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Disappointing. Werthead Send a noteboard - 29/07/2010 04:41:34 AM
Not the analysis itself, which is sound (if overly familiar), but the fact that, yet again, someone starts talking about 'Tolkien' as an author but then only mentions THE LORD OF THE RINGS in isolation. If it was an essay about LORD OF THE RINGS by itself, that would be fine, but given the point of the article seems to be an assessment of why people think Tolkien is a 'sacred cow' of a writer and why that is not a good idea when the work is flawed (and indeed it is, as all works are), then his full oeuvre needs to be considered, with particular reference to THE SILMARILLION.

Of course, it is important that critics don't mention THE SILMARILLION, as then their usual standbys (Tolkien has inert female characters! Tolkien isn't dark enough!) go flying out the window. Naturally, that book shouldn't be a sacred cow either, and is certainly not flawless (its biggest flaw being that it is very hard to classify), but it would be nice if someone even tried to mention it in one of these things.
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Tolkien as a sacred cow of fantasy - 28/07/2010 10:02:39 PM 1765 Views
Nonsense, at least in part - 28/07/2010 10:19:19 PM 1345 Views
I know there is a polite difference of opinion here - 28/07/2010 10:40:42 PM 1139 Views
So we should judge the Iliad against modren fantasy novels? - 29/07/2010 12:04:32 PM 1170 Views
i agree, and furthermore... - 29/07/2010 08:46:07 PM 1242 Views
Re: I know there is a polite difference of opinion here - 29/07/2010 08:44:24 PM 1166 Views
Mno - 30/07/2010 09:07:18 AM 1253 Views
Have to agree. - 28/07/2010 11:38:37 PM 1223 Views
It seemed to be that way with Harry Potter just when after it had started to get big. - 29/07/2010 09:44:53 AM 1048 Views
*cough* Twilight *cough* - 29/07/2010 10:15:13 AM 1097 Views
I was gonna mention that one too. - 29/07/2010 10:35:17 AM 1175 Views
Mmm. I read an interesting article actually... - 29/07/2010 08:24:04 PM 991 Views
That's a fair point, I guess... - 29/07/2010 09:18:13 PM 1196 Views
It's hardly tacit. I'm glad I've never read the things. - 30/07/2010 09:38:33 AM 1194 Views
Fair enough. - 30/07/2010 10:03:07 AM 1204 Views
Also: the writing is crap. - 29/07/2010 01:04:12 PM 1128 Views
but plenty of us hate it after reading *NM* - 29/07/2010 08:24:35 PM 486 Views
How much do you have to read to form an opinion? - 29/07/2010 12:23:28 PM 1147 Views
To the end - 29/07/2010 12:59:25 PM 1017 Views
my reading time is too scarce to think that way - 29/07/2010 01:21:26 PM 1193 Views
I agree, but HP is a good example of something you should keep reading - 29/07/2010 08:27:20 PM 1207 Views
and I will - 29/07/2010 09:13:03 PM 928 Views
that's fair enough then - 29/07/2010 10:43:57 PM 987 Views
so I hear - 29/07/2010 11:13:09 PM 950 Views
Re: To the end - 29/07/2010 08:49:06 PM 1076 Views
Re: To the end - 29/07/2010 10:34:44 PM 1003 Views
Re: How much do you have to read to form an opinion? - 29/07/2010 01:49:21 PM 1170 Views
The books mature as Harry does. You should really give it another shot *NM* - 29/07/2010 03:00:37 PM 589 Views
He doesn't want to, so why should he? It's not like you or he is losing anything now - 29/07/2010 06:15:58 PM 1016 Views
It is a case of the "someone is wrong on the internet" thing, only much older - 29/07/2010 06:27:07 PM 956 Views
well you have not failed completely - 29/07/2010 06:50:15 PM 967 Views
Re: well you have not failed completely - 29/07/2010 06:53:38 PM 1012 Views
one quick question - 29/07/2010 07:38:00 PM 1048 Views
Re: one quick question - 29/07/2010 07:42:27 PM 1083 Views
well I am not a big enough hypocrite to look down on verbosity - 29/07/2010 08:30:56 PM 985 Views
I have a new essay I want you to read - 29/07/2010 07:44:40 PM 1114 Views
Re: I have a new essay I want you to read - 29/07/2010 10:42:05 PM 1073 Views
how many books do I have to read to get to the grown up books? - 29/07/2010 06:42:37 PM 986 Views
Book 3 is the beginning of the adult ones, imo. - 29/07/2010 06:44:07 PM 1089 Views
Agreed, although, - 29/07/2010 06:54:14 PM 1050 Views
They're all "light reading" for adults, geared towards YA readers. - 29/07/2010 08:29:01 PM 970 Views
Re: It seemed to be that way with Harry Potter just when after it had started to get big. - 29/07/2010 08:45:58 PM 1092 Views
it's not supposed to be on par with adult fantasy. - 29/07/2010 08:49:16 PM 1095 Views
I'd argue it's better than Jordan and others from a literary standpoint. - 29/07/2010 09:14:07 PM 1039 Views
I have always thought Jordan had some interesting themes but they were often ignored... - 29/07/2010 09:27:12 PM 1189 Views
lol. it's hard to fail with such low preliminary standards *NM* - 29/07/2010 10:46:07 PM 515 Views
good points, i bow to your wisdom - 29/07/2010 10:45:29 PM 972 Views
Oh, agreed. - 30/07/2010 09:05:17 AM 1117 Views
Incidentall - 28/07/2010 10:39:52 PM 1084 Views
Ha! - 28/07/2010 10:41:41 PM 1202 Views
Re: Ha! - 28/07/2010 10:45:38 PM 1079 Views
Ah - 28/07/2010 10:49:22 PM 1134 Views
I agree Tolkien should not be a sacred cow or put on a pedestal overmuch. - 28/07/2010 11:10:37 PM 1165 Views
I can see your points there - 28/07/2010 11:18:59 PM 1060 Views
I grow weary of people refusing to view LotR in context. - 28/07/2010 11:14:07 PM 1113 Views
all art forms have sacred cows - 29/07/2010 01:38:26 AM 1167 Views
Yeah, it was the line about women waiting at home while their men went to war that made me laugh. - 29/07/2010 06:44:34 PM 1053 Views
women deserve black lung too!! - 29/07/2010 08:35:17 PM 961 Views
nah the smart ones do like my grandmother did - 29/07/2010 09:15:14 PM 1027 Views
All Tolkien-haters are morons. - 29/07/2010 03:30:27 AM 1341 Views
Disappointing. - 29/07/2010 04:41:34 AM 1122 Views
Re: Disappointing. - 29/07/2010 09:19:25 AM 1088 Views
Probably in the sense... - 29/07/2010 02:57:47 PM 997 Views
Perhaps more of 'a complication' to good discussion. - 29/07/2010 08:28:59 PM 967 Views
agreed. *NM* - 29/07/2010 08:32:36 PM 504 Views
I think you are ignoring the key fact that the Silmarillion was never published by Tolkien. - 30/07/2010 01:48:14 PM 1367 Views
The Silmarillion was actually one of Tolkien's first works - 30/07/2010 06:12:31 PM 1446 Views
No it wasn't. - 30/07/2010 06:37:19 PM 1124 Views
Re: Tolkien as a sacred cow of fantasy - 29/07/2010 08:42:04 PM 1118 Views
I find the Tolkien lovers to be obnoxious in their never ending masturbatory praise of his works. - 30/07/2010 06:09:42 AM 1128 Views
This. *NM* - 30/07/2010 07:43:24 PM 1210 Views

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