This is an archive of past discussions. Do not edit the contents of this page. If you wish to start a new discussion or revive an old one, please do so on the current talk page. |
Archive 1 | ← | Archive 3 | Archive 4 | Archive 5 | Archive 6 | Archive 7 | → | Archive 9 |
Hi guys, just wanted to clarify the categorical definition of what Middle-earth is, as is relevant to its mention at the beginning of the second paragraph of the introduction. In the article it was previously the "fictional region of Middle-earth", but this doesn't really work because Middle-earth isn't simply some geographical area in Tolkien's world, or at least if it once was it is not any more (at the time of LOTR). To call it a continent doesn't help much either, for the same reasons. I mean, am I correct in saying that the name and concept derive from equivalents in several European mythologies, for example Midgard of Norse Mythology, which is the mortal world below the world of the gods and above the underworld of the dead? And if this is true, is it not then reasonable to simply refer to this story as being set in the fictional "world" of Middle-earth, the same way we call the real Earth the world, and don't mean to include such metaphysicals as "heaven"? Genedecanter 03:05, 14 September 2007 (UTC)
I don't know if anyone noticed, but reference number 10 coded as <ref name="letters" /> has been missing since this edit in April. -- Squids' and' Chips 00:52, 4 October 2007 (UTC)
To be short, this article has become far too long. When it was promoted to FA it was less than 50 KB. It is now 73 KB. After such a fight for its size, I think that is is a shame that it has ballooned to the levels it is at. At any rate, I can already see some of the areas it has increased in size. If someone would be willing to attack the backstory and synopsis, I think I could get the rest. I'm just not great at plot recollection and writing. At any rate, any assistance in this task is welcome. SorryGuy 02:37, 26 October 2007 (UTC)
Just dumping this removed image on the talk page in case someone wants/needs it. 82.139.85.94 12:04, 27 October 2007 (UTC)
Would anyone have objections to me changing the name of the section from "Publication history" to "Publishing history"? It's just that it immediately follows the "Publication" section, and I think the distinction between the two is not entirely clear in the current titles. Furthermore, the term 'publication' seems to me to more strongly suggest the original printing and publishing events, whereas 'publishing' feels more generic. Genedecanter 06:49, 4 November 2007 (UTC)
The 'Influences on the fantasy genre' and 'Impact on popular culture' sections are a bit odd at the moment, and in places it's hard to figure out what the difference between them is. The paragraph concerning the term "Tolkienesque" and the spelling change from 'dwarfs' to 'dwarves', for example, could just as easily (arguably better) fit in the 'popular culture' section. So I'm wondering what people's thoughts are about perhaps merging these two sections together, maybe calling it something like "Impact on popular culture and the fantasy genre". Genedecanter 00:28, 6 November 2007 (UTC)
I'd like to note somewhere that there's a neat fact that I have never heard anyone comment about, but I don't know where to put it. Tolkien might have had some meaning behind it. Bilbo, Gollum, and Frodo, ALL THREE started their ownership of the One Ring exactly on their birthday. It was Gollum's birthday when he killed Déagol and got the Ring, it was Bilbo's birthday when he found it in the cave, and it was both Bilbo's and Frodo's birthday when he gave the Ring to Frodo. I wonder if it was Sauron's birthday when he made it and if it was Isildur's birthday when he cut it from Sauron's hand and grabbed it for himself. :) RayLast ( talk) 13:51, 5 December 2007 (UTC)
I noticed that someone has capitalised the 'O' on an instance of "orcs", and upon further investigation noticed that this "orcs"/"Orcs" is inconsistent through the article. What is correct here? A brief and cursory flip through the pages of LOTR reveals that the capitalisation is even inconsistent within that source text, so what should we do, any thoughts? Genedecanter ( talk) 12:02, 8 December 2007 (UTC)
Broad categories of mythical or legendary creatures do not start with capital letters (elf, fairy, nymph, unicorn, angel), although in derived works of fantasy, such as the novels of J.R.R. Tolkien and realtime strategy video games, initial capitals are sometimes used to indicate that the beings are regarded as cultures or races in their fictional universes.
Do not capitalize other groups of mythical creatures, such as elves, fairies, nymphs or genies. The exception is some works of fantasy, such as those of J.R.R. Tolkien, where the audience considers the mythical creatures an ethnicity and thus written with an initial capital.
My (reverted) removal of a single word from a citation was not intended as censorship, but to improve the quality of the article in accordance with the profanity policy. The policy says that such strong words "should be avoided when they serve no other purpose than to shock the reader." In this case, the original citation as spoken by Dyson was indeed intended to shock his original audience, and it continues to shock readers when it is quoted. I think we can communicate Dyson's strong distaste for Tolkien and his desire to shock his listeners quite completely without resorting to shocking our own readers. As it currently appears, the citation detracts from the article because it pulls the reader's focus away from the literary critique of the LOTR and focuses it upon the humor, creativity, and/or shock effect of the citation itself. Humor by its nature is designed to attract attention to itself, and this citation does so to the detriment of the flow of thought in the article. In reading the article I came to full stop at this out-of-place word and found myself no longer thinking about LOTR. The profanity policy also says,
Other ways to reference strong language in an encyclopedic manner
At times, strong language should be retained in the article exactly as sourced. However there are cases where the information can be characterized without loss of information, and the actual wording adds little to the article, and other cases where it can be footnoted if specificity is required. This is often useful in cases where the strong wording is relevant but not central to the statement.
The policy then gives an example of editing a citation in which the strong language was relevant but not central to the statement, and it was footnoted because specificity was required. In this case, too, the strong language is relevant but certainly not central to the topic, but here specificity is not really required. The particular adjective, or any other adjective, is not in itself a central part of Dyson's dislike of elf stories, and he could have used any of several words or phrases for the same exact effect. We can communicate his intended effect without including the shock effect within this article, thus avoiding the profanity. Remember, profanity policy says that we should avoid profanity. This is part of the intended style of Wikipedia.
Is this an article about the literary personalities in the Inklings and their famous statements, or is it an article about a popular story that has a very broad readership among all kinds of people? I think we can characterize Dyson's literary sentiments without giving the distracting citation in this context. If you disagree, let's please talk about it: why is this particular citation needed verbatim to provide a true range of understanding of the literary world's reactions to LOTR? Encyclopedic style does not usually allow for such strong statements in this type of article. I have never in my life read an encyclopedia article on this type of generally popular subject and found such words included in it. In my opinion, leaving the profanity in this article is a violation of the profanity policy for the reasons discussed above and the article should be improved by making this small style change at this point.
I admit that I didn't edit the profanity the best way in my first attempt. It would be much better to characterize the quotation rather than removing one word.
With best regards, Sanddune777 ( talk) 04:37, 2 January 2008 (UTC)
"Oh no! Not another [1] elf!"
|
...is not an option. Maybe it's an age or a culture thing, but i don't see the word fucking as a shocker. I wish Hugo Dyson had said something else like "Oh! come on now Johnny! enough with this plonker elfs!", but he didn't. So what you are asking here is Hugo Dyson's full quote to be removed, and it seems to be the only direct (negative) quote there is from the Inklings. I'm sorry but i think that the quote should be kept as it is, removing it and writing instead something like "Some of the Inlinks, such as Hugo Dyson, were not big admirers of Tolkien's work." could be a possibility, but i prefer the quote. It just seems less ambiguous and more... from the horse's mouth. -- Yamanbaiia( free hugs!) 19:14, 3 January 2008 (UTC)
Dyson, for example, who had been elected to a Fellowship at Merton after the war and now taught English there, felt a marked antipathy to Tolkien's writings, so that the readings of The Lord of the Rings -- always a high point of the better evenings -- were no longer a pleasure. Aware that some of his audience were unappreciative, J. R. R. Tolkien mumbled and read badly. Christopher, who was about to show himself one of the most eloquent lecturers Oxford has ever known, was brilliant at reading aloud, and took over the task. But he could not be sure that his readings would not be interrupted by Dyson, lying on the sofa with his foot in the air and a glass of whisky in his hand, snorting, grunting and exhaling -- 'Oh f***, not another elf!' In such an atmosphere, it was not surprising that the Tolkien readings were discontinued. [bowderlization mine]
<Diana> On Dyson: yes, there is evidence of this, tho probably he used the word "bloody," being British and all. Christopher has reported that it happened, and that Lewis tried to get Tolkien to continue after.
