Annoying Amateurs

[Elora]

It's been said before, and I'm sure that most comments here are meant in jest (or at least I hope for otherwise they would cruel and nasty - worthy of the Uruk-Hai or Curufin).


I'd just like to point out that all of us started out as amateurs. We had our annoying questions and misconceptions, corrected by those patient enough around us to deal with our squeakings and by our own further study of Tolkien's work.

I will go further, and risk crucifiction but I am somewhat of a bold lass, and say that at one point Tolkien himself was an amateur. As the stories he set down took shape, so too did his knowledge of his world. Doubt me? Then take a look at the innumerable tales that were written, re-written, tossed aside, radically altered by the great man and now are offered for our reading pleasure thanks mainly to the hard work of his son, Christopher.

You'll see in those tales the evolution of what us "experts" now consider lore.

If people do not begin as amateurs, then people do not begin at all to experience Tolkien's work. It's self flattery, and intolerant, to seek to promote your own knowledge at the expense of another's desire to learn or discuss. The movies, if nothing else, have introduced this epic tale to people who would otherwise never encounter it.

Yes, some questions can be annoying. I myself am likely to trip any who dares *swoon* in my presence (to get them to the floor and out of my way all the sooner). But have a care, lest you yourself prove foolish in how you respond with them. We all started somewhere, some earlier than others and it would be unwise to forget that in ivory towers of knowledge.

Tolkien's world was big enough for 3 Ages, variant races and peoples to live, live, fight and die.... surely it's big enough to share and surely our minds are big enough to comprehend that each will have their own perspective of what Tolkien's work meant. That individual right of interpretation is inalienable, and belongs to all - be you wise lore master or stark raving idiot (and I place myself in the latter category, in case you wonder).

Have a care, is all I ask.

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

LOR was meant to be a trilogy only

I'm afraid not. Actually it was published in three volumes because in the 1950s paper was very expensive in Britain. Even as it was, the first edition cost 21 shillings a volume, which made it a very expensive set indeed. The fact that it sold any copies at all is a testament to the popularity of The Hobbit.

I think that Heren Istarion's point should serve to remind us that Middle-earth is more complicated than it may seem. The Silmarillion looks authoritative until you read The History of Middle-earth, and then it's really up to the individual which of Tolkien's versions they choose to accept. Perhaps it should remind us of something else as well: there is always someone who knows more than you do, and to them you may be an annoying amateur. Don't get me wrong: I like to laugh at ignorance posing as authority as much as anyone, but we shouldn't take it to extremes and poke fun at everyone who doesn't know all the names of Tom Bombadil. It just isn't what the Downs is about.

[Snowdog]

Just throw out enough Silm and UT references (or even *gasp* truly basic LotR book references) and they get confused beyond all get out

Yeah. I have to clarify that I refer only to the 'movie-only' amateurs. Anyone who are willing to gain knowledge by reading the LotR are worthy indeed.

on the other note... the whole 'Annoying Expert' thing is worthy of its own thread.

[Lathriel]

Talking about Annoying Ammateurs how about Dummies who need to read LOTR for dummies.

There is a girl who claims she is a Ringwraith incarnate!! She is at my school and my other friend was telling me about her. Of course I almost blew up it is the most ridiculuos thing I ever heard!

There was also another girl who walked up to my gym teacher (who is a drill seargent and an american football coach) and showed him a map of ME and pointed to Mordor and told him it was Mordor, Well everybody knows where Mordor is and you don't go up to a Gym teacher to tell him the obvious!!!

[Sapphire_Flame]

"I hate reading the book-versions of movies. The people they hire to turn the movies into the books never get it right."

Now that's just horrible.

I do confess, I am guilty of falling under the "Annoying Experts" catagory (according to just about everyone I know, anyway...)

Abedithon le,

~*~Aranel~*~

[Gil-Galad]

don't be hasty, not everybody should know everthing about lotr, don't expect that everyone in your school knows where mordor is! heck only like 75% the people in my school (500+ peeps) have seen all the movies! don't judge a book by its cover, even though they act like newbs, don't think that people around them aren't

[Lathriel]

It is true I guess not everyone knows where Mordor is but the last person you go to tell where Mordor is is your Gym teacher.