Re: The General Tolkien News Thread

[Elthir]

Thanks for the bus tip! We ended up in a Lyft car and got to see some of the North River.


 

[halfwise]

Granted a Lyft would have been about 4 or 5 times faster (though more expensive) than a metro bus, but

1. The North river ain't worth the price of admission
2. The Hudson river route is more scenic and actually a touch faster.

Must have been traffic on the Henry Hudson Parkway.  M4 bus actually comes up as the slowest public transit route (but easiest).  It's door to door, but would only recommend if you've got time on your hands.

[Elthir]

I think we did take the Henry Hudson Parkway. I had Hudson River in my post at first, but Wikipedia told me that folks call this section of the Hudson the North River, for some reason.

Why do I sometimes trust Wikipedia? I don't know!

Anyway, if you or Eldy (or anyone who goes) feel like it (and have the time), I'd be interested in a quick reaction to the Morgan Library show. Someone over at TORN already remarked on how small some of the illustrations are. . . I guess compared to what this person expected!

[halfwise]

The Long Expected Party is in April, and I have a ticket then.  There's a gallery talk the next day - why do they have to crowd things together?  So looks like I'll be holding off for a bit, despite chomping at the bit.  If the round trip plus entrance fee weren't close to $30 I'd have no problem popping by, but I may as well get my money's worth and hit the free tour.

Somehow I had your North River mixed up with the East River.  There is a North River wastewater treatment plant on the Hudson river, never heard anyone in person actually call the Hudson the North River, but I suppose it's possible.  In that case you got your nice scenery.  If you had taken the East River route you would have been vastly disappointed.

[Elthir]

Ahh. I wasn't paying attention to the dates in the link.

As usual. Last week I went to the dentist: right day, wrong date.

[halfwise]

The first day at my first real job they attempted to introduce me at a meeting, and I wasn't there. Wrong day.

My first time at Venice I missed the last train out, rented a car in panic and drove all the way to Zurich arriving just in time for my plane...which was leaving the next day.

Missed a bus in Nairobi because I could have sworn Kenya would be in the same time zone as Egypt. It ain't. Had to jump in a taxi and chase that bus for two hours to the border.

Don't ask me about birthdays...

[Elthir]

My first time at Venice I missed the last train out, rented a car in panic and drove all the way to Zurich arriving just in time for my plane...which was leaving the next day.

Ouch! I once drove a couple of hours to an antique book fair . . . and only missed it by a week. But now this, my best example, seems pale by comparison (especially considering the stress factor involved in yours)!

[halfwise]

I found a nice dixieland band playing in a pub that night. Was almost worth it.

[Pettytyrant101]

[halfwise]

No crabbit commentary? Granted, they don't give us much to work with...

[Forest Shepherd]

Hm... Interesting idea: this film might actually serve as an opportunity to see a different visual interpretation of some of Tolkien's... visuals, for lack of a better word.

Or maybe not. Might just be some digital-flim-flam inter-woven around memories of the war.

I expect a full Lore-master report of the film's inaccuracies will be forthcoming, upon its release.

[Pettytyrant101]

No crabbit commentary?- Halfy

{{Busy day! Until time permits for a more personal response I shall have to let the great man speak for himself- }}

"I cordially dislike allegory in all its manifestations, and always have done so since I grew old and wary enough to detect its presence. I much prefer history – true or feigned– with its varied applicability to the thought and experience of readers. I think that many confuse applicability with allegory, but the one resides in the freedom of the reader, and the other in the purposed domination of the author."- Tolkien

[Forest Shepherd]

It's become a rather over-used quotation, amongst Tolkien fans, I must say. Perhaps because it is so often applicable to a discussion. The other day I read someone who had typed, with authority, that Tolkien "despised" allegory. I don't know if that came from somewhere other than that quote, but I suspect not.

