|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
News from Bree
spymaster@theonering.net
Aug 25 2014, 4:16am
Post #1 of 9
(2439 views)
Shortcut
|
|
Middle-earth in Magic Mirror Maps
|
Can't Post
|
|
The Retelling of an Unforgettable Journey.
Author Steve Ponty takes a unique look at J.R.R. Tolkien's map-making methodology, in Middle - earth in Magic Mirror Maps... of the Wilderland in Wales... of the Shire in England.
This work is a fresh look at the Maps of the Wilderland of The Hobbit, leading to the discovery of Professor J.R.R. Tolkien's hidden clue to the geography of Wales, which we learn the Professor loved, including its language. The focal point of The Hobbit, the Lonely Mountain, is identified as Cadair Idris of North West Wales. Many of the topographical features of the Mountain coincide. The Volcano-mouth lake of the Lonely Mountain so resembles Llyn Cau of Cadair Idris, the marvel is that the lake has been overlooked for so long, not only by Smaug the Dragon, but also by most commentators on  The Hobbit. Which reader remembers there is a lake at all? Steve interprets many of the allusions borrowed by Tolkien in his fantastic tale, including Beorn at the Carrock, the Herons of Wales at Lake Town and Dragon fire on the Withered Heath. The work is divided into nine parts, with three site groupings. His unique focus on Tolkien's map-making methodology will make his book relevant not only to Tolkien fans Worldwide, but also those interested in Geography and History too.
Steve has written his definitive view on the creativity of Professor J.R.R. Tolkien in 'The Hobbit' along with the close relationship Tolkien had with Wales. Steve has managed to uncover within his book, the mindset of Tolkien and why he chose Wales and the Cotswolds as the backdrop for 'The Hobbit' and 'The Lord of the Rings' through their place names, locations and history. Steve also believes the Professor left us all a puzzle to work through and the Author seems to have cracked the code. It has taken the Author over 5 years to unearth the trail of crumbs left by Tolkien and gives us a new perspective.
 Steve Ponty who lives in Broadway, Worcestershire, was born in Wales. He studied Latin, French Literature and Poetry for entry into Cambridge University in use of English, leading to a Law Degree and legal experience in London. He worked abroad for a while returning to England in 2003, where he researched the topography of Worcestershire, Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire. He discovered 'The Shire' using close map comparison, and went on to discover the Wilderland from The Hobbit in Wales.
|
|
|
Otaku-sempai
Immortal
Aug 25 2014, 2:14pm
Post #2 of 9
(2326 views)
Shortcut
|
|
Ponty seems to be on to something.
[In reply to]
|
Can't Post
|
|
I don't know if there is any textual evidence for these assertions, but his reasoning seems sound.
'There are older and fouler things than Orcs in the deep places of the world.' - Gandalf the Grey, The Fellowship of the Ring
|
|
|
noWizardme
Half-elven
Aug 31 2014, 11:03am
Post #4 of 9
(2278 views)
Shortcut
|
|
Hmm - surely the blurb claims are inflated
[In reply to]
|
Can't Post
|
|
If Tolkien really had worked from a map of Britain turned upside down in this way, I would be surprised if that had escaped Christopher Tolkien's notice, both as a scholarly collator and publisher of Tolkien's extensive working notes, and also, of course, as someone who helped his dad prepare the maps. As far as I know, there's no corroborative evidence from the History of Middle Earth?
It would be easy to make the data fit the hypothesis. Tolkien wrote very realistically about landscapes and weather, and so his descriptions can readily be mapped onto real places. It doesn't follow that those real places are the ones that Tolkien was covertly writing about - that particular place may have been one of the creative stimulii, or it might be one example of many that could be picked out. Peter Jackson et al. have been able to find wonderfully appropriate "Middle-earth" locations in New Zealand, after all: but there's no suggestion that Tolkien was actually writing about those places. Similarly, someone has managed to deduce the plate tectonics of Middle-earth from Tolkien's maps (http://fossilsandshit.wordpress.com/...geological-makeover/ ). But this is knowingly for fun - Plate tectonics was not a widely accepted theory at the time Tolkien was writing and mapping, I believe. So clearly he cannot have mapped Middle-earth with a view to making it have realistic plate tectonics - instead he made a map realistic enough that tectonic theory can be retro-fitted onto it for amusement. It's fun, but one shouldn't think it proves anything.
I guess one would have to read the book, not just the blurb, to find out how careful the author had been to avoid this kind of wishful thinking.
The blurb (by which I mean the material reproduced in the OP here) makes some pretty bold claims though. Is this really a solution to a puzzle deliberately set by Tolkien? Or, Indeed it seems to offer this theory as THE solution, as in This Is What The Author Meant, But Only I Have Been Clever Enough To Figure This Out!
Tolkien was dismissive about people who wanted to see his work as allegory (i.e. some form of one-to-one correspondence between things in Middle-earth and things in the Real World). For example, he spent some ink in the Foreword of the Second Edition Lord of the Rings on dismissing the idea that LOTR Is an allegory of World War 2 (e.g Saurman = the Nazis, Sauron = Stalin, The Ring = The Bomb, or some other Weapon Which Should Not Be Used). Having denied that idea, Tolkien concludes "other arrangements could be devised according to the tastes or views of those who like allegory or topical reference" The same hazard should apply to cartographical allegory perhaps?
