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Subject: 
Re: LoTR # 1 on IMDB, Beowulf on NYTimes bestseller list
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.off-topic.fun
Date: 
Mon, 24 Dec 2001 09:01:19 GMT
Viewed: 
560 times
  
In lugnet.off-topic.fun, Erik Olson writes:
Your remark 'rehash of Northern European mythology', could you elaborate?

I wrote: "Most of the stuff passing as a plot is little more than rehashed
Norse mythology."  Is it the case that you want me to compare and contrast
Tolkien's work to Northern European mythology?  Seems like a rather
thankless task.  I am also not the most qualified person to perform such a
task. However, I assume you are well aware of the many myths touched on by
the subject matter and imagery stressed in the film of LOTR.  I guess I am
not sure what is wanted here...

I don't presume to tell you what you most likely already know.

Anyway Tolkien's role in a professional capacity was to take myth seriously:

I guess my only point of contention would be that this was clearly not
something being done by Tolkien alone.  I think these kinds of things have a
groundswell that increases in strength over time.  There is usually not a
single prime mover for these important ideas, but rather several. Certainly
Freud, Eliot, Frazier, and others were deeply interested in myths. I guess I
am underwhelmed by Tolkien's possible influence in this sphere as you are
the first person to raise him as a thinker of significance in this area --
at least in my experience.

This takes nothing away from his literary achievements, of which I remain
ignorant in the main -- except that I saw the film of LOTR.

-- Hop-Frog



Message has 1 Reply:
  Re: LoTR # 1 on IMDB, Beowulf on NYTimes bestseller list
 
(...) Well, I did not go to school for that sort of thing. It would be sufficient to have a few names or titles that come to your mind as primary sources. The National Geographic Explorer special on Middle-Earth last night visited with the world's (...) (23 years ago, 24-Dec-01, to lugnet.off-topic.fun)

Message is in Reply To:
  Re: LoTR # 1 on IMDB, Beowulf on NYTimes bestseller list
 
(...) Your remark 'rehash of Northern European mythology', could you elaborate? (...) Tolkien was Professor of Anglo-Saxon (and other languages.) Maybe I am overstating this, but I just looked in the new Beowulf that was on the NY Times bestseller (...) (23 years ago, 23-Dec-01, to lugnet.off-topic.fun)

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