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Originally Posted by mark12_30
Then Noldo is not so lacking as you had previously supposed?
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It seems to me that Noldo is not the real issue; Sindo is. Noldo got seduced veritably against his will, by BOTH Lorien and Sindo! Sindo was the one who worshiped Lorien, not Noldo. Go check out Helen's "Fairy Wife" for yourself for a very, very interesting read.
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Originally Posted by Lalaith
What other character traits, other than their attitude to women, does the Romantic man have?
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I'll try to answer this better this time. Traits:
- closeness to nature
- a sense of the spirituality of nature
- a rejection of "the machine" as "the answer"
- a hunger for SOMETHING MORE
- an appreciation of beautiful women as expressions of divinity; note: beauty of heart is at least as important as that of appearance
More could be said, but I think this sort of clarifies it.
I fear that I am not well read enough to help you with your examples. The only book that I've read by a woman about an honorable and righteous man is Jane Austen's
Pride and Prejudice, and I did read it before I saw any of the movie versions and consider her hero to be a very good model; and he does marry the heroine. The most recent movie was a delight as it portrayed this very well.
The problem with the 19th century (if problem we can really call it) was that there wasn't the sheer inundation of technology and machinery that we face. So "closeness to nature" is relative. In a certain sense, I might consider myself more of a Romantic than men of the Romantic era because I have an even greater appreciation for nature than they have who had a wealth of it surrounding them.
I notice a shift from idealization to idolatry. These are two quite different terms and mean very different things. There concommitant verbs clarify this: adoration versus worship. It's a fine line, but I don't think Gimli worshiped Galadriel. He did revere, honor, and adore her. But not worship. Even less so with Frodo. Since it is a fine line, it is quite possible to slip from idealization into idolatry, and that would be a bad thing. Eowyn, idolatry? I don't think so here either. She found a man she could honor and had a legitimate hope; which could not be returned because though legitimate, it was a hope that could not be fulfilled, not unless Aragron foreswore the virtue that attracted Eowyn to him.
To review: to write in the spirit of Tolkien means:
1) something more mystical than mere fantasy.
2) to the same depth as Tolkien.
3) detailed feigned history.
4) consistency in the languages spoken by the people in the story.
5) writing both the small and the large, the comic and the sublime.
6) a deep theme, such as "hope and despair".
7) detailed yet interesting description (not boring).
8) a subtlety by which the unfamiliar is presented along with the familiar to give it an easier entrance into the reader's mind.
9) one must go beyond Tolkien's accomplishment (yikes!) &, I would add, avoid being 'thick as bricks doing it'.
10. find that balance between the epic romance, the continuation of grand themes, AND the experience of every-day made vivid.
11. braided themes - all the issues the characters must confront.
12. braided world view aspects.
13. use the archetypes that run deep within all of us.
14. The Fae feel.
15. Creating a world so rich and believable that the reader feels like it's history instead of fantasy.
16. a community worth saving.
17. Leave tantalizing mysteries unexplained.
18. Eucatastrophe.
19. Revelation.
20. Honor, valor, courage, humility, good manners, honesty.
21. Nasssssty villians (what I find the most difficult.)
22. Both detail and sweep.
23. The open reader is changed.
Wow! It's time we started joining like to like and see if we can come up with maybe three to seven over-arching themes, don't you think?