Does anybody have a copy of this video: "A Film Portrait Of J.R.R. Tolkien" [3] starring Judi Dench? Someone commented on a bulletin board [4] that on this tape Christopher Tolkien himself told the story with Dyson's remark about elves and that there was no expletive included in Dyson's remark. As far as I have found, this video is the only place where it is an eyewitness documenting the story rather than someone repeating the story -- perhaps with embellishment -- 2nd or 3rd hand. It costs about 20 GBP for the only used copy available on UK Amazon but I'm hoping someone already has a copy. Sanddune777 ( talk) 05:38, 7 January 2008 (UTC)
OK, the evidence is in: there is no factual basis to say that Dyson used the "f-word" about elves or anything else. This quotation is an urban legend, which evolved into its present form from a much humbler beginning. I sent some questions about this topic to Diana Glyson (a scholar who specializes in studying the Inklings) and today I received this reply from her:
I must say, this is the most interesting question I've received in a long time....
Dyson's famous expletive has been an urban legend for some time. Dyson was loud and profane and opinionated. He complained about The Lord of the Rings repeatedly, so the idea that there was one single quotable occasion is already problematic. Part of the problem, though, is that while he may have used an expletive at the beginning of his complaint, and he may well have added an expletive as an adjective in the middle, there is no actual evidence that he ever used the f-word. I mean ever, and not just ever in this context. After studying the personal letters and diaries of these men for some 20 years, I haven't run across a single use of the f-word by any of them on any occasion. Which is exactly what you would expect: they are British and they are academics and they are living in the first half of the twentieth century. If they really wanted to use a shocking expletive, they would have used "bloody." And, occasionally, they did.
But what did Hugo Dyson say in this context? The closest thing we have to a first-hand account of all this is Christopher Tolkien's description from a 1992 documentary called "A Film Portrait of J. R. R. Tolkien. (Dir. Derek Bailey. Narr. Judi Dench. Visual Corporation, 1992.) Here is my transcription (as published on page 88 of The Company They Keep) of Christopher's account:
Well, I should mention the very important figure of Hugo Dyson, who was an English don, English Literature at Oxford. Brilliant, vastly entertaining man who didn't like The Lord of the Rings. I remember this very vividly, my father's pain, his shyness, which couldn't take Hugo's extremely rumbustious approach. Hugo wanted fun, jokes, witticisms, lots of drink. And Lewis, who I deeply admired and loved-he had a strong, a strong manner. And he would say "Shut up Hugo. [claps hands] Come on Tollers." And The Lord of the Rings would begin with Hugo lying on the couch, and lolling and shouting and saying, 'Oh God, no more Elves.' The Inklings was a bit like that.
I do believe that Christopher is giving an accurate report, that he remembers it correctly, and that he is not "softening" the language for the public. In contrast, I should note that Wilson's book has been consistently criticized for being weak on research and accuracy.
Feel free to contact me if I can be of further help. As a scholar and
teacher, I would like to thank you for working so hard to get the facts
right.
I think the evidence demands that we edit the article. I will go ahead and do so, describing Dyson's attitudes and regular complaints against the LOTR. Sanddune777 ( talk) 04:12, 17 January 2008 (UTC)
I notice that someone has recently added this section, but it is very vague and offers up no references. I think the point about the work's influence on this movement is probably significant, and can at least be worked into the legacy section somewhere, but unless someone feels otherwise I'm inclined to remove it as a separate section. Any thoughts? Genedecanter ( talk) 06:49, 21 January 2008 (UTC)
Can someone please explain the need for there to be separate articles for Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and Return of the King? As far as I can tell, all these articles do is summarise the plot, then summarise the plot again in a 'chapter summary' form, then mention some adaptations, then some links. There is really no useful encyclopedic information in these articles that isn't already in this present Lord of the Rings article. I suggest we get rid of these articles and let the titles point to this one. Any compelling counter-arguments? Genedecanter ( talk) 08:22, 25 January 2008 (UTC)
For whoever keeps adding the comment about Fatty Bolger staying behind to act as decoy, he did not. At the beginning of The Old Forest, Fatty escorted Frodo and the other hobbits to the tunnel through the Hedge, then returned to Crickhollow. At the beginning of A Knife in the Dark, he saw the Riders approach the house, and ran out the backdoor in fear. It was his panic that caused the alarm to be raised. But at no point did he remain behind as a decoy.
I think you're confusing this with the decoy at the Prancing Pony, when Strider took the hobbits from their room to keep them safe. Indeed, their room had been broken into. - FeralDruid ( talk) 03:50, 8 February 2008 (UTC)
Fond as he was of Frodo, Fatty Bolger had no desire to leave the Shire, nor to see what lay outside it. His family came from the Eastfarthing, from Budgeford in Bridgefields in fact, but he had never been over the Brandywine Bridge. His task, according to the original plans of the conspirators, was to stay behind and deal with inquisitive folk, and to keep up as long as possible the pretence that Mr. Baggins was still living at Crickhollow. He had even brought along some old clothes of Frodo’s to help him in playing the part. They little thought how dangerous that part might prove.
(my emphasis) Thu ( talk) 09:21, 8 February 2008 (UTC)
Image:Cover lotr green gandalf.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.
Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Wikipedia:Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.
If there is other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images lacking such an explanation can be deleted one week after being tagged, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.
BetacommandBot ( talk) 20:44, 13 February 2008 (UTC)
HI, can someone please explain to me in detail what is depicted on each of the three covers of LOTR that are shown in the main picture of this article. Thank you —Preceding unsigned comment added by 122.106.34.39 ( talk) 09:09, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
Zoroastrianism has had indirct influence (by influencing the Roman catholicism ) on the books !! Does anybody have any idea how to add this to the article ? Persianknight ( talk) 11:01, 13 May 2008 (UTC)
Collect a list of references that back up your 'fact' and add them to the article. Thu ( talk) 12:44, 13 May 2008 (UTC)
"Tolkien had already completed most of the book, including the ending in its entirety, before the first nuclear bombs were made known to the world at Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945."
My problem with the above is that Tolkien might have finished his book before the first functional nuclear bombs were created, but keep in mind that the possibility of a nuclear bomb was known much earlier than 1945.
Say, for instance, that the ring is an allegory for a nuclear bomb: it works in the sense that neither of them shall, "fall in the wrong hands."