In addition, I feel it would be a shame to reduce a fine fantasy work to some kind of puzzle - whether historical, cartographical, theological or whatever: it seems to miss the point utterly!
Skepticism of inflated blurb claims aside, it's a fun exercise though. I myself have a hobby of matching real-life landscape photographs to Middle-earth quotes (see http://www.pinterest.com/...-real-life-pictures/ ) and feel inspired to look at some scenes of the Malverns and Wales for material. What I'm NOT claiming, though is any thing more than a co-incidental likeness of the places in my collection to the places described by Tolkien. If I think my exercise is anything other than just an excuse to look at fine landscape photographs, and to read Tolkien's landscape descriptions with more attention, it shows that Tolkien wrote of places of the kind that do exist . Note the diifference to writing of specific places.
~~~~~~
"nowimė I am in the West, Furincurunir to the Dwarves (or at least, to their best friend) and by other names in other lands. Mostly they just say 'Oh no it's him - look busy!' "
Or "Hold off! unhand me, grey-beard loon!"
This year LOTR turns 60. The following image is my LOTR 60th anniversary party footer! You can get yours here: http://newboards.theonering.net/...i?post=762154#762154
|
|
|
squire
Half-elven
Aug 31 2014, 4:27pm
Post #5 of 9
(2299 views)
Shortcut
|
In the blurb republished here I don't recognize anything of what I know about Tolkien's creation of The Hobbit and its map.
Mr. Ponty's project, according to info on other sites, includes similar theories about The Shire being based literally on certain places in western England. That seems slightly more justified from what we know about Tolkien's writing, except for the author's apparent assertions that some places or names are literally 'coded' to point to actual places.
Sensibly enough from a commercial point of view, the publicity blurb ignores the Shire and focuses almost entirely on the author's ideas about The Hobbit's geography, to take advantage of the Hobbit films' current popularity
He seems to be self-publishing this. All the commentaries I can find on the book use the same promotional text that we see here on TORn, with its odd grammatical constructions. The author, on a Welsh-themed bookstore's site, gives an 'interview' with the same strange style of writing, leading me to wonder if he ever actually achieved "entry to Cambridge University in use of English" as his author's bio puts it.
I'm guessing this is an old-fashioned one man hobby-horse, ridden out of the study and onto the internet.
squire online:
RR Discussions: The Valaquenta, A Shortcut to Mushrooms, and Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit
Lights! Action! Discuss on the Movie board!: 'A Journey in the Dark'. and 'Designing The Two Towers'.
Footeramas: The 3rd & 4th TORn Reading Room LotR Discussion and NOW the 1st BotR Discussion too! and "Tolkien would have LOVED it!"
squiretalk introduces the J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: A Reader's Diary
 = Forum has no new posts. Forum needs no new posts.
|
|
|
stephen ponty
Registered User
Oct 16 2014, 5:30am
Post #6 of 9
(2254 views)
Shortcut
|
Hi
I assure you my theories are sound and provable.
Before you buy check out Google Books who have taken some two thirds for public preview.
Glad to discuss any doubts you may have.
My project is a wondrous eye-opener but I promise I have cracked Tolkien's code of mapping.
Please dont go through Amazon who take 60% retail price.
Steve Ponty
You guess wrong my friend and all my claims are real.
If you dont believe my Cambridge days I'll send you a copy of the Boxing Club photo showing me as captain of the Varsity team.
Suggest you dont look at the Book and get left behind the rest.
O what a cynical world we live in.
|
|
|
stephen ponty
Registered User
Oct 17 2014, 10:12am
Post #7 of 9
(2218 views)
Shortcut
|
Might I respectfully request that you read the book for proof?
Even check Google Books for taster?
Yours
Steve Ponty
|
|
|
stephen ponty
Registered User
Oct 18 2014, 6:02am
Post #9 of 9
(2222 views)
Shortcut
|
Hi
Fair comment on style.
I love your description as Bombadillion.
Some readers have thought my style too academic, which proves the joy of individual taste. My aim was to cover the material seriously enough but at the same time for it to be an enjoyable read.
I failed in your case.
I took great heart from a quote made from the Letters where Tolkien did not wish academic analysis to go too far , but rather for his motivations to be studied: there are so many references by allusion in The Hobbit and LOTR that I have found the whole exercise sheer joy of my own.
I have been working on this for 8 years with perhaps another three on LOTR where the geographic , historical and literary allusions are ever present.
I am aided by the fact that I know Welsh , from which so many of the place names are derived, as Tolkien says in his Letters.
I have read most of the serious or academic reviews (Randel Helms, Paul Kocher, Tom Shippey, Hammond &Scull) and enjoyed them all , albeit Karen Wynn Fostad's Atlas was the most helpful. The best support for my project came from William Ready ( Marquette) who disclosed the mirror image issue in The Tolkien Relation in 1968.This infuriated Tolkien because Ready discoverd the concept from Tolkien's private papers which the University had bought.
Sorry to go on once more , even bore you, but I wanted to share this background, because the work is serious in a lighthearted way.
The LOTR stuff is not nearly so light hearted in style.
Not to trouble you again.
Best Wishes
Steve Ponty
|
|
|
|
|
