[Child of the 7th Age]

Bill Ferny -----

“I also luxuriated in the presence of museums and libraries which held a richness my own country could not hope to equal.”

You didn’t look hard enough

Sorry, I disagree. I should have explained my statement in greater depth. It clearly depends what area of study you're concerned with. There are many academic and scientific disciplines where the libraries in the United States are second to none. This is particularly true in the sciences and technology. (My own background is as a librarian and college history teacher.)

But if you're in a field like medieval history or Anglo-Saxon literature, then the libraries and archives of Britain have a richness that no other institution in North America can boast (including Toronto). This is especially true for original sources--manorial records, pipe rolls, personal correspondence, etc.

An interesting little tidbit is that the best graduate program for European Medieval Studies is in Canada, not Europe

You're probably referring to the Pontifical Institute and the University of Toronto. I almost went to the former, but headed to New England because I had friends there.

I will never understand the mentality that characterizes America as barbaric, a continent filled with the culturally and educationally inept, in comparison with Western European nations. That mentality is simply not supported by the facts. If anything American culture, for good or bad, is a continuation of European cultural.

My post didn't say this. It wasn't clear to me if you feel I'm guilty of this sin, or you just have a general frustration with people who are guilty of it. I taught U.S. history for many years, and I agree with you--an intelligent person would be wrong to make such an erroneous assumption.

I think that at the back of everyone’s mind is the distinctive English quality of Tolkien’s fictional mythology, and discussing the Finnish influence on his work doesn’t negate that distinctive English quality.

Again, this is not what I said. As you can easily note, I have participted in a good many discussions on the board ranging from unerlying religious tones to European sources to understanding characters and plot. It was a joy to participate in those discussions; they certainly do not negate the English quality of Tolkien's work.

But I don't think that the best course is to keep Tolkien's Englishness at the back of your mind and never outwardly discuss it. In my opinion, it does no harm to turn to the Legendarium and search for instances where that English influence is apparent, any more than it would be "harmful" to single out and search for examples of Tolkien's religious beliefs. This is what I was looking for. And I don't think my post exhausted these possibilities.

sharon, the 7th age hobbit

[ September 30, 2002: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]