Thanks. Seth Arlington ( talk) 23:04, 27 February 2008 (UTC)
I think that it's very doubtful whether Tolkien, a scholar with a serious abhorrence of science and technology, would have been aware of any theoretical possibilities of nuclear bombs. Remember that the first instance of nuclear fission only took place in the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute in Berlin in 1938 and even then it wasn't realised immediately what had happened. It took Lise Meitner and her nephew Otto Frisch until XMas of that year to demonstrate conclusively that that was indeed what had happened in the experiment in question. From there to a bomb requires to make Leo Szilard's concept of the chain reaction to be put into practice and that was done by Szilard himself together with Enrico Fermi in 1939 in Chicago. However, all this was kept totally secret and most lay-people only woke up to the possibility of nuclear fission, chain reactions and nuclear bombs on 6 August 1945 when the first bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Until then, most people had always assumed that atoms were exactly what their Greek name implied, un-splittable. Tolkien certainly would have, if he ever considered the issue at all, which is highly doubtful. -- Recoloniser ( talk) 10:03, 13 August 2008 (UTC)
There are little to no documented legends of European origin in Lord of the Rings. However, Lord of the Rings is rife with legends, myths and hisotries of eastern people. For example, the Greeks have documented exstensively about the formidable Ethiopian bowmen with their supernatural abilities who also happened to live 'forever'. Sound familiar? Tolkein himself once stated that the story of the Lord of the Rings is his gift to Europe, as it lacks such mythology of its own. The rip off continues. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.20.195.252 ( talk) 05:12, 3 July 2008 (UTC)
No legends of European origin? Ever heard of Der Ring des Nibelungen? Not to mention elves, dwarves, dragons, ... The whole thing is totally European in outlook and by heritage! You must be joking! -- Recoloniser ( talk) 10:03, 13 August 2008 (UTC)
I undid revision 194533591 by 65.78.108.234 because I think it is misleading in its present form and does not present the true state of God or gods appearing in LOTR. First, Tolkien's desire was to put the Germanic polytheism into a monotheistic framework and so he invented the Ainur, who are the Valar and the Maiar. Tolkien, in his 1951 letter to Milton Waldman, said Valar are "powers: Anglished as gods," and "On the side of mere narrative device, this is, of course, meant to provide beings of the same order of beauty, power, and majesty as the 'gods' of higher mythology, which can yet be accepted---well, shall we say baldly, by a mind that believes in the Blessed Trinity." Gandalf, Sauron, Saruman, and Radagast (all appearing or mentioned in LOTR) are Maiar, who serve the Valar as the next lower level in the hierarchy. In ancient mythologies these would commonly be the second tier of 'gods'. So it does not really do the Tolkien's intentions justice to say that "no gods are present" (as it says in the change that I undid). Furthermore, Gandalf says specifically, in his confrontation with the Balrog, "I am a servant of the Secret Fire, Wielder of the Flame of Anor, You cannot pass. The dark fire will not avail you, Flame of Udun. Go Back to the Shadow! You cannot pass." Tolkien explained this as referring to God (see Secret Fire). So again, it is not really presenting the true picture to say "no gods are...even mentioned." Furthermore, the LOTR is not a standalone trilogy, but is part of a series including the Hobbit and the Silmarillion. In the latter, Eru Ilúvatar (God) appears predominantly, as do the gods the Valar and the lesser gods the Maiar. The stories of the Silmarillion are mentioned repeatedly in the LOTR in songs or other references, and so the Silmarillion with its overt creation account and overt discussion of God's relationship with the gods are organically a part of the LOTR. So again, the statement that I deleted did not produce a fair assessment of Tolkien's mythology as we find in in LOTR. Finally, there has been much speculation about the nature of Tom Bombadil, and many hold him to be an incarnation of Eru Ilúvatar (God). Many feel this is the only way to understand Tom's special powers, characteristics and history within the Tolkien universe, and so again it is not presenting the whole picture to say that "no gods are present" as though there hasn't been much serious discussion on this question. So if this topic of whether "gods" appear in the story is to be added into the article, then a more complete and balanced discussion would be required. My opinion is that "gods" are found throughout the story, because the wizards and Sauron and even balrogs are clearly "gods" in the real meaning of the word, as well as in the framework setup by Tolkien, and so in fact the story is rife with gods and not just with religious motifs. However, it is important to keep the article from growing, and I do not think it would be useful to add such a long discussion and it is therefore better kept out entirely. Sanddune777 ( talk) 02:10, 28 February 2008 (UTC)
While I think this section is a valuable addition to the article, it seems silly to only list US editions of what is originally a UK-published book. Does anyone have the relevant information for current HarperCollins editions? Genedecanter ( talk) 06:48, 31 March 2008 (UTC)
Similarities drawn between two things do not strictly imply an influence. This entire section is riddled with this kind of basic logical fallacy, everything from Wagner to Beowulf to Odin is an interpretation of Tolkiens work and not evidence of an influence upon him. I've no doubt Tolkiens writings in the Lord of the Rings was actually influenced by some of these things, but they should be sourced and referenced properly. -- Davémon ( talk) 18:57, 31 March 2008 (UTC)
The article grossly misrepresented Eisen, Durwood & Co. v. Christopher R. Tolkien et alii. That decision was reached in '93, based upon copyright law in the wake of 1992 amendments to the Copyright Act of 1976. The 1992 amendments restored copyrights lost by such failures to include notices. Wolheim's theory was valid for the law as it stood from some time before he produced it until those 1992 amemdments went into effect. — SlamDiego ←T 17:17, 8 August 2008 (UTC)
I want to take issue with the FA status of this article and it's qualification as one of the best articles written by the Wikipedia community. I should hope that as a community we can do rather better than this. For one thing it is not even error-free in its introduction. Sauron did not create the Rings of Power, he assisted Celebrimbor, the Elven-smith of Eregion, in their making. Celebrimbor was descended from Feanor, the Noldo who created the Silmarils. From Celembrimbor Sauron learned the craft of making Rings of Power and he made the One Ring for himself. When he first put it on his finger and spoke the famous words "One Ring to find them ...", Celebrimbor was aware of him and how he had been deceived and hid the other Rings of Power from him, but Sauron, over a process of years, managed to acquire all of them one by one, the Seven Rings given to the Dwarf-lords and the Nine given to Men. Only the Three given to the Elves remained hidden from him and he never acquired them, nor was he able to establish the dominance of the One over them. Obviously, I don't want this whole story in the article, but to say that Sauron created the Rings of Power is incorrect. Let's change the sentence somwehat.
Writing in the past tense makes for an abomination of a synopsis. Synopses in literary reviews are always written in the presence tense and seeing this one it is easy to see why.
There are several grammatical errors, such as "Harper Collins published seven-volume box set the 'Millenium Edition'," which sounds as if having been written by a Russian. Also, the interpunction needs looking at in various places.
The FA status and the statement that it is one of the best articles in Wikipedia make me somewhat hesitant to undertake a revision. Does this require vetting by editors at this stage or can I just go ahead? -- Recoloniser ( talk) 10:03, 13 August 2008 (UTC)
Is this section really necessary? It would have to be updated constantly, which seems like a lot of work for no particular purpose. Anyone who wants a copy can walk into any bookstore or order one from any online bookseller, they don't need the ISBN of a particular edition. Ed Fitzgerald (unfutz) ( talk / cont) 07:07, 18 August 2008 (UTC)
we need a list of notable editions. Compare Homer#Editions. -- dab (𒁳) 12:13, 18 August 2008 (UTC)
According to the notes of text in my version of the LoTR book, it states that Dwarfs(mistaken as dwarves), Elfish (Elvish) and Elfin (Elven) (and assuming Elfs [Elves]) are the correct spelling, and in appendix E, '"f" represents f, unless at the end of the word, where it is used to represent the sound of "v"' -- Yellow Onion ( talk) 15:03, 18 August 2008 (UTC)
I am a casual Wikipedia user and casual LOR fan, so will not impose my edits, but rather respectfully suggest that the following sentence from the 3rd para be revised:
"From quiet beginnings in the Shire, a hobbit land which is not unlike the English countryside, the story ranges across Middle-earth following the course of the War of the Ring through the eyes of its characters, most notably the hobbits, Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee (Sam), Meriadoc Brandybuck (Merry) and Peregrin Took (Pippin)."
Neither subjects of this run-on sentence, "hobbit land" nor "the story," are "from quiet beginnings."
I am not sure what is supposed to be quiet -- the beginning of the story or the Shire -- but either way, you're probably better off starting with the subject: "The story, beginning quietly in the Shire" or "The story, beginning in the quiet Shire" are two possibilities. You could then follow that with "ranges across Middle-earth..."
Perhaps more interestingly, the subject could be the heroes themselves. "Lord of the Rings tells the journey of hobbits Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee (Sam), Meriadoc Brandybuck (Merry) and Peregrin Took (Pippin), as they travel from their peaceful Shire, across Middle-earth, in the midst of the War of the Ring, to the center of evil in Mordor."
Or something like that. : ) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Karrsic ( talk • contribs) 23:23, 26 August 2008
I'm not the first person to say this, but I think the issue should be dealt with on this page. I seem to remember there used to be a paragraph or two about it, but perhaps it got deleted.
