BLOGGER.FESTIVALINTHESHIRE.COM: Recent Comments

Comment on Festival Journal Comments

2010-08-05T22:01:18Z

Re: Article "Lay of Leithian"

The title looked very promising (Heroism of the Couple), but unfortunately it does not go to the core of the matter. The problem may lie in the approach. The issue of Tolkien's Catholicism informing his legendarium has always been controversial, but in this case I would like to say the author goes too far in taking one interpretation of Christianity (not the Celtic one, either, though Celtic roots are mentioned) and judging this material according to it. We end up with entirely removed conclusions which do not do the material justice and appear cynical on the whole, while at the same time pretending to be "how Tolkien saw it". It is likewise conducive to many contradictions, such as stating Beren & Luthien are "Pagan" and at the same time a poetic retelling of Tolkien & Edith; or building up characters only to run them down because they're not "Christian" enough. It is missing the whole point that Tolkien tried to make (that connection between "reality" and "consistence of reality", which surprised even him), and first and foremost he was not a Platonist.

Comment on Festival Journal Comments

2010-07-07T17:41:41Z

Commenting on the July article, Romance in the Hobbit films, by Christine Ett.

Bilbo and Frodo, "soulmates"? LOL! Ok, so Frodo wants to go everywhere Bilbo does (in the LOTR drafts he even tries to trick the Ring into giving him the same "destiny"), and it seems that Valinor as an option was also largely influenced by Bilbo.

But soulmates they are not... Maybe Mentor and Student (which can be a characteristic of the Soulmate relationship too), but not soulmates. Remember, Tolkien used the term "soul's mate" to refer to one's *companion* as found through life and Afterlife.

Comment on Festival Journal Comments

2010-03-23T08:51:36Z

I came across the interview with Michael Hague. I am intrigued about what the story was on which The Mermaid was based (" when you studied art you completed your final project on The Mermaid, based upon a book by Rosemary Sutcliffe ...")

My interest is that she was a close relative of mine...and www.rosemarysutcliff.wordpress.com (which may interest some readers) I would be interested in tracking it down! Can you, or he, help?

And also, if I may, please get the spelling of Sutcliff (sic) correct without an E! Mind you, as readers will find in the blog, you are in good company, recently including The Times and The morning Star, and once even a web page of her own publisher OUP.

Anthony Lawton