DOCSLIB.ORG

The Tolkien Tradition

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Tolkien Tradition Volume 11 Number 1 Article 5 Summer 7-15-1984 The Tolkien Tradition Diana Paxson Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore Part of the Children's and Young Adult Literature Commons Recommended Citation Paxson, Diana (1984) "The Tolkien Tradition," Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature: Vol. 11 : No. 1 , Article 5. Available at: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol11/iss1/5 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Mythopoeic Society at SWOSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature by an authorized editor of SWOSU Digital Commons. An ADA compliant document is available upon request. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To join the Mythopoeic Society go to: http://www.mythsoc.org/join.htm Mythcon 51: A VIRTUAL “HALFLING” MYTHCON July 31 - August 1, 2021 (Saturday and Sunday) http://www.mythsoc.org/mythcon/mythcon-51.htm Mythcon 52: The Mythic, the Fantastic, and the Alien Albuquerque, New Mexico; July 29 - August 1, 2022 http://www.mythsoc.org/mythcon/mythcon-52.htm Abstract Analyzes what makes a fantasy “in the Tolkien tradition” and applies this definition ot a number of contemporary fantasy authors, including Ursula Le Guin, Richard Adams, Lloyd Alexander, and Stephen R. Donaldson. Additional Keywords Fantasy—Characteristics; Fantasy literature—Influence of J.R.R. olkien;T Tolkien, J.R.R.—Influence on fantasy literature This article is available in Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol11/iss1/5 Page 23 The Tolkien Tradition Diana Paxson "In the tradition of Tolkien. is a phrase TOLKIEN'S WORK AS A BASIS FOR TRADITION BUILDING which has become increasingly common on bookcovers and To define the Tolkien Tradition, it is first dust-jackets in the past few years. And while the necessary to identify those elements in Tolkien's work majority of readers may neither notice nor care, it which might serve as its foundation, while noting from has been a shock to some of us to buy a work so the outset that for the most part Tolkien did not labeled and find a story of erotic adventure or invent these elements, but was himself drawing from something cute with talking animals inside. But other traditions. before expressing too much indignation, it might be useful to consider what a literary tradition actually In the essay "On Fairy Stories" quoted above, is, what elements in Tolkien's work might serve as the Tolkien uses the metaphor of the Cauldron of Story to basis for a new one, what kind of fantasy is being explain the relationship between mythology, history, written today, and what a genuine "Tolkien Tradition" and invention in the production of tales. An author's should be. creativity lies not in the originality of his ingredients, but in the skill with which he combines LITERARY TRADITION them. One might extend the metaphor by saying that My old edition of the Brittanica World Language when a writer combines old ingredients into a new and Dictionary, 1956, defines "tradition" as: tasty recipe, he or she may make available a flavor, a texture, or perhaps a vitamin that has been missing 6. In literature, the drama, and the fine from the literary diet of his or her contemporaries. arts, the accumulated knowledge, taste, and experience handed down from one generation of Tolkien's work is not only the foundation of a new writers, actors, or artists to another; the tradition but the culmination of several older ones. historic conceptions and usages of a school, His greatness lies in the rare touch with which he has collectively, or any one such concept or combined old or "traditional" ingredients as well as usage. in the new elements that he has infused so harmoniously into the brew. But if Tolkien did not A look at artistic history makes it clear that invent all of the elements he uses, most modern this handing down of information and technique refers readers (including most of those writing fantasy to the transmission of forms, skills, subject matter today) have neither the scholarly skills nor the and the like rather than imitation of one's opportunity to encounter them in their original predecessors. A usage common in academic circles settings. Tolkien must therefore take credit for implies that a series of works that form a tradition having made many archetypes, concepts, literary forms, should represent an evolution or development of the and even details of archaic culture, accessible to the ideas of techniques that characterize it. contemporary reader. Another popular way of using the term is in the Despite the popularity of The Hobbit and Tolkien's sense of something handed down from past ages through other works, his reputation rests on The Lord of the generations of anonymous folk artists, being refined Rings, and it is this work that must be examined as and developed as it goes, as in the designation the source of the "Tolkien Tradition." What then are ■traditional’ for folksongs or tales. Tolkien himself those characteristics—borrowed or original—that have comments on this meaning when he discusses the origins served as the new tradition's foundation stones? of folk tales in his essay "On Fairy Stories." LENGTH Tolkien points out that archaic cultural elements The first and most obvious characteristic