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The Silmarillion, a couple of centuries from now.

Evernight
Rivendell


Jun 26 2015, 3:04pm

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The Silmarillion, a couple of centuries from now. Can't Post

Just a thought I had today while doing my anual re-reading of The Silmarillion. It is also related to all the talk about movie edits sparkled by the Hobbit films.
What would YOU add/remove from The Silmarillion if you were to issue a new edition decades after it enters public domain along UT and HOME?

I think I would replace in my edition the Túrin chapter with the Children of Húrin published a few years ago, and include the longer account of Tuor and Voronwe's voyage to Gondolin from the UT. I would maybe include Aldarion and Erendis tale to the Akalabeth, but I'm not sure. I haven't reread HOME in a while, but I think I would include a lot from it, Finwe/Miriel, Orodreth as father of Gil-galad, wanderings of Húrin, etc. As an appendix I would include the Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth, and the full prophecy of Mandos, among other things (Círdan, Glorfindel, etc)
I guess my Silmarillion edit would end up being the size of a small hippo.

What would your Silmarillion edit be like?

In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit...

(This post was edited by Evernight on Jun 26 2015, 3:13pm)


Otaku-sempai
Immortal


Jun 26 2015, 3:15pm

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Well... [In reply to] Can't Post

While Christopher Tolkien is still around, the book could use a new introduction placing the material in perspective (apologies if newer editions have already done this). I believe that the current thinking is that the text of the Quenta Silmarillion represents the history of the First Age as interpreted by Numenorean scholars and could be considered to be biased by their own preconceptions.

"At the end of the journey, all men think that their youth was Arcadia..." - Phantom F. Harlock


Evernight
Rivendell


Jun 26 2015, 3:18pm

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Good point... [In reply to] Can't Post

I've got a paperback edition from 1979, I do not know what changes have been done to the text since then.

In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit...


Elthir
Grey Havens

Jun 26 2015, 6:05pm

Post #4 of 12 (3994 views)
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long prose versus short prose [In reply to] Can't Post


Quote
I think I would replace in my edition the Túrin chapter with the Children of Húrin published a few years ago, and include the longer account of Tuor and Voronwe's voyage to Gondolin from the UT.



Hmm, well the Silmarillion tradition (Quenta Silmarillion) is supposed to include short prose versions of the great tales, like The Children of Hurin...

... so while including the long version of Children of Hurin (like the book published a few years ago) as part of "The Silmarillion" considered as a whole (considered as a book or books containing various accounts)...

... I don't think I would replace any of the Silmarillion chapters with the long prose versions (again the Silmarillion chapters being the purposely abridged versions of these tales in Quenta Silmarillion).

That's the long and short of it. And sorry about that last sentence Wink


(This post was edited by Elthir on Jun 26 2015, 6:13pm)


Voronwë_the_Faithful
Valinor

Jun 29 2015, 7:05pm

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Tolkien suggested that the full versions of the Great Tales might be included as appendices [In reply to] Can't Post

"Should not these be given as Appendices to the Silmarillion?" (Morgoth's Ring, p. 373.) For what it is worth.

'But very bright were the stars upon the margin of the world, when at times the clouds about the West were drawn aside.'

The Hall of Fire


dormouse
Half-elven


Jun 30 2015, 6:56am

Post #6 of 12 (3862 views)
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A small hippo sounds about right..... [In reply to] Can't Post

I would love the full/fullest versions of the stories to be included - perhaps not instead of the existing text as that could make the pacing very uneven. But maybe they could have their own section....

The Athrabeth I would have in for sure.

Oh - and my Silmarillion would have Alan Lee illustrations.


Hamfast Gamgee
Tol Eressea

Jun 30 2015, 1:32pm

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With the success of game of thrones, [In reply to] Can't Post

Maybe the estate will relent and let a TV series be made of the Silm after all.


Magradhaid
The Shire

Jul 1 2015, 1:47am

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Silmarillion [In reply to] Can't Post

Perhaps if the motivation of the Estate was $$$ and increased sales, but that doesn't seem to be the case.


Elthir
Grey Havens

Jul 1 2015, 11:03am

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Yes I'm aware of that [In reply to] Can't Post

Which is partly why I posted that I would not replace the short version (Silmarillion chapter) with a long version. This is shirley not Tolkien's intention (not that anyone said otherwise), and we can note him trying to craft at least one short version of Beren and Luthien, if I recall correctly, which ran too long for Quenta Silmarillion.

Also appendices to the Silmarillion is interesting. I tried to word my post so that it includes the possibility that the "Appendices" could exist as another volume. Bilbo's translations were more than one volume, and it seems to me that the long prose versions of each Great Tale might be pretty long to serve as Appendices for Ainulindale, Valaquenta, and Quenta Silmarillion proper.

If it were me (which it ain't) I would keep these three traditions along with the tales of Numenor's fall (sorry I can't spell Akallabeth) -- tales plural, as I would add the Drowning of Anadune, as I feel it was ratified by Tolkien later on as a purposed variant tradition -- and also Of The Rings Of Power And The Third Age.

Then, I think, a volume of the Great Tales, all long prose versions.

And other stuff maybe for a third volume, including The Awakening of the Quendi, to play against the Mannish idea absorbed into Quenta Silmarillion that the Sun and Moon were fruits of two great Trees.

And some "stuff linguistic" too Smile


(This post was edited by Elthir on Jul 1 2015, 11:14am)


Elthir
Grey Havens

Jul 1 2015, 2:21pm

Post #10 of 12 (3787 views)
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in theory, I mean [In reply to] Can't Post


Quote
Then, I think, a volume of the Great Tales, all long prose versions.



As sadly... well, you already know Smile


Voronwë_the_Faithful
Valinor

Jul 1 2015, 7:59pm

Post #11 of 12 (3774 views)
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Yes, I know [In reply to] Can't Post

Evil

'But very bright were the stars upon the margin of the world, when at times the clouds about the West were drawn aside.'

The Hall of Fire


elostirion74
Rohan

Jul 13 2015, 5:11pm

Post #12 of 12 (3569 views)
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Pretty much like the already published version [In reply to] Can't Post

I find the already published Quenta Silmarillion to be a coherent, meaningful, exciting and sometimes beautiful cycle of stories. The main themes of the cycle are well developed and treated and I think it would be very difficult to include a much longer version of any of the stories without creating major inconsistencies in the structure and shape of the story cycle.

As much as I appreciate the longer individual versions of stories, like the Children of Húrin or the story of Tuor and Voronwë from UT, or the poem version of the story of Beren and Lúthien, I think these stories would work best in a separate volume of stories of the same character or as separate books in their own right and preferably without editorials comments outside of a preface and an appendix. I enjoy these works as stories in their own right, but in the published Silmarillion it is the cycle as a whole and the bigger themes within it which is the centre of attention and not the individual stories as stories.

 
 

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