[Eldy]

I'm not really sure what the complaint is here. Like many teaser trailers, this one is very light on details, but I didn't see anything to arouse suspicion that the filmmakers are pushing a bullshit interpretation of Tolkien. The official blurb from Fox Searchlight is also very short and basically just reiterates what's in the trailer.

http://www.foxsearchlight.com/tolkien/

TOLKIEN explores the formative years of the orphaned author as he finds friendship, love and artistic inspiration among a group of fellow outcasts at school. This takes him into the outbreak of World War I, which threatens to tear the “fellowship” apart. All of these experiences would inspire Tolkien to write his famous Middle-Earth novels.

Incorrect capitalization of Middle-earth aside, I don't see anything particularly objectionable here. The influence of Tolkien's WWI experience on his fiction is well-documented, most notably in John Garth's Tolkien and the Great War. So is the influence of his relationship with his wife, Edith (he had "Beren" and "Lúthien" carved on their tombstone), which we know will feature prominently in the film.

Insofar as I have some mild reservations, one is that the "fellow outcasts" thing could potentially go in a clichéd and ahistorical direction. Tolkien obviously had a lot of esoteric interests from a very early age, but he was also a starting player on his secondary school's rugby team and later played for Exeter College at Oxford, so he doesn't slot neatly into the stereotypical jocks vs nerds dichotomy. Hopefully the film doesn't go this route, but it would hardly be the first time a biopic altered its subject's personality in order to make them better fit preconceived notions of what "geniuses" are supposed to be like (eg, The Imitation Game). I don't have any basis for making a prediction about this one way or another, though, so it's just idle speculation.

[Elthir]

We haven't even seen the grass yet!

Okay we have images of it, if you look on the web, but wait till we see it in context!

[malickfan]

Apparently they've cast an actor to play Tolkien's WW1 batman (personal officer's servant/assistant) in this biopic...and have named the character Sam, not exactly subtle, and with all the heavy handed references to friends and fellowship etc I'm wondering if they are going to do a rewrite of Tolkien's life story and tie in it more closely with LOTR? As far as I know the Tolkien family have no involvement with this film, and I do not doubt a biopic focusing on the well known LOTR rather than the obscure (to the general public) Silmarillion was a easier sell from a budget/marketing point of view...

[malickfan]

New book out later this year:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0198842678/

https://www.tolkiensociety.org/2019/02/new-tolkien-book-to-be-published/

I don't have a great deal of familiarity with, or interest in Tolkien's academic writings personally, but this sounds interesting and it's surprising that even 80+ years later Tolkien's vast body of academic writing remains unpublished, figured the publsihers may have mined most of the obvious avenues by now (not that I imagine this book will appeal to broader audiences in the way LOTR or Beren and Luthien etc have).


Tolkien artist Donata Giancola recently released a book compiling most of his middle earth related work:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Middle-earth-Journeys-Legend-Donata-Giancola/dp/1506710867


John Garth author of Tolkien And The Great War has a new book out later this year:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tolkiens-Worlds-inspired-writers-imagination/dp/0711241279/

[malickfan]

https://www.lunapresspublishing.com/single-post/2019/04/27/Tolkiens-Library-is-Now-in-Pre-Order

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/apr/28/jrr-tolkiens-son-claims-sexually-abuse-fathers-friend

[halfwise]

Well that second link is sad and sordid.

[azriel]

Yes, but sadly, not so unusual. Many families shush up these tales because it went on more than you think.

[malickfan]

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/may/18/tolkien-lost-work-chaucer-found

[halfwise]

That's very exciting. May do for the Canterbury Tales what he did for Beowulf.

[azriel]

Eerie & fascinating. Fancy keeping it quiet from 2012 ! I kinda love this slow unwrapping of Tolkien items. Keeps him with us for longer.

[halfwise]

The article referred to the Wife of Bath's tale, which I had never read.  But having read it I never knew Chaucer was a feminist!  Also against aristocracy.

The story mentioned fairy parties that vanish when people approach.  But we all know that Tolkien (like J.K. Rowling and GRR Martin) didn't make anything up himself.

[Forest Shepherd]

"Didn't make anything up" pshaw.

The Wife of Bath is a formidable woman, it is true! She goes through husbands like my older sister goes through boots.