of The commonly found embedded in fairy stories have been Lord of the Rings is its size. This does not seem so preserved because they have "a mythical or total remarkable todayT but when the trilogy first appeared (unanalysable) effe ct quite independent of the in the 1950's, and even in the mid-60's when it first findings of Comparative Folklore... they open a door came out in paperback, such length in contemporary on Other Time..." He goes on to say that such old popular fiction was a rarity. A work of fiction so elements have been preserved or inserted "precisely long it must be brought out in three volumes was because of this literary effect." The things that are unknown, especially in a genre believed by publishers retained in successive versions of a tale are there to appeal only to people wanting light entertainment. "because the oral narrators, instinctively or Science fiction and other genre novels at that time consciously, felt their literary 'sig n ifica n ce." rarely topped 65,000 words. Fantasy has always provided a refuge for those Today, a look at any book rack will show that (both writers and readers) who have a craving for thousand page novels in all genres are common, as are these ancient and powerful literary elements, as trilogies. There have undoubtedly been other reasons opposed to those whose taste is for the new, the for this change, but certainly the wild success of experimental, and the "untraditional." A literary something the size of The Lord of the Rings must have tradition within the genre of Fantasy ought therefore helped change publishers' ideas about what sells. to consist of those works that draw upon the techniques and concepts used by their predecessors, EPIC SWEEP perhaps refining the technique and developing the If length alone qualified a work for the "Tolkien concepts, but always preserving the sense of something Tradition," books like John Jakes' American history whose very antiquity precipitates a thrill of wonder. series and Dhalgren would qualify. In The Lord of the Page 24 Rings the length allows another element to appear, analyzed demonstrates that it is not the content, but which one might call an "epic" quality. the way in which content is handled, that makes a story memorable. Part of Tolkien's effectiveness In modern literature, before Tolkien one found comes from his deft handling of figures and motifs this quality occasionally in historical novels, but which have through the ages acquired an incalculable rarely elsewhere. The term comes, of course, from the weight of meaning. These motifs include archetypal form of literature characteristic of heroic cultures, figures, sentient species, talismans, and traditional distinguished by a large cast of characters, action extended over many lands, large scale military movements, and heroic protagonists. It also features FIGURES villains who are sometimes equally heroic, numerous, Major archetypal figures in LotR include the and/or supernatural. At any rate they are opponents Wizard (Gandalf), the Destined King (Aragorn), the who require all of the protagonists' heroic qualities Lady of Power (Galadriel), the Battle-Maiden (Eowyn), to defeat (and sometimes their lives as well). and the Evil Sorcerer (Saruman and to a greater extent Sauron himself). As a noun, "epic" has been overused by movie PR departments. As an adjective it has been used by SENTIENT SPECIES blurb writers to describe any book with action on a Refers to those beings (or kindreds) that in large scale, heroic or not. But Tolkien's work Faerie or Middle-earth share intelligence with man. developed the epic in novel form, creating a sub­ Is the persistence of such creatures in folklore due genre, the "epic fantasy." Any subsequent fantasy work featuring many epic characteristics may be to man's age-old desire for companionship, or perhaps considered for inclusion in the Tolkien Tradition. to a memory of a time when interspecies communication was a reality? HISTORY AND MYTHOLOGY One element that contributes most powerfully to The major species appearing in Tolkien's works the realism of Middle-earth is its legendary are: elves, dwarves, tree people, hobbits, goblins and demons, and talking animals (both good and evil).
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Roots of Middle-Earth: William Morris's Influence Upon J. R. R. Tolkien
    University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 12-2007 The Roots of Middle-Earth: William Morris's Influence upon J. R. R. Tolkien Kelvin Lee Massey University of Tennessee - Knoxville Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss Part of the Literature in English, British Isles Commons Recommended Citation Massey, Kelvin Lee, "The Roots of Middle-Earth: William Morris's Influence upon J. R. R. olkien.T " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2007. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/238 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Kelvin Lee Massey entitled "The Roots of Middle-Earth: William Morris's Influence upon J. R. R. olkien.T " I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in English. David F. Goslee, Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: Thomas Heffernan, Michael Lofaro, Robert Bast Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Kelvin Lee Massey entitled “The Roots of Middle-earth: William Morris’s Influence upon J.
