The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum - View Single Post - Does LotR have cross-cultural appeal?

davem · 08-08-2005, 03:01 PM

Novnarwen

I meant that to me the settings - particularly the parts set in the Shire, & the Hobbits themselves seem so English that I've always been surprised that non-English readers can relate to them so deeply. When I read a book or watch a movie set in another country/culture there's always for me a feeling of 'distance' - sometimes very small, but there nonetheless.

I think you've taken from my post a kind of claim of 'ownership' on my part - that I'm saying 'Tolkien belongs to we English & you have no right to him' - I'm not saying that at all. I said it was a pleasant surprise to find that so many non English readers have taken Tolkien to their hearts. I do wonder, though, whether non English readers experien ce the work in the same way as English readers. For instance, I've grown up in an area parts of which are still reminiscent of the Shire - ''woods, fields, little rivers' - so I've been able to wander in places which strongly reminded me of the books, & I've encountered people very like the Hobbits. So I have that connection with the books that people living in a different landscape wouldn't have.

Its just me - that was/is the feeling I've always had. To be honest, if it comes to a knowledge of & insight into Tolkien, I'd have to defer to many non English people - Some on the Downs, others authors & experts like Verlyn Flieger for example.

And I'm sure that Tolkien fans living in Oxfordshire/Berkshire might feel it surprising that a Yorkshireman like myself could understand & love Tolkien's work as much as I do ...

08-08-2005, 03:01 PM	#9
davem Illustrious Ulair Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: In the home of lost causes, and forsaken beliefs, and unpopular names,and impossible loyalties Posts: 4,240	Novnarwen I meant that to me the settings - particularly the parts set in the Shire, & the Hobbits themselves seem so English that I've always been surprised that non-English readers can relate to them so deeply. When I read a book or watch a movie set in another country/culture there's always for me a feeling of 'distance' - sometimes very small, but there nonetheless. I think you've taken from my post a kind of claim of 'ownership' on my part - that I'm saying 'Tolkien belongs to we English & you have no right to him' - I'm not saying that at all. I said it was a pleasant surprise to find that so many non English readers have taken Tolkien to their hearts. I do wonder, though, whether non English readers experien ce the work in the same way as English readers. For instance, I've grown up in an area parts of which are still reminiscent of the Shire - ''woods, fields, little rivers' - so I've been able to wander in places which strongly reminded me of the books, & I've encountered people very like the Hobbits. So I have that connection with the books that people living in a different landscape wouldn't have. Its just me - that was/is the feeling I've always had. To be honest, if it comes to a knowledge of & insight into Tolkien, I'd have to defer to many non English people - Some on the Downs, others authors & experts like Verlyn Flieger for example. And I'm sure that Tolkien fans living in Oxfordshire/Berkshire might feel it surprising that a Yorkshireman like myself could understand & love Tolkien's work as much as I do ... __________________ “Everything was an object. If you killed a dwarf you could use it as a weapon – it was no different to other large heavy objects."