I used to be a huge fan of Tolkien when I was eight or so, but the older I get, the more his narrative looks like racialist fantasizing, the kind of story intended to sustain the narrative promoted by both Nazi Germany and apartheid South Africa in order to garner more domestic support for their repressive/imperialist policies.
Just read this plot synopsis:
Evil, scheming, manipulative [ ] control vast hordes of intrinsically inferior, stupid, violent [ ] and plan to conquer white people's beautiful lands with beautiful white women, who the white men must protect with their lives.
What would you put there?
Would be it be "dark lords" controlling armies of "orcs and ogres"?
Or would it be that familiar old racial narrative - "Jewish Bolsheviks" manipulating armies of Slavs or blacks to take over Berlin or Pretoria?
They seem pretty interchangeable to me. What do you think? 144.89.186.134 ( talk) 22:08, 28 August 2008 (UTC)
http://www.rediff.com/news/2003/jan/08lord.htm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2002/dec/02/jrrtolkien.lordoftherings
http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2003/12/277166.shtml
http://www.mcall.com/features/chi-030112epringsrace,0,371390.story
I quote from another article:
"Frankly, the image of a mail-clad group of warriors making their last stand against a rabble of subhumans with the cry “Men of the West, stand firm!” is enough to give anyone pause for thought."
And another:
"Percentage of protagonists in Fellowship who are white: 100. Meanwhile the black-skinned antagonists and their black crow spies and their black glass seeing ball inhabit their black towers and perform black magic. One would have to be blind to miss the symbolism."
And another:
"Interestingly enough, after each battle the Humans and Elves never take any prisoners. They make a point to slaughter every last Goblin. Because they believe that no one can transcend their race. Essentially, the heroes in LOTR are on a genocidal campaign. "
Frankly, the response of many Tolkien fans to allegations of racism reminds one of Churchill's admirers when confronted with evidence of his anti-Semitism: "You just made it up!"
I'm not saying that Tolkien was a Nazi or that I have the best idea regarding the best way to integrate this obviously important perspective on his immensely popular material into the article. But it should probably be there, and a scholarly review of connotations and popular interpretations should neither be dismissed as "sensationalist" nor excluded from the article. 144.89.186.134 ( talk) 07:13, 29 August 2008 (UTC)
I just thought I'd post a few articles from the past several years that I found that seem to address this topic (though I don't have copies of them, sorry!). Namely:
Hope that helps, Astraflame ( talk) 18:15, 29 August 2008 (UTC)
But that's not really the case. Was Wagner racist? It doesn't necessarily matter; Wagner's music has acquired strong Nazi connotations and these have to be addressed in his article. That doesn't mean that you can't play the Bridal March at your wedding, it just means people should know about popular, polarizing interpretations of art.
If you go to StormFront.org, probably the most popular neo-Nazi/"white nationalist" forum on the web, they have an entire board dedicated to LotR. I personally think you'd have to be daft to not see how Tolkien's work assists these types of people in constructing a narrative dealing with the "imminent threat" of "dark-skinned races" to "the West." Even the non-white humans - the Haradrim (Arabs) and Easterlings (Asians) work for Sauron, the dark lord.
To be fair, Tolkien's work has also been appropriated by Haight-Ashbury hippies; I believe this is already addressed in the article. Nobody's saying Tolkien wrote books to give racists ammunition, but what we are saying is that his work reflects a strongly race-oriented mentality common among affluent Europeans of his time and that this aspect of his work cannot be simply negated in our modern, multiracial society where his works are popular.
Basically, the reason that I did this before adding to the article is to get a productive discussion going before adding a paragraph that would be immediately removed by some irate Tolkien fan. I'll put something in soon. 144.89.186.134 ( talk) 20:17, 29 August 2008 (UTC)
the racism question is duly addressed in the JRRT bio article (under "views"). -- dab (𒁳) 18:42, 19 September 2008 (UTC)
Republican does not seem to want to acknowledge that Battlelore and their music is 100% based off Tolkien's work, unless I provide evidence. So here it is:
"All of Battlelore's lyrics concern J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth."
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battlelore
"Numerous bands devote themselves to the literary works of British author J.R.R. Tolkien and pay homage to Middle Earth's diverse cultures and inhabitants. However, only a few bands live up to his extraordinary tales and are able to clad them into a fitting suit of armor. One of these bands is the Finnish formation BATTLELORE, who have enthralled countless fans with their unique blend of Epic Fantasy Metal. "
- http://www.napalmrecords.com/hp_promo.php?bioID=63&osCsid=1d0a23f224edf2865ff5546edb315a3f —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.54.115.243 ( talk) 19:24, 20 September 2008 (UTC)
Well in the Fellowship of the Ring in Moria, Frodo hears footsteps or he thinks he does. Then it says that it is not an echo because when the Fellowship stops it continues for a couple of seconds. Is that not an echo?-- Kangaroo2 ( talk) 18:53, 14 December 2008 (UTC)
What does all this have to do with the article??-- Michael X the White ( talk) 10:45, 15 December 2008 (UTC)
I think that the recent edits made by Sam1w should be un-reverted and kept. The Orcs under Saruman's direct command are Uruk-Hai; there are, however, other Orcs assisting them with Merry and Pippin. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Mario777Zelda ( talk • contribs) 00:44, 17 December 2008 (UTC)
Whoever wrote the piece on the public reception of Ace Books' pirated edition did not quote any references, and unfortunately I can't quote any either, except to say that I remember reading such and such in one of Tolkien's early (unauthorised) biographies.
The current article says:
Tolkien took issue with this and quickly notified his fans of this objection.[citation needed] Grass-roots pressure from these fans became so great that Ace Books withdrew their edition and made a nominal payment to Tolkien, well below what he might have been due in an appropriate publication.[citation needed] However, this poor beginning was overshadowed when an authorized edition followed from Ballantine Books and Houghton Mifflin to tremendous commercial success.
My comments are:
1. The impression I got from the biography was that LOTR's success in the US was largely due to the pirated edition. It was the pirated edition that made LOTR popular in the US.
2. How would Tolkien "notify his fans"? Did he have a fanclub in those days? I doubt it. No, it is pure speculation that Tolkien put pressure on Ace Books, informally, through his fan base, to withdraw the pirated edition. I suggest the section quoted above be changed to:
Ace Books eventually paid Tolkien a token amount. An authorized edition was later published by Ballantine Books and Houghton Mifflin, and was a tremendous commercial success. -- leuce ( talk) 06:13, 17 November 2008 (UTC)
2. How would Tolkien "notify his fans"? Did he have a fanclub in those days? I doubt it. No, it is pure speculation that Tolkien put pressure on Ace Books, informally, through his fan base, to withdraw the pirated edition.
I am aware that Tolkien was born there, but his parents were English and Tolkien lived in England for the majority of his life. The article on Tolkien itself calls him an
"...English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the high fantasy classic works The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings."
Is there a source that states that Tolkien self-identified as South African? If not, I believe the introduction should refer to him as an English author. Or even a "South African-born English author", but that's a bit unnecessary.