    [Show full text]
  • Small Renaissances Engendered in JRR Tolkien's Legendarium
    Eastern Michigan University DigitalCommons@EMU Senior Honors Theses Honors College 2017 'A Merrier World:' Small Renaissances Engendered in J. R. R. Tolkien's Legendarium Dominic DiCarlo Meo Follow this and additional works at: http://commons.emich.edu/honors Part of the Children's and Young Adult Literature Commons Recommended Citation Meo, Dominic DiCarlo, "'A Merrier World:' Small Renaissances Engendered in J. R. R. Tolkien's Legendarium" (2017). Senior Honors Theses. 555. http://commons.emich.edu/honors/555 This Open Access Senior Honors Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Honors College at DigitalCommons@EMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Senior Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@EMU. For more information, please contact lib- [email protected]. 'A Merrier World:' Small Renaissances Engendered in J. R. R. Tolkien's Legendarium Abstract After surviving the trenches of World War I when many of his friends did not, Tolkien continued as the rest of the world did: moving, growing, and developing, putting the darkness of war behind. He had children, taught at the collegiate level, wrote, researched. Then another Great War knocked on the global door. His sons marched off, and Britain was again consumed. The "War to End All Wars" was repeating itself and nothing was for certain. In such extended dark times, J. R. R. Tolkien drew on what he knew-language, philology, myth, and human rights-peering back in history to the mythologies and legends of old while igniting small movements in modern thought. Arthurian, Beowulfian, African, and Egyptian myths all formed a bedrock for his Legendarium, and fantasy-fiction as we now know it was rejuvenated.Just like the artists, authors, and thinkers from the Late Medieval period, Tolkien summoned old thoughts to craft new creations that would cement themselves in history forever.
    [Show full text]
  • RICHARD ADAMS' MYTHMAKING in WATERSHIP DOWN and SHARDIK by Edgar L
    Volume 5 Number 2 Article 3 10-15-1978 The Shaman as Hero and Spiritual Leader: Richard Adams’ Mythmaking in Watership Down and Shardik Edgar L. Chapman Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore Part of the Children's and Young Adult Literature Commons Recommended Citation Chapman, Edgar L. (1978) "The Shaman as Hero and Spiritual Leader: Richard Adams’ Mythmaking in Watership Down and Shardik," Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature: Vol. 5 : No. 2 , Article 3. Available at: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol5/iss2/3 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Mythopoeic Society at SWOSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature by an authorized editor of SWOSU Digital Commons. An ADA compliant document is available upon request. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To join the Mythopoeic Society go to: http://www.mythsoc.org/join.htm Mythcon 51: A VIRTUAL “HALFLING” MYTHCON July 31 - August 1, 2021 (Saturday and Sunday) http://www.mythsoc.org/mythcon/mythcon-51.htm Mythcon 52: The Mythic, the Fantastic, and the Alien Albuquerque, New Mexico; July 29 - August 1, 2022 http://www.mythsoc.org/mythcon/mythcon-52.htm Abstract Focuses mainly on Shardik, calling it “a demanding novel which explores the possible ways of responding to the emergence of the transcendental and mythic into ordinary existence.” With Watership Down, it justifies the importance of intuition, mystical, and transcendental experience.
    [Show full text]
  • The Aeneid with Rabbits
    The Aeneid with Rabbits: Children's Fantasy as Modern Epic by Hannah Parry A thesis submitted to the Victoria University of Wellington in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Victoria University of Wellington 2016 Acknowledgements Sincere thanks are owed to Geoff Miles and Harry Ricketts, for their insightful supervision of this thesis. Thanks to Geoff also for his previous supervision of my MA thesis and of the 489 Research Paper which began my academic interest in tracking modern fantasy back to classical epic. He must be thoroughly sick of reading drafts of my writing by now, but has never once showed it, and has always been helpful, enthusiastic and kind. For talking to me about Tolkien, Old English and Old Norse, lending me a whole box of books, and inviting me to spend countless Wednesday evenings at their house with the Norse Reading Group, I would like to thank Christine Franzen and Robert Easting. I'd also like to thank the English department staff and postgraduates of Victoria University of Wellington, for their interest and support throughout, and for being some of the nicest people it has been my privilege to meet. Victoria University of Wellington provided financial support for this thesis through the Victoria University Doctoral Scholarship, for which I am very grateful. For access to letters, notebooks and manuscripts pertaining to Rosemary Sutcliff, Philip Pullman, and C.S. Lewis, I would like to thank the Seven Stories National Centre for Children's Books in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and Oxford University. Finally, thanks to my parents, William and Lynette Parry, for fostering my love of books, and to my sister, Sarah Parry, for her patience, intelligence, insight, and many terrific conversations about all things literary and fantastical.
