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Originally Posted by Bethberry
By 'education' (and in contrast to having 'highbrow art beaten into us'" I meant simply that we educate ourselves every time we read a new book or see a new movie (or reread, re-view). There is something about the experience of this activity which expands our appreciation of the work(s) in question. Stuff that at one time in our life we thought was great wears thin after we have read more. Stuff that we couldn't stomach sometimes becomes more palatable after we have read other works in the same vein.
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I agree with what you are saying! I suppose I was trying to prod a little, as the word 'education' can be a surprisingly emotive one. Suggesting that a person with 'education' may be better placed to appreciate the merits of something can be risky - it can suggest many things, including that the thoughts of those without a brace of qualifications may somehow be discounted. But I see that we agree that education is a wider experience.
Am I jaded with Higher Education though? I would say that I am. I have spent far too long being educated, and then working within the sector in its many shapes and forms, and I do not like much of what I have seen. My own experiences as a student and as a teacher have shown me that much of what is termed education is entirely uncreative and students are simply required to regurgitate accepted opinion in order to secure those all-important grades. Today Tolkien might struggle to find a tutor who would accept his individualistic interests. But of course, this may be different in other countries where the education sector is not so tied to concepts of market forces.
Now about the comedy in the films... Perhaps the different views on whether the comedy was good or bad might be ascribed to how we view the books? Obviously Peter Jackson viewed the books as tremendous adventure stories, and I know a fair few keen Tolkien fans who think the whole concept of the thrilling quest is the best thing about the books. Perhaps readers who appreciate this aspect more have less of a tendency to be precious! Yes, a strong word, but I know I do tend to be precious about the books. Perhaps someone else could come up with a better term. Serious is not the correct word, as fans of the adventure aspects are just as
serious, but maybe they are more open to interpretation? I'm thinking aloud here, so I'm happy if anyone wants to argue against that!
But the idea that PJ was uncomfortable with some of the more serious aspects of the books is a good one. Humour is often used by people in situations where they are nervous, where they feel the mood must be lightened lest everyone turn into quivering jellies. Maybe PJ thought that the films would be too ponderous wihtout humour. There was certainly a perception amongst the public that Tolkien fans were a little
nerdy before the films, so maybe he wished to diffuse that? Yet at the root of it all, I think that PJ simply used jokes that
he found funny himself. And judging by his previous blood-soaked, flymo-wielding schlock horror oevre then this is exactly what he did.