The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum - View Single Post - Would the Middle Earth saga be considered a religion in of itself?

Bêthberry · 06-14-2002, 11:09 PM

Events in the Forest have been so numerous and even onerous that once again I have had limited time to reply to this discussion. And my mind now is muddled with fatigue, so I apologize in advance for omitting any important points which were directed towards me. There are several points which I would like to raise now, even in a cursory form.

Child of the 7th Age, your eloquent explanation of how LOTR cannot represent a religion but can offer grounds for discussion of spiritual values represents my thoughts precisely. One point I would like to ask is your use of the term 'fairy tale', and, for that matter, KingCarlton's and your subsequent 'legend' and 'myth'.

It might be interesting at this point to examine Tolkien's essay "On Fairy Tales", written in 1938, as he puts it, when events were on their way to Bree but he did not know how Gandalf and Strider were to resolve themselves. This essay is to me one of the most breath-taking, astounding feats Tolkien managed. It provides a brilliant analysis of the value of narrative when particularly fantasy was undervalued in academe and it predates by fifty to sixty years critical thought about the role of narrative in creating meaning in our lives. It is brilliant. It is also eminently readable without any of critical jargon.

For him, sub-creation was not an escape from reality but a turn to something clearer and more understandable than the primary world. It was a journey to something which would enable us to return to the primary world with new eyes, in a refreshed state. This idea is vitally important to my question of whether we can find transcendance in literature we do not worship.

mark12_30, I want to thank you also for the beautiful explanation of learning by heart rather than by head. Your analysis of Gollem is a point which I think is particularly important in understanding whether the moral universe of LOTR can provide any kind of enlightenment beyond mere entertainment. I do not know George MacDonald's work but I will look into it. Texts which have enlightened me are Matthew Arnold's essay "One Thing Needful" (and at the time I had little patience for his earnestness), Charlotte Bronte's novels Shirley and Villette, and the poetry and meditations of John Donne. There are more, but right now the shadows are long and deep in the Old Forest and my brain is begging for sleep.

Respectfully,
Bethberry

06-14-2002, 11:09 PM	#46
Bêthberry Cryptic Aura Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 6,003	Events in the Forest have been so numerous and even onerous that once again I have had limited time to reply to this discussion. And my mind now is muddled with fatigue, so I apologize in advance for omitting any important points which were directed towards me. There are several points which I would like to raise now, even in a cursory form. Child of the 7th Age, your eloquent explanation of how LOTR cannot represent a religion but can offer grounds for discussion of spiritual values represents my thoughts precisely. One point I would like to ask is your use of the term 'fairy tale', and, for that matter, KingCarlton's and your subsequent 'legend' and 'myth'. It might be interesting at this point to examine Tolkien's essay "On Fairy Tales", written in 1938, as he puts it, when events were on their way to Bree but he did not know how Gandalf and Strider were to resolve themselves. This essay is to me one of the most breath-taking, astounding feats Tolkien managed. It provides a brilliant analysis of the value of narrative when particularly fantasy was undervalued in academe and it predates by fifty to sixty years critical thought about the role of narrative in creating meaning in our lives. It is brilliant. It is also eminently readable without any of critical jargon. For him, sub-creation was not an escape from reality but a turn to something clearer and more understandable than the primary world. It was a journey to something which would enable us to return to the primary world with new eyes, in a refreshed state. This idea is vitally important to my question of whether we can find transcendance in literature we do not worship. mark12_30, I want to thank you also for the beautiful explanation of learning by heart rather than by head. Your analysis of Gollem is a point which I think is particularly important in understanding whether the moral universe of LOTR can provide any kind of enlightenment beyond mere entertainment. I do not know George MacDonald's work but I will look into it. Texts which have enlightened me are Matthew Arnold's essay "One Thing Needful" (and at the time I had little patience for his earnestness), Charlotte Bronte's novels Shirley and Villette, and the poetry and meditations of John Donne. There are more, but right now the shadows are long and deep in the Old Forest and my brain is begging for sleep. Respectfully, Bethberry __________________ I’ll sing his roots off. I’ll sing a wind up and blow leaf and branch away.