    [Show full text]
  • A Symphonic Discussion of the Animal in Richard Adams' Watership Down
    Centre for Languages and Literature English Studies A Symphonic Discussion of the Animal in Richard Adams’ Watership Down Elisabeth Kynaston ENGX54 Degree project in English Literature Spring 2020 Centre for Languages and Literature Lund University Supervisor: Cecilia Wadsö-Lecaros Abstract The purpose of this essay is to suggest a new reading of Richard Adams’ Watership Down (1972) by adopting the recently new discipline of Animal Studies. Adams follows a long tradition of talking animals in literature, which still to this day, is an important part of the English literary canon. Throughout this essay, I shall focus on several aspects of the novel. I will look at the anthropomorphized animals and examine how the animals are portrayed in the text. I will seek to offer a structural analysis of Adams’ novel using the structure of the symphony. The essay offers a background discussion of Animal Studies as a theoretical discipline. In addition, the background will provide the reader with a description of how and why the structure of the symphony can function as a method to analyse Adams’ novel. The analysis has been divided into five parts where Jakob von Uexküll’s and Mario Ortiz-Robles’ research will serve as a basis for my discussion as I seek to provide a deeper understanding of how our perception of the animal in literature affects our idea of the animal in our human society. Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. Background 3. First Movement – The Journey 1. Theme One – “Nature/Rabbit” 2. Theme Two – The Human 3. The Rabbit as a Subject 4.
    [Show full text]
  • FANTASY GAMES and SOCIAL WORLDS Simulation As Leisure
    >> Version of Record - Sep 1, 1981 What is This? Downloaded from sag.sagepub.com at SAGE Publications on December 8, 2012 FANTASY GAMES AND SOCIAL WORLDS Simulation as Leisure GARY ALAN FINE University of Minnesota As the longevity and success of this journal attest, simulation games have had a considerable impact on the scholarly commun- ity, spawning cottage industries and academic specialties. Simu- lation gaming is now well established as a legitimate academic pursuit and teaching tool. Simultaneous with the growth of educational games, the 1970s witnessed the development and popularity of other role-playing games, essentially simulations, which have enjoyment and fantasy as their major goals. These games are known generically as fantasy role-playing games. My intent in this article is to describe the games, discuss the relationship of these games to similar activities (including educational simulations), describe the players, and examine their reasons for participating in this social world. By studying these play forms, researchers who specialize in educational simulations can observe parallels in this leisure activity. AUTHOR’S NOTE: The author would like to thank Sherryl Kleinman and Linda Hughes for comments on previous drafts of this article. SIMULATION ~c GAMES, Vol. 12 No. 3, September I981 251-279 @ 1981 Sage Pubhcations, Inc. 251 Downloaded from sag.sagepub.com at SAGE Publications on December 8, 2012 252 WHAT IS FANTASY ROLE-PLAY GAMING? A &dquo;[fantasy] role-playing game&dquo; has been defined as &dquo;any game which allows a number of players to assume the roles of imaginary characters and operate with some degree of freedom in an imaginary environment&dquo; (Lortz, 1979b: 36).
