Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Bethberry
Why should I be made an object of fiction while still alive?
|
Why would Tolkien make himself into an object of 'fiction' - because that's exactly what he does. He is a character within the mythology - he is the translator of it - in the original Foreword, in the Prologue, & especially in appendix F. He is much an 'object of fiction' (ie a character within his secondary world) as Eriol/Aelfwine.
The Legendarium is not simply a collection of stories, they are the stories collected & passed on by an Elf-friend, in order to pass on knowledge of the past, to keep alive the knowledge of & connection with
Faerie. He is a translator of ancient lore, as Bilbo was. He exists
within his secondary world, as well as outside it.
Tolkien exists as a figure within the secondary world. He's written himself into it - why?
Lets take your approach. Someone with no knowledge of Tolkien the man, with only LotR to hand, sets out to analyse the work, understand it to the best of his ability. Taking the text itself, he will not simply find the characters within Middle earth, he will also find numerous references to a 'translator', someone who came into posession of a copy of the 'Red Book' of Westmarch. Now, will this reader take this 'translator' as a character, wonder whether he is 'simply' another invented character, or 'just' the author? Won't he ask to what extent the author & the translator are one & the same, & to what extent they differ?
Why the 'fiction' of translation at all? What was Tolkien attempting to do? The fiction is unnecessary if the book is just a fantasy novel. But if we look at the Legendarium as a whole we find the 'Elf friend', the human who meets the elves & is responsible for passing on the ancient, lost lore to mankind. Tolkien makes himself into an elf-friend within his Legendarium.
Its not just about the individual tales, its about their
transmission. There is always a 'living' link to the ancient past, the tales move from mind to mind. The writer is not 'external' he is part of a single long tale (cf Sam & Frodo's conversation on the stairs). Tales are passed on from mind to mind. They don't exist unless they're told.
So, don't ask me why Tolkien should be made an object of fiction - ask him why he did it to himself. His answer might surprise us all.