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drogo
Lorien
May 22 2007, 2:46am
Post #1 of 8
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Children of Húrin Discussion Schedule
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Here's the schedule for the Children of Húrin discussion. We're set through August 20, so there are still chances for people to sign up. Thanks to all who volunteered, and let's see if we can make this not TOO depressing, okay?
(Could a friendly admin make this a sticky as we did with the artists' schedule? Thanks!)
June 11 (Preface, Introduction, Note on Pronunciation) Pallando
June 18 (I. The Childhood of Túrin) squire
June 25 (II-III. The Battle of Unnumbered Tears, The Words of Húrin and Morgoth) Menelwyn
July 2 (IV. The Departure of Túrin) Ataahua
July 9 (V. Túrin in Doriath) Wynnie
July 16 (VI. Túrin among the Outlaws) Modtheow
July 23 (VII. Of Mîm the Dwarft) Finding Frodo
July 30 (VIII-IX. The Land of Bow and Helm, The Death of Beleg) Saelind
August 6 (X. Túrin in Nargothrond) Altaira
August 13 (XI-XII. The Fall of Nargothrond, The Return of Túrin to Dor-lómin) Eledhwen
August 20 (XIII. The Coming of Túrin to Brethil)
August 27 (XIV. The Journey of Morwen and Niënor to Nargothrond)
September 3 (XV. Niënor in Brethil)
Sept. 10 (XVI-XVII. The Coming of Glaurung, The Death of Glaurung) Pallando
September 17 (XVIII. The Death of Túrin) Curious
September 24 (Appendix I. The Evolution of the Great Tales) drogo
October 1 (Appendix 2. The Composition of the Text)
October 8 (List of Names, Note on the Map, & Wrap-up)
(This post was edited by drogo on May 22 2007, 2:48am)
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Curious
Half-elven
May 24 2007, 5:28pm
Post #2 of 8
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I don't find Children of Hurin at all depressing.
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Do you find the movies in the Godfather trilogy depressing? I don't, even though Michael Corleone leads a life nearly as violent and tragic as Turin's, and the message of the films seems to be that corruption is everywhere, not just in organized crime.
Do you find The Book of Job depressing? I don't, even though all kinds of bad things happen to Job.
Do you find the Blues depressing? I don't, even though bad things generally happen in Blues songs.
Do you find the end of LotR depressing? I don't, even though Frodo and Gandalf and the elves leave Middle-earth forever and everyone cries at the end.
Life can be depressing. Fictional tragedy can be cleansing. If I feel sad, I like to go to tearjerker movie and have a good cry. If I feel angry, I like to go to an action movie and see some action. If I feel afraid, I like to go to a scary movie and feel my heart race. If I'm happy, well, then I'll go to a comedy and have a good laugh at the fools on the screen. But if I am in the wrong mood, it is the comedy that can be depressing.
If anything, I wish I felt more emotion when reading CoH, not less. The weakest parts are those that do not touch my heart, not those that make me feel sad, or angry, or afraid. So let's see if we can jerk some tears, here, or make some fists pound or hearts race! Let's dive into the tragedy, holding nothing back! Let's see if we can make the tragedy come to life, so that we want to reach out and shake some sense into Turin or the characters around him! Because that is when the story works.
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Curious
Half-elven
Jun 8 2007, 11:13pm
Post #3 of 8
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I just noticed that in my first preliminary review of Children of Hurin I called it "arguably the most depressing material in all of The Silmarillion"! So okay, yeah, I guess it could seem depressing. Or at least "arguably" depressing. But I think it is most depressing when it is least moving.
I think a dry summary of the Godfather trilogy or The Book of Job or Blues songs or the last chapter of LotR could seem depressing too. What saves them from being depressing is the emotion and the art, the characteristics that distinguish them from dry histories of violence and tragedy and loss.
The local news is depressing. The news on 9/11 was beyond depressing. The movie United 98, however, is uplifting and cathartic, even though we know from the news that it ends badly, and the movie pulls no punches. Great tragedy gives us an outlet for our feelings, and heals our depression.
Although it can be hard to convince people of that, sight unseen. Lots of people here the summary of tragedies and refuse to read or see them because they sound depressing. Well yes, the summaries do sound depressing. But the summaries leave out all the art. The song "Strange Fruit" is a graphic description of lynched bodies hanging from a tree. Pretty depressing, no? But when Billie Holiday sang that song, it became a best seller. That's why Johny Lee Hooker sang "The blues a healer, all over the world."
Tolkien aimed for this kind of high tragedy in Children of Hurin. Unfortunately, he did not achieve that target throughout the tale, so yes, some of it is just depressing, or even just puzzling. But other parts I find quite moving, and therefore not depressing. Sad and infuriating, but not depressing. (Not very scary, though, perhaps because I had a hard time identifying with the characters in peril.)
Maybe I am jumping the gun a bit, since our discussion starts next week, but this is more of an overall comment, and a follow-up to my previous comments. I wonder if my big-picture assessment will be the same 18 weeks from now?
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Galadriel1a
The Shire
Aug 9 2007, 10:29pm
Post #4 of 8
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If its still possible to sign uo id like to sign up for
chapters X!V and XV Morwens ond Nienors journey and Nienir in brethil
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N.E. Brigand
Half-elven
Aug 9 2007, 11:41pm
Post #5 of 8
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I think that week is still free: PM drogo to be sure. And I've agreed to take the previous week of Aug. 20.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Discuss The Children of Húrin in the Reading Room, June 11-October 14.
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Saelind
Lorien
Aug 10 2007, 12:28am
Post #6 of 8
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I actually had volunteered to do XIV in another thread.
(This post was edited by Saelind on Aug 10 2007, 12:29am)
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N.E. Brigand
Half-elven
Aug 10 2007, 2:27am
Post #7 of 8
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Galadriel1a, perhaps you'd like to lead the Aug. 20 chapter, in my place? Or take one of the appendical chapters?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Discuss The Children of Húrin in the Reading Room, June 11-October 14.
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Galadriel1a
The Shire
Aug 10 2007, 10:09am
Post #8 of 8
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I think that the 20/8 would be hard for me , timewise i´m more free and easy after the 26th. I would be happy to put some focus on Nienor.
Maybe i´m able to share chapter XII but i have to check if i have enough time first.
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