    [Show full text]
  • Tales from the Wood
    Tales from The Wood Role playing Game Simon Washbourne CREDITS Initial concept © 2005 by Simon Washbourne & Mark George All rights reserved. Game design, development, editing, & layout Simon Washbourne Artwork Cover: Gill Pearce Interior: Simon Washbourne, Gill Pearce, Helen Roberts & Val Bertin Thanks to all the play testers Annette Washbourne, Nigel Uzzell, Janine Uzzell, Alyson George, Robert Watkins, Rob- ert Irwin, Gary Collett, Leigh Wakefield, Phil Chivers, Phil Ratcliffe and members of Innsworth Wargames and Role Playing United Kingdom (IWARPUK) Recommended Fiction William Horwood; Duncton Wood, Duncton Quest, Duncton Found, Duncton Tales, Duncton Rising, Duncton Stone (moles) Gerry Kilworth; Frost Dancers (hares), Hunters Moon (foxes) A.R. Lloyd; Marshworld, Witchwood, Dragon Pond (weasels) Denys Watkins Pitchford (B.B); Little Grey Men, Down the Bright Stream (gnomes) Chris Freddi; Pork & other tales (several different types of animal) Michael Tod; The Silver Tide, The Second Wave, The Golden Flight (squirrels) Richard Adams; Watership Down (rabbits) Aeron Clement; The Cold Moons (badgers) Brian Carter; Night World (badgers) Colin Dann; The Animals of Farthing Wood, In the Grip of Winter, Fox's Feud, Fox Cub Bold, The Siege of White Deer Park, In the Path of Storm, Battle for the Park, Farthing Wood - The Adventure Begins (several different types of animal) Recommended Non-Fiction Any good natural history books would be highly useful, but these are some of those con- sulted when designing Tales from The Wood. Ron Freethy; Man
    [Show full text]
  • Enrichment Reading (Pdf)
    1 Enrichment Reading 2015 Adams, Douglas. The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. In this collection of novels, Arthur Dent is introduced to the galaxy at large when he is rescued by an alien friend seconds before Earth's destruction and embarks on a series of amazing adventures. Adams, Richard. Watership Down. “Set in England's Downs, a once idyllic rural landscape, this stirring tale of adventure, courage, and survival follows a band of very special creatures on their flight from the intrusion of man and the certain destruction of their home. Led by a stouthearted pair of brothers, they journey forth from their native Sandleford Warren through the harrowing trials posed by predators and adversaries, to a mysterious promised land and a more perfect society.” Alexander, Kwame. The Crossover. Fourteen-year-old twin basketball stars Josh and Jordan wrestle with highs and lows on and off the court as their father ignores his declining health. Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. “One of the most universally loved and admired English novels, Pride and Prejudice was penned as a popular entertainment, but the consummate artistry of Jane Austen (1775–1817) transformed this effervescent tale of rural romance into a witty, shrewdly observed satire of English country life that is now regarded as one of the principal treasures of English language. In a remote Hertfordshire village, far off the good coach roads of George III's England, a country squire of no great means must marry off his five vivacious daughters. At the heart of this all- consuming enterprise are his headstrong second daughter Elizabeth Bennet and her aristocratic suitor Fitzwilliam Darcy — two lovers whose pride must be humbled and prejudices dissolved before the novel can come to its splendid conclusion.” Barrow, Randi.
    [Show full text]
  • Richard Adams 6.2 the Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe
    AR How did it make you feel? Star Rating Watership Down - Richard Adams 6.2 The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe - CS Lewis 5.7 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson-Burnett 3.6 Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson 8.3 Black Beauty - Anna Sewell 7.7 AR How did it make you feel? Star Rating Kensuke’s Kingdom - Michael Morpurgo 4.7 Lord of the Flies - William Golding 5.0 How to Train Your Dragon - Cressida Cowell 6.7 AR How did it make you feel? Star Rating Keeper - Mal Peet 5.1 The Kick Off - Dan Freedman 4.9 AR How did it make you feel? Star Rating The Hound of the Baskervilles - Arthur Conan Doyle 8.3 Murder on the Orient Express - Agatha Christie 6.2 Thief Lord - Cornelia Funke 4.8 AR How did it make you feel? Star Rating The Woman in Black - Susan Hill 7.2 Twilight - Stephanie Meyer 4.9 AR How did it make you feel? Star Rating The Owl Service - Alan Garner 3.7 King of the Middle March - Kevin Crossley-Holland 4.2 AR How did it make you feel? Star Rating Wonder - RJ Palacio 4.8 Holes - Louis Sachar (pronounced ‘sacker’) 4.6 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time - Mark Haddon 5.4 AR How did it make you feel? Star Rating Noughts & Crosses - Malorie Blackman 4.0 AR How did it make you feel? Star Rating The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - John Boyne 5.8 War Horse - Michael Morpurgo 5.9 Goodnight Mr Tom - Michelle Magorian 5.1 AR How did it make you feel? Star Rating Mr Stink - David Walliams 4.7 The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole - Sue Townsend 5.1 AR How did it make you feel? Star Rating Matilda - Roald Dahl 5.0 Northern Lights -
    [Show full text]
  • Tolkien's Lost Knights
    Volume 39 Number 1 Article 9 Fall 10-15-2020 Tolkien's Lost Knights Ben Reinhard Christendom College Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore Part of the Children's and Young Adult Literature Commons Recommended Citation Reinhard, Ben (2020) "Tolkien's Lost Knights," Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature: Vol. 39 : No. 1 , Article 9. Available at: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol39/iss1/9 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Mythopoeic Society at SWOSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature by an authorized editor of SWOSU Digital Commons. An ADA compliant document is available upon request. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To join the Mythopoeic Society go to: http://www.mythsoc.org/join.htm Mythcon 51: A VIRTUAL “HALFLING” MYTHCON July 31 - August 1, 2021 (Saturday and Sunday) http://www.mythsoc.org/mythcon/mythcon-51.htm Mythcon 52: The Mythic, the Fantastic, and the Alien Albuquerque, New Mexico; July 29 - August 1, 2022 http://www.mythsoc.org/mythcon/mythcon-52.htm This article is available in Mythlore: A Journal of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Mythopoeic Literature: https://dc.swosu.edu/mythlore/vol39/iss1/9 OLKIEN ’S L OST KNIGHTS BEN REINHARD OLKIEN IS OFTEN CONSIDERED A STOLIDLY TRADITIONAL and even reactionary T author, and for good reason. Tolkien himself seemed almost to welcome the labels, and his debt to traditional models is obvious to all.