I am changing the article for now, because this appears to be a recent edit without much reasoning behind it. If the person who made the edit in the first place wishes to come forward and explain it, that's fine. But to me it seems a simple case of mistaking Tolkien's place of birth as his cultural background. IceKeyHunter ( talk) 17:40, 17 July 2008 (UTC)
He was born in the Orange Free State...a British colony to English parents. He would not identify himself as South African. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 206.40.104.251 ( talk) 06:33, 2 January 2009 (UTC)
This page is an archive of past discussions. Do not edit the contents of this page. If you wish to start a new discussion or revive an old one, please do so on the current talk page. |
I'm just wondering, since the Lord of the Rings consists of Book 1 to 6 and a seperate book of Apendices, if it would réally be a "trilogy". This same discussion has also been brought up on the trilogy-page and last time I checked, people have settled with calling only the three movies a trilogy but naming the collection of lotr-books a 'series of novels'. Cyanid ( talk) 01:51, 20 December 2008 (UTC)
This is an archive of past discussions. Do not edit the contents of this page. If you wish to start a new discussion or revive an old one, please do so on the current talk page. |
Archive 1 | ← | Archive 3 | Archive 4 | Archive 5 | Archive 6 | Archive 7 | → | Archive 9 |
Hi guys, just wanted to clarify the categorical definition of what Middle-earth is, as is relevant to its mention at the beginning of the second paragraph of the introduction. In the article it was previously the "fictional region of Middle-earth", but this doesn't really work because Middle-earth isn't simply some geographical area in Tolkien's world, or at least if it once was it is not any more (at the time of LOTR). To call it a continent doesn't help much either, for the same reasons. I mean, am I correct in saying that the name and concept derive from equivalents in several European mythologies, for example Midgard of Norse Mythology, which is the mortal world below the world of the gods and above the underworld of the dead? And if this is true, is it not then reasonable to simply refer to this story as being set in the fictional "world" of Middle-earth, the same way we call the real Earth the world, and don't mean to include such metaphysicals as "heaven"? Genedecanter 03:05, 14 September 2007 (UTC)
I don't know if anyone noticed, but reference number 10 coded as <ref name="letters" /> has been missing since this edit in April. -- Squids' and' Chips 00:52, 4 October 2007 (UTC)
To be short, this article has become far too long. When it was promoted to FA it was less than 50 KB. It is now 73 KB. After such a fight for its size, I think that is is a shame that it has ballooned to the levels it is at. At any rate, I can already see some of the areas it has increased in size. If someone would be willing to attack the backstory and synopsis, I think I could get the rest. I'm just not great at plot recollection and writing. At any rate, any assistance in this task is welcome. SorryGuy 02:37, 26 October 2007 (UTC)
Just dumping this removed image on the talk page in case someone wants/needs it. 82.139.85.94 12:04, 27 October 2007 (UTC)
Would anyone have objections to me changing the name of the section from "Publication history" to "Publishing history"? It's just that it immediately follows the "Publication" section, and I think the distinction between the two is not entirely clear in the current titles. Furthermore, the term 'publication' seems to me to more strongly suggest the original printing and publishing events, whereas 'publishing' feels more generic. Genedecanter 06:49, 4 November 2007 (UTC)
The 'Influences on the fantasy genre' and 'Impact on popular culture' sections are a bit odd at the moment, and in places it's hard to figure out what the difference between them is. The paragraph concerning the term "Tolkienesque" and the spelling change from 'dwarfs' to 'dwarves', for example, could just as easily (arguably better) fit in the 'popular culture' section. So I'm wondering what people's thoughts are about perhaps merging these two sections together, maybe calling it something like "Impact on popular culture and the fantasy genre". Genedecanter 00:28, 6 November 2007 (UTC)
I'd like to note somewhere that there's a neat fact that I have never heard anyone comment about, but I don't know where to put it. Tolkien might have had some meaning behind it. Bilbo, Gollum, and Frodo, ALL THREE started their ownership of the One Ring exactly on their birthday. It was Gollum's birthday when he killed Déagol and got the Ring, it was Bilbo's birthday when he found it in the cave, and it was both Bilbo's and Frodo's birthday when he gave the Ring to Frodo. I wonder if it was Sauron's birthday when he made it and if it was Isildur's birthday when he cut it from Sauron's hand and grabbed it for himself. :) RayLast ( talk) 13:51, 5 December 2007 (UTC)
I noticed that someone has capitalised the 'O' on an instance of "orcs", and upon further investigation noticed that this "orcs"/"Orcs" is inconsistent through the article. What is correct here? A brief and cursory flip through the pages of LOTR reveals that the capitalisation is even inconsistent within that source text, so what should we do, any thoughts? Genedecanter ( talk) 12:02, 8 December 2007 (UTC)
Broad categories of mythical or legendary creatures do not start with capital letters (elf, fairy, nymph, unicorn, angel), although in derived works of fantasy, such as the novels of J.R.R. Tolkien and realtime strategy video games, initial capitals are sometimes used to indicate that the beings are regarded as cultures or races in their fictional universes.
Do not capitalize other groups of mythical creatures, such as elves, fairies, nymphs or genies. The exception is some works of fantasy, such as those of J.R.R. Tolkien, where the audience considers the mythical creatures an ethnicity and thus written with an initial capital.
My (reverted) removal of a single word from a citation was not intended as censorship, but to improve the quality of the article in accordance with the profanity policy. The policy says that such strong words "should be avoided when they serve no other purpose than to shock the reader." In this case, the original citation as spoken by Dyson was indeed intended to shock his original audience, and it continues to shock readers when it is quoted. I think we can communicate Dyson's strong distaste for Tolkien and his desire to shock his listeners quite completely without resorting to shocking our own readers. As it currently appears, the citation detracts from the article because it pulls the reader's focus away from the literary critique of the LOTR and focuses it upon the humor, creativity, and/or shock effect of the citation itself. Humor by its nature is designed to attract attention to itself, and this citation does so to the detriment of the flow of thought in the article. In reading the article I came to full stop at this out-of-place word and found myself no longer thinking about LOTR. The profanity policy also says,
Other ways to reference strong language in an encyclopedic manner
At times, strong language should be retained in the article exactly as sourced. However there are cases where the information can be characterized without loss of information, and the actual wording adds little to the article, and other cases where it can be footnoted if specificity is required. This is often useful in cases where the strong wording is relevant but not central to the statement.
The policy then gives an example of editing a citation in which the strong language was relevant but not central to the statement, and it was footnoted because specificity was required. In this case, too, the strong language is relevant but certainly not central to the topic, but here specificity is not really required. The particular adjective, or any other adjective, is not in itself a central part of Dyson's dislike of elf stories, and he could have used any of several words or phrases for the same exact effect. We can communicate his intended effect without including the shock effect within this article, thus avoiding the profanity. Remember, profanity policy says that we should avoid profanity. This is part of the intended style of Wikipedia.
Is this an article about the literary personalities in the Inklings and their famous statements, or is it an article about a popular story that has a very broad readership among all kinds of people? I think we can characterize Dyson's literary sentiments without giving the distracting citation in this context. If you disagree, let's please talk about it: why is this particular citation needed verbatim to provide a true range of understanding of the literary world's reactions to LOTR? Encyclopedic style does not usually allow for such strong statements in this type of article. I have never in my life read an encyclopedia article on this type of generally popular subject and found such words included in it. In my opinion, leaving the profanity in this article is a violation of the profanity policy for the reasons discussed above and the article should be improved by making this small style change at this point.
I admit that I didn't edit the profanity the best way in my first attempt. It would be much better to characterize the quotation rather than removing one word.
With best regards, Sanddune777 ( talk) 04:37, 2 January 2008 (UTC)
"Oh no! Not another [1] elf!"
|
...is not an option. Maybe it's an age or a culture thing, but i don't see the word fucking as a shocker. I wish Hugo Dyson had said something else like "Oh! come on now Johnny! enough with this plonker elfs!", but he didn't. So what you are asking here is Hugo Dyson's full quote to be removed, and it seems to be the only direct (negative) quote there is from the Inklings. I'm sorry but i think that the quote should be kept as it is, removing it and writing instead something like "Some of the Inlinks, such as Hugo Dyson, were not big admirers of Tolkien's work." could be a possibility, but i prefer the quote. It just seems less ambiguous and more... from the horse's mouth. -- Yamanbaiia( free hugs!) 19:14, 3 January 2008 (UTC)
Dyson, for example, who had been elected to a Fellowship at Merton after the war and now taught English there, felt a marked antipathy to Tolkien's writings, so that the readings of The Lord of the Rings -- always a high point of the better evenings -- were no longer a pleasure. Aware that some of his audience were unappreciative, J. R. R. Tolkien mumbled and read badly. Christopher, who was about to show himself one of the most eloquent lecturers Oxford has ever known, was brilliant at reading aloud, and took over the task. But he could not be sure that his readings would not be interrupted by Dyson, lying on the sofa with his foot in the air and a glass of whisky in his hand, snorting, grunting and exhaling -- 'Oh f***, not another elf!' In such an atmosphere, it was not surprising that the Tolkien readings were discontinued. [bowderlization mine]
<Diana> On Dyson: yes, there is evidence of this, tho probably he used the word "bloody," being British and all. Christopher has reported that it happened, and that Lewis tried to get Tolkien to continue after.
