I love the Lord of the Rings and this thread hurts my feelings because it makes me question whether I really should love it when I hear that other people think it's silly. So stop it!
<strong>I love the Lord of the Rings and this thread hurts my feelings because it makes me question whether I really should love it when I hear that other people think it's silly. So stop it!
<strong>not well written . . . and then . . . who are these writers that you listed as examples of 'good' writing?!?!?!?
now, if you had chosen an Ithaca ex-pat like Nabokov, I would trust you . . . however, I can't help but think that there is a little bit of the 'hunh . . .I disdain to regard what the throng doth enjoy . . .their piffles and worries" attitude in this whole thread. . .</strong><hr></blockquote>
I think it's more a case of her being a bad reader, than Tolkien being a bad writer.
[quote]Originally posted by pfflam:
<strong>Here is a very good essay about LOTR and the pernicious political reality that it portrays in a glowing light:
<strong>not well written . . . and then . . . who are these writers that you listed as examples of 'good' writing?!?!?!?
now, if you had chosen an Ithaca ex-pat like Nabokov, I would trust you . . . however, I can't help but think that there is a little bit of the 'hunh . . .I disdain to regard what the throng doth enjoy . . .their piffles and worries" attitude in this whole thread. . .</strong><hr></blockquote>
I was comparing it to books similar in style, compared to many non-fantasy books, it really sucks.
What would you like me to compare it too, any of Mistrys work, Allende, the oddesey, kurt vonnegut, fight club????
I wouldn't exactly say that Tolkein was a bad writer, but there was definitely something that made me give up on reading his books when i tried to read them at the age of 12 (while i voraciously devoured other, more 'serious' genres).
I think what it comes down to is how much your imagination is captured by a fantasy world of (to quote pscates) "swords, sorcerers, [and] mystic fantasy".
Tolkein's books are not easy to follow unless you put serious effort into keeping track of the encyclopedia of names, places, and histories.
Personally, the fantasy genre never really appealed to me, and having to sort out reams of names like Elanor, Elendil, Eomer, Eowyn, and Elrond, not to mention Gandalf, Gamgee, Gimli, Gollum, Galadriel, Gamling, Goatleaf, Gil-galad, the Gondorian, Gorbag, and Grima was way more effort than it was worth for me.
I realized that i really didn't give a damn about the fate of fantasy characters in a dark, make believe, quasi-medieval, magical world, so i closed the book (FOTR) at page 100 or so and went back to reading George Orwell.
OTOH i did enjoy the movies, especially the second one. The scenery was breathtaking and the special effects were the best i've ever seen, to the point that i totally forgot i was watching a pastiche of real and digital characters. The movies were also quite nicely done for a hollywood production. The requisite cheeze was tacked on at the end, and the exchange of wisecracks during the apparently suicidal battle to defend Helms Deep was cringe-worthy, but... compared to Star Wars, etc, it was, on the whole, excellent.
Comments
<strong>uh-oh! star wars is holy! wanna fight?</strong><hr></blockquote>
yeah! let's go!
<a href="http://www.salon.com/ent/feature/2002/12/17/tolkien_brin/index.html?x"; target="_blank">Tolkien as anti-progress-prot-fascist?!?!?</a>
Read the whole thing.... it is pretty good
and makes me like Star Trek a whole lot more
<strong>Here is a very good essay about LOTR...</strong><hr></blockquote>
"Didn't we stop going to the moon because it had become boring?" What a great line!
<strong>I love the Lord of the Rings and this thread hurts my feelings because it makes me question whether I really should love it when I hear that other people think it's silly. So stop it!
I'm that way about "The Young and the Restless."
<strong>
yeah! let's go!
alright: one left; one right; missed; high punch; blocked; faster; punch left; hit !
The Irish on the other hand- well just go see Gangs of New York
<strong>not well written . . . and then . . . who are these writers that you listed as examples of 'good' writing?!?!?!?
now, if you had chosen an Ithaca ex-pat like Nabokov, I would trust you . . . however, I can't help but think that there is a little bit of the 'hunh . . .I disdain to regard what the throng doth enjoy . . .their piffles and worries" attitude in this whole thread. . .</strong><hr></blockquote>
I think it's more a case of her being a bad reader, than Tolkien being a bad writer.
[quote]Originally posted by pfflam:
<strong>Here is a very good essay about LOTR and the pernicious political reality that it portrays in a glowing light:
<a href="http://www.salon.com/ent/feature/2002/12/17/tolkien_brin/index.html?x"; target="_blank">Tolkien as anti-progress-prot-fascist?!?!?</a>
Read the whole thing.... it is pretty good
and makes me like Star Trek a whole lot more</strong><hr></blockquote>
pfflam,
I'd like you to come in and weigh in on the question of Sauron being a good guy or not. And I promise not to call you names..
<strong>not well written . . . and then . . . who are these writers that you listed as examples of 'good' writing?!?!?!?
now, if you had chosen an Ithaca ex-pat like Nabokov, I would trust you . . . however, I can't help but think that there is a little bit of the 'hunh . . .I disdain to regard what the throng doth enjoy . . .their piffles and worries" attitude in this whole thread. . .</strong><hr></blockquote>
I was comparing it to books similar in style, compared to many non-fantasy books, it really sucks.
What would you like me to compare it too, any of Mistrys work, Allende, the oddesey, kurt vonnegut, fight club????
<strong>
I was comparing it to books similar in style, compared to many non-fantasy books, it really sucks.
What would you like me to compare it too, any of Mistrys work, Allende, the oddesey, kurt vonnegut, fight club????</strong><hr></blockquote>
We still have no idea what you're talking about.
<strong>
We still have no idea what you're talking about.</strong><hr></blockquote>
LOL
I'll second that.
I think what it comes down to is how much your imagination is captured by a fantasy world of (to quote pscates) "swords, sorcerers, [and] mystic fantasy".
Tolkein's books are not easy to follow unless you put serious effort into keeping track of the encyclopedia of names, places, and histories.
Personally, the fantasy genre never really appealed to me, and having to sort out reams of names like Elanor, Elendil, Eomer, Eowyn, and Elrond, not to mention Gandalf, Gamgee, Gimli, Gollum, Galadriel, Gamling, Goatleaf, Gil-galad, the Gondorian, Gorbag, and Grima was way more effort than it was worth for me.
I realized that i really didn't give a damn about the fate of fantasy characters in a dark, make believe, quasi-medieval, magical world, so i closed the book (FOTR) at page 100 or so and went back to reading George Orwell.
OTOH i did enjoy the movies, especially the second one. The scenery was breathtaking and the special effects were the best i've ever seen, to the point that i totally forgot i was watching a pastiche of real and digital characters. The movies were also quite nicely done for a hollywood production. The requisite cheeze was tacked on at the end, and the exchange of wisecracks during the apparently suicidal battle to defend Helms Deep was cringe-worthy, but... compared to Star Wars, etc, it was, on the whole, excellent.
IMHO
-robo