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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 1879 Views
Nonsense, at least in part - 28/07/2010 10:19:19 PM 1462 Views
I know there is a polite difference of opinion here - 28/07/2010 10:40:42 PM 1255 Views
So we should judge the Iliad against modren fantasy novels? - 29/07/2010 12:04:32 PM 1275 Views
i agree, and furthermore... - 29/07/2010 08:46:07 PM 1363 Views
Re: I know there is a polite difference of opinion here - 29/07/2010 08:44:24 PM 1320 Views
Mno - 30/07/2010 09:07:18 AM 1367 Views
Have to agree. - 28/07/2010 11:38:37 PM 1363 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 1154 Views
*cough* Twilight *cough* - 29/07/2010 10:15:13 AM 1234 Views
I was gonna mention that one too. - 29/07/2010 10:35:17 AM 1315 Views
Mmm. I read an interesting article actually... - 29/07/2010 08:24:04 PM 1103 Views
That's a fair point, I guess... - 29/07/2010 09:18:13 PM 1325 Views
It's hardly tacit. I'm glad I've never read the things. - 30/07/2010 09:38:33 AM 1316 Views
Fair enough. - 30/07/2010 10:03:07 AM 1359 Views
Also: the writing is crap. - 29/07/2010 01:04:12 PM 1247 Views
but plenty of us hate it after reading *NM* - 29/07/2010 08:24:35 PM 534 Views
How much do you have to read to form an opinion? - 29/07/2010 12:23:28 PM 1256 Views
To the end - 29/07/2010 12:59:25 PM 1155 Views
my reading time is too scarce to think that way - 29/07/2010 01:21:26 PM 1315 Views
I agree, but HP is a good example of something you should keep reading - 29/07/2010 08:27:20 PM 1311 Views
and I will - 29/07/2010 09:13:03 PM 1036 Views
that's fair enough then - 29/07/2010 10:43:57 PM 1099 Views
so I hear - 29/07/2010 11:13:09 PM 1064 Views
Re: To the end - 29/07/2010 08:49:06 PM 1183 Views
Re: To the end - 29/07/2010 10:34:44 PM 1111 Views
Re: How much do you have to read to form an opinion? - 29/07/2010 01:49:21 PM 1319 Views
The books mature as Harry does. You should really give it another shot *NM* - 29/07/2010 03:00:37 PM 634 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 1123 Views
It is a case of the "someone is wrong on the internet" thing, only much older - 29/07/2010 06:27:07 PM 1085 Views
well you have not failed completely - 29/07/2010 06:50:15 PM 1088 Views
Re: well you have not failed completely - 29/07/2010 06:53:38 PM 1128 Views
one quick question - 29/07/2010 07:38:00 PM 1158 Views
Re: one quick question - 29/07/2010 07:42:27 PM 1192 Views
well I am not a big enough hypocrite to look down on verbosity - 29/07/2010 08:30:56 PM 1090 Views
I have a new essay I want you to read - 29/07/2010 07:44:40 PM 1225 Views
Re: I have a new essay I want you to read - 29/07/2010 10:42:05 PM 1182 Views
how many books do I have to read to get to the grown up books? - 29/07/2010 06:42:37 PM 1088 Views
Book 3 is the beginning of the adult ones, imo. - 29/07/2010 06:44:07 PM 1191 Views
Agreed, although, - 29/07/2010 06:54:14 PM 1160 Views
None of them are "geared towards grown ups" - it's still a YA series. - 29/07/2010 07:03:24 PM 1103 Views
They're all "light reading" for adults, geared towards YA readers. - 29/07/2010 08:29:01 PM 1101 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 1225 Views
it's not supposed to be on par with adult fantasy. - 29/07/2010 08:49:16 PM 1201 Views
I'd argue it's better than Jordan and others from a literary standpoint. - 29/07/2010 09:14:07 PM 1145 Views
I have always thought Jordan had some interesting themes but they were often ignored... - 29/07/2010 09:27:12 PM 1317 Views
lol. it's hard to fail with such low preliminary standards *NM* - 29/07/2010 10:46:07 PM 574 Views
good points, i bow to your wisdom - 29/07/2010 10:45:29 PM 1099 Views
Oh, agreed. - 30/07/2010 09:05:17 AM 1228 Views
Incidentall - 28/07/2010 10:39:52 PM 1201 Views
Ha! - 28/07/2010 10:41:41 PM 1337 Views
Re: Ha! - 28/07/2010 10:45:38 PM 1199 Views
Ah - 28/07/2010 10:49:22 PM 1235 Views
I agree Tolkien should not be a sacred cow or put on a pedestal overmuch. - 28/07/2010 11:10:37 PM 1292 Views
I can see your points there - 28/07/2010 11:18:59 PM 1231 Views
I grow weary of people refusing to view LotR in context. - 28/07/2010 11:14:07 PM 1230 Views
all art forms have sacred cows - 29/07/2010 01:38:26 AM 1289 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 1163 Views
women deserve black lung too!! - 29/07/2010 08:35:17 PM 1071 Views
nah the smart ones do like my grandmother did - 29/07/2010 09:15:14 PM 1148 Views
All Tolkien-haters are morons. - 29/07/2010 03:30:27 AM 1463 Views
Disappointing. - 29/07/2010 04:41:34 AM 1244 Views
Re: Disappointing. - 29/07/2010 09:19:25 AM 1223 Views
Probably in the sense... - 29/07/2010 02:57:47 PM 1104 Views
Perhaps more of 'a complication' to good discussion. - 29/07/2010 08:28:59 PM 1076 Views
agreed. *NM* - 29/07/2010 08:32:36 PM 550 Views
I think you are ignoring the key fact that the Silmarillion was never published by Tolkien. - 30/07/2010 01:48:14 PM 1472 Views
The Silmarillion was actually one of Tolkien's first works - 30/07/2010 06:12:31 PM 1585 Views
No it wasn't. - 30/07/2010 06:37:19 PM 1268 Views
Re: Tolkien as a sacred cow of fantasy - 29/07/2010 08:42:04 PM 1267 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 1267 Views
This. *NM* - 30/07/2010 07:43:24 PM 1339 Views

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