Well written, but a little short. Next time expand your comments a bit! Lydia Fish October 16, 2008, at 08:38 AM
Made longer after these comments were written.
I enjoyed reading the most about how Tolkien defied the conventional ways of writing in his time through writing The Lord of the Rings. Unlike many of the critics, Tolkien did not define quality as something that is determined by what someone is taught to like. It is funny how the critics were finding excuses, such as that the readers were uneducated or it was through a scheme of the Tolkien Society, for the overwhelming popularity of Tolkien’s work supported by various polls.
It is interesting how the critics didn’t put their criticisms into forms that could be debated and how some didn’t even read the books before bashing Tolkien’s work. When I read these things it reminded me of people in the media today who do not inform themselves about the issues before forming their opinions. I like how Shippey takes jabs at the “literati.” In one instance he says that Tolkien’s fantasy is something that we crave and that if the critics say we should deny it, they are resisting reality. I think that in this way, Shippey is effectively introducing the book that he writes to defend Tolkien’s work. I especially agree with Shippey when he says that people should understand why The Lord of the Rings moves people even if they do not feel the same way. Of course, Tolkien did not write these books to impress the people who ended up criticizing him.
I thought it is interesting that Shippey says, “No professional or commercially-oriented author would ever have tried anything as difficult or demanding of its readers’ attention.” Before reading this foreword over the summer, I had no idea that Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings were such monumental works in the genre of fantasy, or that they were the catalysts to spur on more writers to write English-language fantasies. I can see evidence today of how Tolkien has changed our taste in literature, such as in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. Another point Shippey brings up that I hadn’t thought about was the fact that people say The Lord of the Rings has religious significance found within it, yet there are no direct references to religion. Finally, I like how Shippey puts in words that Tolkien had a sense that certain languages are attractive and others are repulsive. The differences between the melodic Elvin language and that of the orcs can definitely be picked up on.
Emily Marvin? October 17, 2008, at 08:41 PM
