Douglas Charles Kane’s “Arda Reconstucted: The Creation of the Published Simarillion”

[jallanite]

Originally Posted by Galin

I would have thought you would have made yourself crystal clear and have no regrets at this point.

“I would have thought” is far from crystal clear. “I would have thought you would have made yourself” is even less clear. What is the point of all those woulds? To avoid making yourself clear?

I wouldn't say 'upset' for myself, but perplexed rather.

Another would.

And can we say what an implication is not? it's not something that is expressed directly... but it looks to me like it's somewhat subjective whether you did or did not 'imply' purpose with phrasing like 'clear pattern' and even the appearance of a systematic reduction, keeping in mind that you agree that you've raised the question of misogyny in your reader's minds at least. And you've stated that you don't and can't know if reducing the roles of females was done intentionally, and here you note that you doubt very much that it was -- but in your book do you give this opinion?

You appear to be attempting to make an implication while trying to look like you are not making an implication. No the book does not give the opinion you are seeking, nor the opposite opinion. Kane is very careful to not attribute any opinions to Christopher Tolkien beyond occasionally quoting Christopher Tolkien. It would be a critical sin to attribute an opinion which cannot be substantiated.

You want Kane to lie.

A book that isn't shy of opinions, it seems to me

The book contains many opinions in the nature of personal preferences by the author. It does not, I believe, contain any opinions on the unknowable opinions of others.

And incidentally, I think employing unconscious or unintentional (in a thread, the book aside for a moment) still leaves it open that you maybe think Christopher Tolkien unconsciously and unintentionally revealed that he has something against women.

Maybe the reason Galin continues on this track is that Galin fears that Christopher Tolkien “unconsciously and unintentionally revealed that he has something against women.” It was not Kane who invented this possibility of interpretation. It was Christopher Tolkien who in his choices in his editing of The Silmarillion chose to include some passages in which females were less active or omitted entirely over other passages in which females were more prominent. Galin, and others of the same opinion, are classically shooting the one who is sending a message from which they infer something they don’t like.

If Galin thinks that argument is unfair, then he should stop using that same style of argument and innuendo against Kane.

Kane, in this thread very carefully wrote:

Regarding the issue of the reduction of female characters, I continue to believe that the evidence shows that there is a clear pattern of this being a result of the edits done. I obviously have no way of knowing whether this was done intentionally, or not, and I did not mean to imply in any way that I believed that it was (I honestly doubt very much that it was).

Galin attempts to twist this to mean that “this still leaves it open that you maybe think Christopher Tolkien unconsciously and unintentionally revealed that he has something against women,” despite Kane’s clear statement that “I did not mean to imply in any way that I believed that it was (I honestly doubt very much that it was).”

I do not see that Kane can say more much more honestly. I do not see that Galin can say much more honestly. What does Galin want Kane to say honestly? I don’t think Galin is able to say.

Neither Galin nor Kane (and probably no-one viewing this thread) knows Christopher Tolkien well enough to be able to honestly say that at some level Christopher Tolkien is never a sexual bigot. Even if they did say it, they might just be wrong.

I accuse Galin of vicious innuendo which demands a response that almost no-one can honestly give.

If Galin is really honestly inferring what he seems to be interring, then perhaps he ought to blame himself for so inferring, if he finds the inferences he make so troubling to him.

I read Kane’s book and the inference that Christopher Tolkien was purposely attempting to get back at women by reducing their role in The Silmarillion never occurred to me. For me, it was Galin who raised that as a possibility. I took it as a given that the reduction of female roles was simply part of Christopher Tolkien often preferring a shorter version in the published Silmarillion over a longer version, and agree with Kane that this was mostly unfortunate.