Evil in the Fouth Age and Beyond

[Kalessin]

Interesting thread ...

He felt the whole history he had developed had come to its true end with the Downfall of Sauron, and anything that came after would be little more than a thriller. So I guess he also "missed" the lack of a central figure of true evil like Morgoth or Sauron.

I think this is a useful and compelling analysis. In his letters Tolkien emphasised the themes of Fall, Mortality and Machine, and the centrality of 'sub-creation' to the narratives - the making of Arda by the Valar collectively, of the races, of the Silmarils by Feanor, of the Orcs by Melkor, and ultimately of the One Ring by Sauron. With the passing into history of the Valar, the Elves, and even the Dwarves, the world of Men (and Hobbits) that remained was, in effect, a world of "relativity". Instead of an eternal threat, even the most destructive of men, denied immortality, will fall in a short time (in Tolkien's terms [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] ).

In addition, Tolkien's recurrent thematic foundation for narrative - the epic sub-creation of Evil (in Melkor) out of apparently perfect Good (Eru), or to a lesser extent the creation of the Silmarils, could not be repeated as myth, but only (as above), as a kind of small-scale morality tale played out by (and among) mortals. Whilst nodoubt a story could be spun, it was as myth that Tolkien attempted to create - with all the archetypal and timeless 'truth' that he felt was applicable to, and inherent in, myth rather than 'fiction'.

And finally, we must remember that apart from LotR, The Hobbit and a few short stories, all the other works of Tolkien were (and are) unfinished - a collection of draft notes, journals, and so on, posthumously organised and addended by his son in response to the huge public demand. We can't really extrapolate what else might have materialised, given that we do not have even a definitive presentation of The Silmarillion. As a notorious "revisionist", Tolkien may well never have thought about progressing beyond The Silmarillion, which (as Christopher Tolkien says) was unlikely ever to have been properly 'finished' in his father's terms.

The voice is silent and therefore the journey does not continue - and where in fantasy literature today is the writer ready or able to follow in those giant footsteps? Judging by previous discussions on BW, he or she has yet to make an appearance!

Peace [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]