How close is the published The Silmarillion to JRRT's Silmarillion? - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

jallanite · 08-29-2013, 08:46 PM

Christopher Tolkien’s rmarks on The Silmarillion as published nowhere indicate that it is more than an attempt by his son to more-or-less put out what his father wrote.

Christopher Tolkien’s various remarks about what he sees as errors by himself in The Silmarillion is enough to indicate he himself does not consider the published Silmarillion as canon. That he has not corrected those points shows no more that he sees no point in correcting a work that was never intended to be canon to make it canon. Indeed, Christopher Tolkien never uses the term canon.

When discussions on particular points of Tolkien’s legendarium come up, those discussing the points are quite ready to bring in material from Christopher Tolkien’s HoME series and these are accepted as pertinent to the discussion. No-one insists that the words of Christopher Tolkien in the published Silmarillion have any priority over his father’s words as given by him elsewhere.

That is not normally so with variant versions of material which was published in J. R. R. Tolkien’s lifetime.

Christopher Tolkien wrote in his Foreword: “I set myself therefore to work out a single text, selecting and arranging in such a way as seemed to me to produce the most coherent and internally self-consistant narrative.” In later writing Christopher Tolkien clearly indicates that he regrets certain of the decisions he made then.

That Christopher Tolkien has not produced a new version is said to show that Christopher Tolkien is totally satisfied with his edition. Yet Christopher Tolkien again and again says that he is not satisfied with it. It therefore appears to me that Christopher Tolkien is indicating that he cannot find a way to produce a version that would totally satisfy him, that a perfect Silmarillion is impossible to produce.

Inziladun’s solution to simply ignore Christopher Tolkien’s words in those cases is very unsatisfactory.

08-29-2013, 08:46 PM	#11
jallanite Shade of Carn Dûm Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Toronto Posts: 479	Christopher Tolkien’s rmarks on The Silmarillion as published nowhere indicate that it is more than an attempt by his son to more-or-less put out what his father wrote. Christopher Tolkien’s various remarks about what he sees as errors by himself in The Silmarillion is enough to indicate he himself does not consider the published Silmarillion as canon. That he has not corrected those points shows no more that he sees no point in correcting a work that was never intended to be canon to make it canon. Indeed, Christopher Tolkien never uses the term canon. When discussions on particular points of Tolkien’s legendarium come up, those discussing the points are quite ready to bring in material from Christopher Tolkien’s HoME series and these are accepted as pertinent to the discussion. No-one insists that the words of Christopher Tolkien in the published Silmarillion have any priority over his father’s words as given by him elsewhere. That is not normally so with variant versions of material which was published in J. R. R. Tolkien’s lifetime. Christopher Tolkien wrote in his Foreword: “I set myself therefore to work out a single text, selecting and arranging in such a way as seemed to me to produce the most coherent and internally self-consistant narrative.” In later writing Christopher Tolkien clearly indicates that he regrets certain of the decisions he made then. That Christopher Tolkien has not produced a new version is said to show that Christopher Tolkien is totally satisfied with his edition. Yet Christopher Tolkien again and again says that he is not satisfied with it. It therefore appears to me that Christopher Tolkien is indicating that he cannot find a way to produce a version that would totally satisfy him, that a perfect Silmarillion is impossible to produce. Inziladun’s solution to simply ignore Christopher Tolkien’s words in those cases is very unsatisfactory.