I dont suppose there's any Tolkien readers out there? He gets a bad rap because he gets thrown into fantasy and science fiction. Given the depth and complexity of his work though, in that it displays an eclectic sense of philology and classic archetypes) I'd deem him more of a neo-classicist, an off-shoot of the Modernists, rather than lump him in with the horror of what his followers have created.
I came across Tolkien back in high school when I was trying to figure out Nietzsche ("Birth of Tragedy") through Wagner re: Norse myth and so on until reaching Tolkien on "Beowulf" (not Norse but everything was broadened at that point). I was surprised. Going through "Lord of the Rings" and "Silmarillion" were quite illuminating and I was able to recognize a broad classical tradition present. Heavy reading.
Unfortunately, being a Tolkien fan lumps you in with a bad crowd and there's some guilt by association. That being said, I think Tolkien would have gotten along better with Joyce, Pound and TS Eliot than he would have with any fantasy people. Anyhow, seeing on how his "newest" "book" has come out, I was wondering if there's Buk-readers who have any insight into Tolkien or have picked up his new book.
I came across Tolkien back in high school when I was trying to figure out Nietzsche ("Birth of Tragedy") through Wagner re: Norse myth and so on until reaching Tolkien on "Beowulf" (not Norse but everything was broadened at that point). I was surprised. Going through "Lord of the Rings" and "Silmarillion" were quite illuminating and I was able to recognize a broad classical tradition present. Heavy reading.
Unfortunately, being a Tolkien fan lumps you in with a bad crowd and there's some guilt by association. That being said, I think Tolkien would have gotten along better with Joyce, Pound and TS Eliot than he would have with any fantasy people. Anyhow, seeing on how his "newest" "book" has come out, I was wondering if there's Buk-readers who have any insight into Tolkien or have picked up his new book.
