Michael’s
Comments
(group member since Jun 10, 2010)
Michael’s
comments
from the J.R.R. Tolkien group.
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AOK wrote: "Hi! Does anyone know how to pronounce Arda correctly?"To rhyme with "Larder" (depending on how you pronounce that word 🙂).
My earlier enthusiasm petered out at episode 5. Sadly, I just found it boring and had no great desire to invest further time in it. Pity. They could have spent the money on feeding hungry people or paying Amazon warehouse workers a decent wage (those categories not being mutually exclusive, I guess).
I've watched the episodes released so far - I think it's a pretty good Tolkien pastiche. Took a while for me to stop saying, "That's not right!", but once I did I was able to enjoy it. I love the Harfoots, and Lenny Henry is fantastic as Sadoc.
Although I'm slightly less than 20% of the way through this book, I heartily recommend it. Groom expresses his love (personal and scholarly) for Tolkien's core texts, as well as embracing the increasing variety of wider cultural adaptations of the legendarium of Middle-earth, which takes in (or at least refers to) A****n's Rings of Power series.
Glenn wrote: "One wonders how long the various people can farm Tolkien’s notes for meaningful publishable material.Gracias,
Glenn"
There's been a lot of metaphorical rummaging under the professor's bed, hasn't there?! I don't buy everything, but I'll get this 🙂
A "new" Tolkien book to be published 10th November 2022, collecting into one place Tolkien's previously published writings on the Atlantis of Middle-earth, with new commentary by editor Brian Sibley, with lots of new illustrations by Alan Lee.
Hi. Moderator here. I deliberately don't pop up much, being a hands-off, lurker kind of mod. I do keep an eye on things though, and several of the comments by various people in the thread have skirted, if not passed over, the line of disrespectful exchange.Please feel free to robustly state your opinion about the TV show without making ad hominem comments about other community members. I will delete any comments I consider egregiously personal, and I won't enter into debate about it. Play nice, or don't play 🙂
Sincerely in fellowship, The Mouth of Sauron 👄👁️
NB: My posting at this point is not in response to any one comment or member, but rather to the emerging trend of the discourse.
Max wrote: "I am late to the party, but just got the book and I'll start today!"I look forward to hearing your impressions 🙂
Dexcell wrote: "This was such a dense book, especially the beginning."Yes! Long lists of calculations are not the most thrilling of reads, perhaps: interesting, but not captivating. Still, there was much of great interest which was engaging, too :-)
As well as reading the present book, I'm listening to The Hobbit: A BBC Full-Cast Radio Drama, where I've got up to the episode in which Bilbo dreams of the crack opening at the back of the cave in which he and the company are hiding from the storm. He awakes to find his dream come true, and this links to Tolkien's comments in Ósanwe-kenta about the transmission of thoughts and impressions from the Valar to the incarnate peoples of Middle-earth being generally easier through dreams, when the mind is more naturally open. Gandalf did say that Bilbo's inclusion on the Quest of Erebor and his finding of the Ring may not have been coincidental, "and that is a good thought".
Ósanwe-kenta continues with more insights into Melkor's character and the methodology by which he seeks to sway and corrupt others to his will. Insights, too, I think, into Tolkien's view of demogogues and populist politicians who pander to the worst instincts of their followers, such as that "ruddy little ignoramus", Hitler.
Chapter IX, Ósanwe-kenta is about telepathy and thought transference, which is interesting in itself, though I'm finding the part about Melkor's personality of particular note. It's doubtless a reading informed by my own political views, and may seem insulting to those of a different political stripe, but Melkor seems to me the ultimate libertarian.Tolkien says that Melkor repudiated all the laws and sought to abolish all the impregnable prohibitions which were imposed by Eru upon Arda, so that he might be ruled only his own personal will; the desire for a freedom untrammelled by any consideration of or respect for others. For Melkor it appears that "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law". That Eru remained an ultimate authority above his own was the source of Melkor's "unceasing and unappeasable rage."
Why do I now imagine Melkor with a comb-over and an orange complexion? 🤔
Fascinating insights (zero sarcasm intended) into what elves called their fingers, elven gender and sex (Tolkien's often euphemistic language is rather sweet considering he intended to write only for himself) and hair and beard growth amongst the Quendi and Númenórians. The latter indicates that the film depictions of Aragorn, Boromir and Faramir with beards are wrong, though I have to say that Viggo Mortensen's portrayal of Strider looks very rugged with his beard, and his King Ellesar Telcontar looks very stately with his.
Caleb wrote: "DANCING BEARS AND KIRINKI"Ha, ha! I've not got this far yet, but it sounds intriguing 😄
Lana wrote: "Hi 🙂 do you mind telling me what is the name of the book? Thanks 😊"The Nature of Middle-Earth 😊
The topic is linked to the book, but your question made me realise that I had not clearly named it in my first post, which I have updated accordingly. Thanks, Lana 🧙🏼♂️
Another great "reveal" in Key Dates is the quenya names for all of the Istari! Tolkien had elsewhere only given Gandalf's quenya name, Olórin, but here he also gives (view spoiler). Hostetter gives their English meanings in his notes, which adds tiny morsels to the sparse information Tolkien gave about the wizards.
I'm up to page 96, part way through the chapter, "Key Dates".There's been a lot of mathematical lists in previous chapters as Tolkien straightens out chronologies in his head, which, depending on your tastes, will be either fascinating or dry - I was midway on that spectrum, I think - but plenty of other juicy stuff in between.
Spoiler next...
Anyway, I came here to say that in "Key Dates" there's a little comment which changed my feeling about the Avari (those elves who chose not to accept the invitation of the Valar to find sanctuary in Valinor from the growing strength of Melkor), who I'd imagined as less adventurous or more timid, perhaps simply a more settled and conservative people, but the entry on the First Sundering presents it as (also?) a generational divide, with the first-created elves and their immediate descendents feeling their authority slighted by the younger elves who had travelled to Valinor as ambassadors, and who return as almost religious zealots, which was an unfortunate outcome of their visit which Ulmo had warned against.
It's amazing how through these little comments Tolkien adds to the depth and richness of his work.
A wrote: "I'm going to be late for this."Any time you join will be good 🙂
Tara wrote: "I pre-ordered from Amazon, so should be here by Thursday. I'm excited!"Ahh, not too long to wait now 🙂
