Which books are canon? - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

***Mithadan*** · 07-13-2000, 01:07 PM

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<img src="http://www.barrowdowns.com/images/posticons/bluepal.jpg" align=absmiddle> Re: Which books are canon?

I don't have a copy of Unfinished Tales in front of me so I'm working from memory. If I recall, in response to RKittle's post, Unfinished Tales was made up of later work which Tolkien did (post-LoTR) on the Silmarillion and other subjects. In one of JRRT's letters, written about the time LoTR was first published, he commented that the Silm. was LONGER than LoTR. While this might have been his own error, I suspect that JRRT was addressing the way the Silm. would be after a rewrite along the lines of what appears in Unfinished Tales, where his rewrite of just a few chapters of what became the Silm. took up hundreds of pages. This is my own personal suspicion and I can't back it up. However,The Wanderings of Hurin (HoME XII) might support this. There, we have a relatively lengthy story which essentially did not appear in Silm. expanding on what was addressed in a sentence or two. So my opinion is that Unfinished Tales is closer to what JRRT intended to publish.

Certainly economic pressures might have contributed to CT publishing the Silm. so quickly. But he may also have wanted to put together JRRT's material quickly so that it could be published in some "final" form before too much time passed after JRRT's death. For all we know, Allen Unwin (or whatever it was then) told CT they would publish it only if he got it done in within a couple of years. Letters and HoME make clear that whatever their initial view of the Silm. was in the 1920s or 1930s, after LoTR took off they would have published the Silm. The problem was that JRRT never finished it.

CT is now in his 70s or 80s. I doubt that he will undertake an additional rewrite of the Silm. (and after HoME what would he say). I also doubt that the Estate would let anyone else touch it.

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07-13-2000, 01:07 PM	#15
*Mithadan* Spirit of Mist Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Tol Eressea Posts: 3,397	<font face="Verdana"><table><TR><TD><FONT SIZE="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Newly Deceased Posts: 0</TD><TD></TD></TR></TABLE> <img src="http://www.barrowdowns.com/images/posticons/bluepal.jpg" align=absmiddle> Re: Which books are canon? I don't have a copy of Unfinished Tales in front of me so I'm working from memory. If I recall, in response to RKittle's post, Unfinished Tales was made up of later work which Tolkien did (post-LoTR) on the Silmarillion and other subjects. In one of JRRT's letters, written about the time LoTR was first published, he commented that the Silm. was LONGER than LoTR. While this might have been his own error, I suspect that JRRT was addressing the way the Silm. would be after a rewrite along the lines of what appears in Unfinished Tales, where his rewrite of just a few chapters of what became the Silm. took up hundreds of pages. This is my own personal suspicion and I can't back it up. However,The Wanderings of Hurin (HoME XII) might support this. There, we have a relatively lengthy story which essentially did not appear in Silm. expanding on what was addressed in a sentence or two. So my opinion is that Unfinished Tales is closer to what JRRT intended to publish. Certainly economic pressures might have contributed to CT publishing the Silm. so quickly. But he may also have wanted to put together JRRT's material quickly so that it could be published in some "final" form before too much time passed after JRRT's death. For all we know, Allen Unwin (or whatever it was then) told CT they would publish it only if he got it done in within a couple of years. Letters and HoME make clear that whatever their initial view of the Silm. was in the 1920s or 1930s, after LoTR took off they would have published the Silm. The problem was that JRRT never finished it. CT is now in his 70s or 80s. I doubt that he will undertake an additional rewrite of the Silm. (and after HoME what would he say). I also doubt that the Estate would let anyone else touch it. </p> __________________ Beleriand, Beleriand, the borders of the Elven-land.