[Lush]

aragorn, of course we can call Tolkien's books whatever we want, what we can't do at this point is change their official designation.

Since I am on Iarwain's ignore list, I'm going to post a quick response here in hopes that he may read it: Of course, I would never consciously take away anyone's right to argue about anythig they wish. Here is what I am trying to say: we are never going to win the argument over Tolkien's present categorization with our present tactics, because the majority of the academia is against us, or simply doesn't care. This is not meant as a personal critique of the topic starter, or anyone else who posts on this thread, this is meant as an observation regarding the general question of what can conceivably be done regarding the fantasy genre in relation to Tolkien.

Basically, we can exercise our right to whine all we want (once again, this is not meant as an insult: I whine all the time, and find that it's a great way to relieve general or specific frustration), but if we want actual change to take place (Iarwain apparently does, as do I), we're going to have to carefully assess the options laid out before us. I am researching the topic as I type this message: e-mailing professors, calling up old teachers and even harassing people at certain other institutions of higher learning (I seem to have a lot of time on my hands; This is what happens to you when you give up on the boys [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] ), not because I think Iarwain is some sort of dweeb who doesn't know what he's talking about, but because I see that there is enough possibility in what he is trying to say to eventually implement change, though it's going to take a whole lot of time, maybe a few centuries, even. But everyone has to start somewhere, right?

[ March 04, 2003: Message edited by: Lush ]