Will a "definitive" version of The Silmarillion ever be released?

[Inziladun]

I'm not nearly well-versed enough in the laborious process Tolkien had in writing the stories of the First Age to debate with some of the scholars here.

However, Tolkien himself is gone and unable to tell what his ultimate plans for consolidating the stories into a comprehensive volume were. That being the case, it is very unlikely that any version or variation of The Silmarillion will ever appear that will be universally accepted by both critics and readers. I think CT has done as good a job as can be done with the material he had to work with, and as I've said before, I really don't know anyone else in a better position than he to try and assemble the stories into a cohesive work.

[blantyr]

I have often called fantasy role playing games a shared daydream. One might argue that any form of fiction -- novel, movie, TV show, play, whatever -- might be understood as such. A distinction might be made in the degree to which the daydream is intended to be shared. Is the sub creator out to satisfy himself, or is he playing to an audience? Has he got to please an editor first? How many other people -- screenwriters, directors, actors, RPG players -- might have a finger in the pie?

The Silmarillion stories seem closer to a personal daydream than most fiction. Sure, they were shared somewhat with the Inklings. Still, I get the feeling that they were written for the author, not for the audience. In some sense this defines what the Silmarillion is.

Would the Silmarillion be different if he had a publishing contract, a due date, an editor with a big hammer and a target audience? Certainly. Would it be the same Silmarillion that a small group of people love but a lot of folks don't? Nope.

Christopher Tolkien's Silmarillion is the Silmarillion we've got. I think I'd have preferred and editor looking to create good stories rather than an academic trying to preserve a legacy. Not sure who I'd volunteer to edit such a volume, or whether it would sell, but I don't anticipate any such volume in the foreseeable future.

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Inziladun

However, Tolkien himself is gone and unable to tell what his ultimate plans for consolidating the stories into a comprehensive volume were.

I don't think he knew himself, as he kept changing them. In other words, if CJRT didn't choose one variation of each and publish it in The Sil, we'd just have a big collection of versions. Well, like we have the HOME that summarises the versions. Or, at best like the UT with half-completed ideas.

So even had Tolkien lived, I doubt we'd ever have a finished Sil.


I wonder a bit at how "easily" Frodo and Bilbo finish their parts of the Book compared to the author. I guess they knew what they're writing about while Tolkien, well, didn't.