Tolkien: The True Tragedy?

I think you're right, though strictly speaking the 1965/1966 edition is counted as a new edition, and was in fact requested by Tolkien's publishers because they wanted a new edition with an indisputable copyright, because there was some question over the copyright status of the second (1951) edition.

Mmmm...

odo banks wrote:Mmmm...

I find your post most engaging and thought proving. Thank you.

Sometimes the less you say the more you say.

Silence is Gold

Beep Bap Boop



Beep! I am here to abduct you! Boop!

odo banks wrote:Sometimes the less you say the more you say.

Silence speaks louder than noise, I like the logic!

Shouldn't aliens trying to abduct me be scary Squach?

Beep Bap Boop!



Who is Sqoo - aich?



We are here to scare you.



Boopety Boop!



Sqoo - aich found. Beep!



Sqoo - aich abducted! Beepety Boopety Bapety!

The Tragedy deepens... This Thread is hallowed ground! Get off here you pesky girls!

Beep Boop Beep Boop!



Ready to abduct Oh-do!



Beep? Boop?



Oh-do is too respectable to abduct?



Mission failed! Boop! Return to Planet Ailiun!

(Urm, guys? It's me, Squach! They are taking me with them! Help!!!)

Meow!!!!

This is one of those Generation things, isn't it. I have absolutely no idea what you're going on about, Squach. Fortunately, my intuition says, "Thank Illuvatar for that!"

I don't think it's a tragedy in itself for Tolkien to believe that his work on The Hobbit required a bit more revision. He was born and breed in an age that saw the sprouting of literary giants in Children's literature and many of them were around or just about going off the world stage during Tolkien's day.

Beatrix Potter. Thomas Hardy, Rudyard Kipling, AA Milne, JM Barrie, Kenneth Grahame, Roald Dahl, Enid Blyton, CS Lewis, The Rev W Awdry and there are many more.

On Wikipedia/Hobbit it says that tolkien may have been inspired by two books published in 1927 and 1922. The 1927 book was called 'The Marvellous Land of Snergs' written by Edward Wyke Smith for children. Two children who decide to run away and find adventure with two snergs who are not much taller than a table.

Did he make comparisons between himself and other literary writers. I think he was caught between the extremes of the day: Books for Children, Young People and Adults.

odo banks wrote:This is one of those Generation things, isn't it. I have absolutely no idea what you're going on about, Squach. Fortunately, my intuition says, "Thank Illuvatar for that!"

Odo! Help! The aliens have abducted me and they are going to their planet, Planet Ailiun!!! Only your strange respectability can save meeeeeeee!!!

Heeeeeeeeelp!!!

Meeeeeeeoow!!!

I think it best I just ignor you, Squatch...

Springstar, please forgive Squatch, she's a girl after all, and not only a girl, but a young one also... (What a mix! )

As to the tragedy as I see it, revision was not a problem. It's the idea of a substantial rewrite - the belief that a LotRization of The Hobbit was needed that was tragic. The Hobbit is my favorite book and I don't feel that this is only for nostalgic reasons, I still find it to be brilliant, a classic. Indeed, a more finished work than LotR. Yes, it's a childrens story, but like all the best childrens stories, it has deeper resonances. In LotR you can "see" the serious themes presented quite openly, in The Hobbit much goes on between the lines, not grand or profound necessarily, but very realistic and true of humans and humanity, all glossed in insightful humour. Poor Tolkien got sucked into thinking The Hobbit wasn't "adult" enough. It was "adult" enough. It was also a childrens story.

Aliens? No worries Odo! it's a welcome change from all the intense debating taking place in one particular thread. I have surfed around the forum a bit and seen that the young lady is not more than 11-12 years but she has mum there for guidance.(excuse the alien spelling)

That's one of the strengths of this forum - not much intensity. Of course, Kafria and Mr Tyrant and GB go a bit deep sometimes, but the rest of us tolerate it as best we can! Squatch goes the other way - she supplies absurdities by the bucket full!

That is what makes this forum so fun.

I'm not sure what I spout but I'm pretty sure it's nothing intense.

I can not stop thinking about tea now, one of my many flaws is my love of tea!

There can be no such thing as too much tea! The only good thing England has ever done was build an EMpire just to get tea. thats good thinking right there. Love a cuppa. Having one now in fact. Can't drink buckie all the time! Well I can but apparently the wizards who brew it don't recommend it, smothing about the danger of being trampled to death by packs of magical pink elephants or some other boffin rot.

I've had a revelation about the Tolkien tragedy. You know what I think it was, guys. It was that he could never love Middle Earth as much as I do. Funny, because I've always wanted to be the author of The Hobbit. Crazy when I think about. If I had written it, I'd have lived my whole life thinking there was something wrong with it - just like Tolkien did. Luckilly, I can be objective (to a point) and perpetually loving. We Hobbit lovers are all very fortunate, you know. Pook Tolks!

I may be booed out of this fine forum when I say this but here it is. (take a breath Leelee, they don't have your address) Of all the works of our dear precious professor, I like The Hobbit the least. Now please don't misunderstand me, I really enjoyed the Hobbit, in fact our family read it together over the space of a couple of weeks; The Hobbit Club we called it. But for me it was a strange book, too childish for me to sink my teeth into as a serious body of work, too graphic to really read to the little one without worry, in fact some of it quite terrified her. So really it was rather a roller coaster ride for me.
I loved LOTR for the fantasy it was; it stirred my heart and I rejoiced in even the smallest triumph of good over evil. I loved some of the Unfinished Tales even more simply because of certain of the characters like Tuor.
But the deepest love I had of JRR's work was Leaf by Niggle and the dear amazing mysterious baker of Major Wooten.Especially this last tale. For me these two tales are totally strictly faerie as I know and revere it. I was swept away by them. I remember reading of the baker's apprentice in the library. I forgot this world and when the last word was read and I came back from so very far away into the world of mortals and now I found myself weeping. Just sitting there at the table in the library weeping quietly and I could not stop. My heart was aching with longing and I had trouble re entering this world. So for me JRR wrote in the mythological sort of way like his interpretation of Beowolf and Unfinished Tales, true and pure fantasy like the LOTR and finally true and perfect Faerie. Too wonderful to me, it broke my heart.

I own copies of some of Tolkien's shorter works in anthologies, but I'm afraid that I have passed up on reading them so far. Your post is moving though, leelee, and now I want to explore those worlds as well. Perhaps when I have more time after tests early next week I will be able to.