & towards the end of his life attacked it in terms of approaching his own work - comparing it to a man who, after eating a meal, uses an emetic & sends the result to a chemist for analysis. Tolkien clearly found such an approach to his work wrongheaded & insulting, & requested it not to be done.

However, he's dead now...
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Old 09-20-2006, 04:48 AM   #2
Mithalwen
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Mithalwen is lost in the dark paths of Moria.Mithalwen is lost in the dark paths of Moria.Mithalwen is lost in the dark paths of Moria.Mithalwen is lost in the dark paths of Moria.
I think that anyone can get a copy of any will for a small fee so I wouldn't bother with E-Bay.

Having just aquired the letters, it is made clear by Carpenter that he made the selection and CT "commented" and that the restrictions were mainly space related - he does seem to have had free access .. and not all the letters show Tolkien as a "plaster saint" .

I doubt that CT as a scholar would destroy much - certainly if it had bearing on the work. However I wouldn't blame him if he chose to destroy personal letters.

I have just found a clump of letter my parents wrote me when I was a student/abroad, while they are precious as tangible evidence of affection they contain little of interest, and I can't help thinking in an age before cheap telephone calls and email that even Tolkien's letters are going to contain a lot of mundane trivia .... we may be missing on quantity not quality!

Tolkien did write diaries ... I think Carpenter drew on them or at least referred.

I do wonder about what will happen when CT dies. His younger son, Adam, has translated some of HoME into French so he may pick up the baton but I imagine the trust will prevent any individual family member having quite the same influence. In some ways Hammond and Scull seem to be the anointed heirs...
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