Does anybody have a copy of this video: "A Film Portrait Of J.R.R. Tolkien" [3] starring Judi Dench? Someone commented on a bulletin board [4] that on this tape Christopher Tolkien himself told the story with Dyson's remark about elves and that there was no expletive included in Dyson's remark. As far as I have found, this video is the only place where it is an eyewitness documenting the story rather than someone repeating the story -- perhaps with embellishment -- 2nd or 3rd hand. It costs about 20 GBP for the only used copy available on UK Amazon but I'm hoping someone already has a copy. Sanddune777 ( talk) 05:38, 7 January 2008 (UTC)
OK, the evidence is in: there is no factual basis to say that Dyson used the "f-word" about elves or anything else. This quotation is an urban legend, which evolved into its present form from a much humbler beginning. I sent some questions about this topic to Diana Glyson (a scholar who specializes in studying the Inklings) and today I received this reply from her:
I must say, this is the most interesting question I've received in a long time....
Dyson's famous expletive has been an urban legend for some time. Dyson was loud and profane and opinionated. He complained about The Lord of the Rings repeatedly, so the idea that there was one single quotable occasion is already problematic. Part of the problem, though, is that while he may have used an expletive at the beginning of his complaint, and he may well have added an expletive as an adjective in the middle, there is no actual evidence that he ever used the f-word. I mean ever, and not just ever in this context. After studying the personal letters and diaries of these men for some 20 years, I haven't run across a single use of the f-word by any of them on any occasion. Which is exactly what you would expect: they are British and they are academics and they are living in the first half of the twentieth century. If they really wanted to use a shocking expletive, they would have used "bloody." And, occasionally, they did.
But what did Hugo Dyson say in this context? The closest thing we have to a first-hand account of all this is Christopher Tolkien's description from a 1992 documentary called "A Film Portrait of J. R. R. Tolkien. (Dir. Derek Bailey. Narr. Judi Dench. Visual Corporation, 1992.) Here is my transcription (as published on page 88 of The Company They Keep) of Christopher's account:
Well, I should mention the very important figure of Hugo Dyson, who was an English don, English Literature at Oxford. Brilliant, vastly entertaining man who didn't like The Lord of the Rings. I remember this very vividly, my father's pain, his shyness, which couldn't take Hugo's extremely rumbustious approach. Hugo wanted fun, jokes, witticisms, lots of drink. And Lewis, who I deeply admired and loved-he had a strong, a strong manner. And he would say "Shut up Hugo. [claps hands] Come on Tollers." And The Lord of the Rings would begin with Hugo lying on the couch, and lolling and shouting and saying, 'Oh God, no more Elves.' The Inklings was a bit like that.
I do believe that Christopher is giving an accurate report, that he remembers it correctly, and that he is not "softening" the language for the public. In contrast, I should note that Wilson's book has been consistently criticized for being weak on research and accuracy.
Feel free to contact me if I can be of further help. As a scholar and
teacher, I would like to thank you for working so hard to get the facts
right.
I think the evidence demands that we edit the article. I will go ahead and do so, describing Dyson's attitudes and regular complaints against the LOTR. Sanddune777 ( talk) 04:12, 17 January 2008 (UTC)
I notice that someone has recently added this section, but it is very vague and offers up no references. I think the point about the work's influence on this movement is probably significant, and can at least be worked into the legacy section somewhere, but unless someone feels otherwise I'm inclined to remove it as a separate section. Any thoughts? Genedecanter ( talk) 06:49, 21 January 2008 (UTC)
Can someone please explain the need for there to be separate articles for Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and Return of the King? As far as I can tell, all these articles do is summarise the plot, then summarise the plot again in a 'chapter summary' form, then mention some adaptations, then some links. There is really no useful encyclopedic information in these articles that isn't already in this present Lord of the Rings article. I suggest we get rid of these articles and let the titles point to this one. Any compelling counter-arguments? Genedecanter ( talk) 08:22, 25 January 2008 (UTC)
For whoever keeps adding the comment about Fatty Bolger staying behind to act as decoy, he did not. At the beginning of The Old Forest, Fatty escorted Frodo and the other hobbits to the tunnel through the Hedge, then returned to Crickhollow. At the beginning of A Knife in the Dark, he saw the Riders approach the house, and ran out the backdoor in fear. It was his panic that caused the alarm to be raised. But at no point did he remain behind as a decoy.
I think you're confusing this with the decoy at the Prancing Pony, when Strider took the hobbits from their room to keep them safe. Indeed, their room had been broken into. - FeralDruid ( talk) 03:50, 8 February 2008 (UTC)
Fond as he was of Frodo, Fatty Bolger had no desire to leave the Shire, nor to see what lay outside it. His family came from the Eastfarthing, from Budgeford in Bridgefields in fact, but he had never been over the Brandywine Bridge. His task, according to the original plans of the conspirators, was to stay behind and deal with inquisitive folk, and to keep up as long as possible the pretence that Mr. Baggins was still living at Crickhollow. He had even brought along some old clothes of Frodo’s to help him in playing the part. They little thought how dangerous that part might prove.
(my emphasis) Thu ( talk) 09:21, 8 February 2008 (UTC)
Image:Cover lotr green gandalf.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.
Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Wikipedia:Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.
If there is other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images lacking such an explanation can be deleted one week after being tagged, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.
BetacommandBot ( talk) 20:44, 13 February 2008 (UTC)
HI, can someone please explain to me in detail what is depicted on each of the three covers of LOTR that are shown in the main picture of this article. Thank you —Preceding unsigned comment added by 122.106.34.39 ( talk) 09:09, 19 February 2008 (UTC)
Zoroastrianism has had indirct influence (by influencing the Roman catholicism ) on the books !! Does anybody have any idea how to add this to the article ? Persianknight ( talk) 11:01, 13 May 2008 (UTC)
Collect a list of references that back up your 'fact' and add them to the article. Thu ( talk) 12:44, 13 May 2008 (UTC)
"Tolkien had already completed most of the book, including the ending in its entirety, before the first nuclear bombs were made known to the world at Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945."
My problem with the above is that Tolkien might have finished his book before the first functional nuclear bombs were created, but keep in mind that the possibility of a nuclear bomb was known much earlier than 1945.
Say, for instance, that the ring is an allegory for a nuclear bomb: it works in the sense that neither of them shall, "fall in the wrong hands."