    [Show full text]
  • Where Will Books Take You?
    What We’re Reading UPPER SCHOOL Where will books take you? Kent Denver School | 4000 E. Quincy Ave., Englewood, CO 80113 Table of Contents Upper School Reading Program Statement 5 Upper School Recommendations 6 The Reader’s Bill of Rights 108 3 Thank you to the students, faculty, and staff of Kent Denver School for taking the time to submit the thoughtful recommendations you will find in this guide. Use it to look for adventure, to challenge your mind, to go on a journey. Come get lost in a book. “It is what you read when you don’t have to that determines what you will be when you can’t help it.” Oscar Wilde 4 The Upper School Program: The Freedom and Pleasure of Choice Everyone is encouraged to read at least three texts of his or her choice, and the faculty acknowledges an expansive view of what constitutes a text. Books, of course, are texts but consider also newspapers, magazines and blogs. Read anything, as long as you care about it, you enjoy it and it makes you think. Guidance is readily available by reviewing this booklet. When you come back from the summer, the faculty hope you will be rested and recharged. Be prepared to share in advisory and in your classes, your own reading experiences and recommenda- tions. A note to students and parents: Students and faculty have sub- mitted the following Kent Denver recommendations; these titles are suggested as a way of offering choice for students. The titles offer a wide variety of reading interests, levels and content.
    [Show full text]
  • Translating Watership Down
    Brouwer 4140001 Translating Watership Down Emily Brouwer 4140001 BA Thesis Engelse Taal en Cultuur Supervisor: Anniek Kool MA Second Reader: Onno Kosters April 2016 1 Brouwer 4140001 Table of Contents 1. Abstract 3 2. Introduction 4 3. Theoretical Framework: Analysis 7 a. Pragmatic Problems b. Linguistic Problems 8 c. Culture-Specific Problems d. Text-Specific Problems 9 4. Translation & Footnotes 14 Text A Text B 18 5. Comparing Translations 19 6. Conclusion 22 7. Bibliography 23 8. Source Text & Shuchart’s Translation 25 Appendix A – Excerpt Chapter 1: The Notice Board (page 15-19) Appendix B – Excerpt Chapter 23: Kehaar (page 199-201) 27 Appendix C – Excerpt Hoofdstuk 1: Het mededelingenbord (page 9-11) 28 Appendix D – Excerpt Hoofdstuk 23: Kehaar (page 186-187) 30 2 Brouwer 4140001 1. Abstract This thesis analyses the major issues that occur when translating Richard Adams’ Watership Down (1972) into Dutch by categorising them into Christiane Nord’s four categories of translation problems. The focus lies on text-specific problems, such as the rabbit language Lapine, the use of eye dialect, the names of the characters in the novel, and the religious elements. Two passages of the novel have been translated into Dutch accompanied by footnotes, which explain certain choices and different options for the chosen translation. After that, a brief comparison is made between the already existing translation by Max Shuchart and the translation made for this thesis. 3 Brouwer 4140001 2. Introduction Watership Down was Richard Adams’ first novel. It was published by Rex Collings Limited in 1972 after having been rejected by several other publishers.
    [Show full text]