If there was a writer capable... - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Celuien · 04-01-2006, 06:58 AM

I was a bit torn between selecting The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings but had to go with the latter.

I love the sense sweeping history and myth in the Silmarillion, but the characters feel distant (though beautifully drawn and complex) a lot of the time. I tend to be drawn to stories where I can try to imagine viewing the events through the characters eyes. That's hard with a Feanor, but very possible with Samwise Gamgee.

And the Lord of the Rings has a sense of history too, so it certainly isn't lacking there. I like the missing pieces aspect of the story too, where you don't hear the whole story. It adds to the wonder, mystery, and actually, the realism, of the story for me.

I guess it comes down to mythic epics being too...majestic, while the quest romance can incorporate my favorite aspects of the epics while remaining more approachable.

View Poll Results: ... and you had your choice, which kind of Tolkienian book would you want?
Silmarillion (mythic epic)	11	47.83%
The Lord of the Rings (quest romance)	10	43.48%
The Hobbit (children's story redolent of Grimm's tales)	0	0%
Roverandom/Father Christmas Stories/Farmer Giles of Ham	0	0%
Leaf by Niggle/Smith of Wootton Major	2	8.70%
Voters: 23. You may not vote on this poll

04-01-2006, 06:58 AM	#3
Celuien Riveting Ribbiter Join Date: May 2005 Location: Assigned to Mordor Posts: 1,767	I was a bit torn between selecting The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings but had to go with the latter. I love the sense sweeping history and myth in the Silmarillion, but the characters feel distant (though beautifully drawn and complex) a lot of the time. I tend to be drawn to stories where I can try to imagine viewing the events through the characters eyes. That's hard with a Feanor, but very possible with Samwise Gamgee. And the Lord of the Rings has a sense of history too, so it certainly isn't lacking there. I like the missing pieces aspect of the story too, where you don't hear the whole story. It adds to the wonder, mystery, and actually, the realism, of the story for me. I guess it comes down to mythic epics being too...majestic, while the quest romance can incorporate my favorite aspects of the epics while remaining more approachable. __________________ People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect. But actually, from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it's more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey... stuff.