Thanks. Seth Arlington ( talk) 23:04, 27 February 2008 (UTC)
I think that it's very doubtful whether Tolkien, a scholar with a serious abhorrence of science and technology, would have been aware of any theoretical possibilities of nuclear bombs. Remember that the first instance of nuclear fission only took place in the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute in Berlin in 1938 and even then it wasn't realised immediately what had happened. It took Lise Meitner and her nephew Otto Frisch until XMas of that year to demonstrate conclusively that that was indeed what had happened in the experiment in question. From there to a bomb requires to make Leo Szilard's concept of the chain reaction to be put into practice and that was done by Szilard himself together with Enrico Fermi in 1939 in Chicago. However, all this was kept totally secret and most lay-people only woke up to the possibility of nuclear fission, chain reactions and nuclear bombs on 6 August 1945 when the first bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Until then, most people had always assumed that atoms were exactly what their Greek name implied, un-splittable. Tolkien certainly would have, if he ever considered the issue at all, which is highly doubtful. -- Recoloniser ( talk) 10:03, 13 August 2008 (UTC)
There are little to no documented legends of European origin in Lord of the Rings. However, Lord of the Rings is rife with legends, myths and hisotries of eastern people. For example, the Greeks have documented exstensively about the formidable Ethiopian bowmen with their supernatural abilities who also happened to live 'forever'. Sound familiar? Tolkein himself once stated that the story of the Lord of the Rings is his gift to Europe, as it lacks such mythology of its own. The rip off continues. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.20.195.252 ( talk) 05:12, 3 July 2008 (UTC)
No legends of European origin? Ever heard of Der Ring des Nibelungen? Not to mention elves, dwarves, dragons, ... The whole thing is totally European in outlook and by heritage! You must be joking! -- Recoloniser ( talk) 10:03, 13 August 2008 (UTC)
I undid revision 194533591 by 65.78.108.234 because I think it is misleading in its present form and does not present the true state of God or gods appearing in LOTR. First, Tolkien's desire was to put the Germanic polytheism into a monotheistic framework and so he invented the Ainur, who are the Valar and the Maiar. Tolkien, in his 1951 letter to Milton Waldman, said Valar are "powers: Anglished as gods," and "On the side of mere narrative device, this is, of course, meant to provide beings of the same order of beauty, power, and majesty as the 'gods' of higher mythology, which can yet be accepted---well, shall we say baldly, by a mind that believes in the Blessed Trinity." Gandalf, Sauron, Saruman, and Radagast (all appearing or mentioned in LOTR) are Maiar, who serve the Valar as the next lower level in the hierarchy. In ancient mythologies these would commonly be the second tier of 'gods'. So it does not really do the Tolkien's intentions justice to say that "no gods are present" (as it says in the change that I undid). Furthermore, Gandalf says specifically, in his confrontation with the Balrog, "I am a servant of the Secret Fire, Wielder of the Flame of Anor, You cannot pass. The dark fire will not avail you, Flame of Udun. Go Back to the Shadow! You cannot pass." Tolkien explained this as referring to God (see Secret Fire). So again, it is not really presenting the true picture to say "no gods are...even mentioned." Furthermore, the LOTR is not a standalone trilogy, but is part of a series including the Hobbit and the Silmarillion. In the latter, Eru Ilúvatar (God) appears predominantly, as do the gods the Valar and the lesser gods the Maiar. The stories of the Silmarillion are mentioned repeatedly in the LOTR in songs or other references, and so the Silmarillion with its overt creation account and overt discussion of God's relationship with the gods are organically a part of the LOTR. So again, the statement that I deleted did not produce a fair assessment of Tolkien's mythology as we find in in LOTR. Finally, there has been much speculation about the nature of Tom Bombadil, and many hold him to be an incarnation of Eru Ilúvatar (God). Many feel this is the only way to understand Tom's special powers, characteristics and history within the Tolkien universe, and so again it is not presenting the whole picture to say that "no gods are present" as though there hasn't been much serious discussion on this question. So if this topic of whether "gods" appear in the story is to be added into the article, then a more complete and balanced discussion would be required. My opinion is that "gods" are found throughout the story, because the wizards and Sauron and even balrogs are clearly "gods" in the real meaning of the word, as well as in the framework setup by Tolkien, and so in fact the story is rife with gods and not just with religious motifs. However, it is important to keep the article from growing, and I do not think it would be useful to add such a long discussion and it is therefore better kept out entirely. Sanddune777 ( talk) 02:10, 28 February 2008 (UTC)
While I think this section is a valuable addition to the article, it seems silly to only list US editions of what is originally a UK-published book. Does anyone have the relevant information for current HarperCollins editions? Genedecanter ( talk) 06:48, 31 March 2008 (UTC)
Similarities drawn between two things do not strictly imply an influence. This entire section is riddled with this kind of basic logical fallacy, everything from Wagner to Beowulf to Odin is an interpretation of Tolkiens work and not evidence of an influence upon him. I've no doubt Tolkiens writings in the Lord of the Rings was actually influenced by some of these things, but they should be sourced and referenced properly. -- Davémon ( talk) 18:57, 31 March 2008 (UTC)
The article grossly misrepresented Eisen, Durwood & Co. v. Christopher R. Tolkien et alii. That decision was reached in '93, based upon copyright law in the wake of 1992 amendments to the Copyright Act of 1976. The 1992 amendments restored copyrights lost by such failures to include notices. Wolheim's theory was valid for the law as it stood from some time before he produced it until those 1992 amemdments went into effect. — SlamDiego ←T 17:17, 8 August 2008 (UTC)
I want to take issue with the FA status of this article and it's qualification as one of the best articles written by the Wikipedia community. I should hope that as a community we can do rather better than this. For one thing it is not even error-free in its introduction. Sauron did not create the Rings of Power, he assisted Celebrimbor, the Elven-smith of Eregion, in their making. Celebrimbor was descended from Feanor, the Noldo who created the Silmarils. From Celembrimbor Sauron learned the craft of making Rings of Power and he made the One Ring for himself. When he first put it on his finger and spoke the famous words "One Ring to find them ...", Celebrimbor was aware of him and how he had been deceived and hid the other Rings of Power from him, but Sauron, over a process of years, managed to acquire all of them one by one, the Seven Rings given to the Dwarf-lords and the Nine given to Men. Only the Three given to the Elves remained hidden from him and he never acquired them, nor was he able to establish the dominance of the One over them. Obviously, I don't want this whole story in the article, but to say that Sauron created the Rings of Power is incorrect. Let's change the sentence somwehat.
Writing in the past tense makes for an abomination of a synopsis. Synopses in literary reviews are always written in the presence tense and seeing this one it is easy to see why.
There are several grammatical errors, such as "Harper Collins published seven-volume box set the 'Millenium Edition'," which sounds as if having been written by a Russian. Also, the interpunction needs looking at in various places.
The FA status and the statement that it is one of the best articles in Wikipedia make me somewhat hesitant to undertake a revision. Does this require vetting by editors at this stage or can I just go ahead? -- Recoloniser ( talk) 10:03, 13 August 2008 (UTC)
Is this section really necessary? It would have to be updated constantly, which seems like a lot of work for no particular purpose. Anyone who wants a copy can walk into any bookstore or order one from any online bookseller, they don't need the ISBN of a particular edition. Ed Fitzgerald (unfutz) ( talk / cont) 07:07, 18 August 2008 (UTC)
we need a list of notable editions. Compare Homer#Editions. -- dab (𒁳) 12:13, 18 August 2008 (UTC)
According to the notes of text in my version of the LoTR book, it states that Dwarfs(mistaken as dwarves), Elfish (Elvish) and Elfin (Elven) (and assuming Elfs [Elves]) are the correct spelling, and in appendix E, '"f" represents f, unless at the end of the word, where it is used to represent the sound of "v"' -- Yellow Onion ( talk) 15:03, 18 August 2008 (UTC)
I am a casual Wikipedia user and casual LOR fan, so will not impose my edits, but rather respectfully suggest that the following sentence from the 3rd para be revised:
"From quiet beginnings in the Shire, a hobbit land which is not unlike the English countryside, the story ranges across Middle-earth following the course of the War of the Ring through the eyes of its characters, most notably the hobbits, Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee (Sam), Meriadoc Brandybuck (Merry) and Peregrin Took (Pippin)."
Neither subjects of this run-on sentence, "hobbit land" nor "the story," are "from quiet beginnings."
I am not sure what is supposed to be quiet -- the beginning of the story or the Shire -- but either way, you're probably better off starting with the subject: "The story, beginning quietly in the Shire" or "The story, beginning in the quiet Shire" are two possibilities. You could then follow that with "ranges across Middle-earth..."
Perhaps more interestingly, the subject could be the heroes themselves. "Lord of the Rings tells the journey of hobbits Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee (Sam), Meriadoc Brandybuck (Merry) and Peregrin Took (Pippin), as they travel from their peaceful Shire, across Middle-earth, in the midst of the War of the Ring, to the center of evil in Mordor."
Or something like that. : ) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Karrsic ( talk • contribs) 23:23, 26 August 2008
I'm not the first person to say this, but I think the issue should be dealt with on this page. I seem to remember there used to be a paragraph or two about it, but perhaps it got deleted.
