The Translator Conceit

[littlemanpoet]

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

Well if the conceit is so central to our acceptance of Middle Earth as something real, then considering many of us enter Middle Earth with The Hobbit, which does not have that, is it so necessary?

Good question. It depends upon how subtle it is. Is it not in The Hobbit? What of Bilbo's "There and Back Again" adventure story he wrote? Granted, the translator device is not worked out nearly to the depth of LotR, but is it not ther in TH?

Originally Posted by Lalwendë

This definition doesn't really fit does it? It's more applicable to poetry, particularly to the Metaphysical poets, which was what I had been thinking all along in the back of my mind but couldn't quite place! The idea of there being a translator is certainly elaborate, but it is in no way strained; in fact it is very subtly used.

I just listed the definitions that were most applicable; I don't necessarily agree that they completely apply. In the case of "coceit", it's that definition including "strained" that pulls me away from that word. "Device" is much better, I think.