I used to be a huge fan of Tolkien when I was eight or so, but the older I get, the more his narrative looks like racialist fantasizing, the kind of story intended to sustain the narrative promoted by both Nazi Germany and apartheid South Africa in order to garner more domestic support for their repressive/imperialist policies.
Just read this plot synopsis:
Evil, scheming, manipulative [ ] control vast hordes of intrinsically inferior, stupid, violent [ ] and plan to conquer white people's beautiful lands with beautiful white women, who the white men must protect with their lives.
What would you put there?
Would be it be "dark lords" controlling armies of "orcs and ogres"?
Or would it be that familiar old racial narrative - "Jewish Bolsheviks" manipulating armies of Slavs or blacks to take over Berlin or Pretoria?
They seem pretty interchangeable to me. What do you think? 144.89.186.134 ( talk) 22:08, 28 August 2008 (UTC)
http://www.rediff.com/news/2003/jan/08lord.htm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2002/dec/02/jrrtolkien.lordoftherings
http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2003/12/277166.shtml
http://www.mcall.com/features/chi-030112epringsrace,0,371390.story
I quote from another article:
"Frankly, the image of a mail-clad group of warriors making their last stand against a rabble of subhumans with the cry “Men of the West, stand firm!” is enough to give anyone pause for thought."
And another:
"Percentage of protagonists in Fellowship who are white: 100. Meanwhile the black-skinned antagonists and their black crow spies and their black glass seeing ball inhabit their black towers and perform black magic. One would have to be blind to miss the symbolism."
And another:
"Interestingly enough, after each battle the Humans and Elves never take any prisoners. They make a point to slaughter every last Goblin. Because they believe that no one can transcend their race. Essentially, the heroes in LOTR are on a genocidal campaign. "
Frankly, the response of many Tolkien fans to allegations of racism reminds one of Churchill's admirers when confronted with evidence of his anti-Semitism: "You just made it up!"
I'm not saying that Tolkien was a Nazi or that I have the best idea regarding the best way to integrate this obviously important perspective on his immensely popular material into the article. But it should probably be there, and a scholarly review of connotations and popular interpretations should neither be dismissed as "sensationalist" nor excluded from the article. 144.89.186.134 ( talk) 07:13, 29 August 2008 (UTC)
I just thought I'd post a few articles from the past several years that I found that seem to address this topic (though I don't have copies of them, sorry!). Namely:
Hope that helps, Astraflame ( talk) 18:15, 29 August 2008 (UTC)
But that's not really the case. Was Wagner racist? It doesn't necessarily matter; Wagner's music has acquired strong Nazi connotations and these have to be addressed in his article. That doesn't mean that you can't play the Bridal March at your wedding, it just means people should know about popular, polarizing interpretations of art.
If you go to StormFront.org, probably the most popular neo-Nazi/"white nationalist" forum on the web, they have an entire board dedicated to LotR. I personally think you'd have to be daft to not see how Tolkien's work assists these types of people in constructing a narrative dealing with the "imminent threat" of "dark-skinned races" to "the West." Even the non-white humans - the Haradrim (Arabs) and Easterlings (Asians) work for Sauron, the dark lord.
To be fair, Tolkien's work has also been appropriated by Haight-Ashbury hippies; I believe this is already addressed in the article. Nobody's saying Tolkien wrote books to give racists ammunition, but what we are saying is that his work reflects a strongly race-oriented mentality common among affluent Europeans of his time and that this aspect of his work cannot be simply negated in our modern, multiracial society where his works are popular.
Basically, the reason that I did this before adding to the article is to get a productive discussion going before adding a paragraph that would be immediately removed by some irate Tolkien fan. I'll put something in soon. 144.89.186.134 ( talk) 20:17, 29 August 2008 (UTC)
the racism question is duly addressed in the JRRT bio article (under "views"). -- dab (𒁳) 18:42, 19 September 2008 (UTC)
Republican does not seem to want to acknowledge that Battlelore and their music is 100% based off Tolkien's work, unless I provide evidence. So here it is:
"All of Battlelore's lyrics concern J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth."
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battlelore
"Numerous bands devote themselves to the literary works of British author J.R.R. Tolkien and pay homage to Middle Earth's diverse cultures and inhabitants. However, only a few bands live up to his extraordinary tales and are able to clad them into a fitting suit of armor. One of these bands is the Finnish formation BATTLELORE, who have enthralled countless fans with their unique blend of Epic Fantasy Metal. "
- http://www.napalmrecords.com/hp_promo.php?bioID=63&osCsid=1d0a23f224edf2865ff5546edb315a3f —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.54.115.243 ( talk) 19:24, 20 September 2008 (UTC)
Well in the Fellowship of the Ring in Moria, Frodo hears footsteps or he thinks he does. Then it says that it is not an echo because when the Fellowship stops it continues for a couple of seconds. Is that not an echo?-- Kangaroo2 ( talk) 18:53, 14 December 2008 (UTC)
What does all this have to do with the article??-- Michael X the White ( talk) 10:45, 15 December 2008 (UTC)
I think that the recent edits made by Sam1w should be un-reverted and kept. The Orcs under Saruman's direct command are Uruk-Hai; there are, however, other Orcs assisting them with Merry and Pippin. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Mario777Zelda ( talk • contribs) 00:44, 17 December 2008 (UTC)
Whoever wrote the piece on the public reception of Ace Books' pirated edition did not quote any references, and unfortunately I can't quote any either, except to say that I remember reading such and such in one of Tolkien's early (unauthorised) biographies.
The current article says:
Tolkien took issue with this and quickly notified his fans of this objection.[citation needed] Grass-roots pressure from these fans became so great that Ace Books withdrew their edition and made a nominal payment to Tolkien, well below what he might have been due in an appropriate publication.[citation needed] However, this poor beginning was overshadowed when an authorized edition followed from Ballantine Books and Houghton Mifflin to tremendous commercial success.
My comments are:
1. The impression I got from the biography was that LOTR's success in the US was largely due to the pirated edition. It was the pirated edition that made LOTR popular in the US.
2. How would Tolkien "notify his fans"? Did he have a fanclub in those days? I doubt it. No, it is pure speculation that Tolkien put pressure on Ace Books, informally, through his fan base, to withdraw the pirated edition. I suggest the section quoted above be changed to:
Ace Books eventually paid Tolkien a token amount. An authorized edition was later published by Ballantine Books and Houghton Mifflin, and was a tremendous commercial success. -- leuce ( talk) 06:13, 17 November 2008 (UTC)
2. How would Tolkien "notify his fans"? Did he have a fanclub in those days? I doubt it. No, it is pure speculation that Tolkien put pressure on Ace Books, informally, through his fan base, to withdraw the pirated edition.
I am aware that Tolkien was born there, but his parents were English and Tolkien lived in England for the majority of his life. The article on Tolkien itself calls him an
"...English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the high fantasy classic works The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings."
Is there a source that states that Tolkien self-identified as South African? If not, I believe the introduction should refer to him as an English author. Or even a "South African-born English author", but that's a bit unnecessary.
I am changing the article for now, because this appears to be a recent edit without much reasoning behind it. If the person who made the edit in the first place wishes to come forward and explain it, that's fine. But to me it seems a simple case of mistaking Tolkien's place of birth as his cultural background. IceKeyHunter ( talk) 17:40, 17 July 2008 (UTC)
He was born in the Orange Free State...a British colony to English parents. He would not identify himself as South African. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 206.40.104.251 ( talk) 06:33, 2 January 2009 (UTC)
This page is an archive of past discussions. Do not edit the contents of this page. If you wish to start a new discussion or revive an old one, please do so on the current talk page. |
I'm just wondering, since the Lord of the Rings consists of Book 1 to 6 and a seperate book of Apendices, if it would réally be a "trilogy". This same discussion has also been brought up on the trilogy-page and last time I checked, people have settled with calling only the three movies a trilogy but naming the collection of lotr-books a 'series of novels'. Cyanid ( talk) 01:51, 20 December 2008 (UTC)