|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Starling
Half-elven
May 25 2008, 4:41am
Post #1 of 12
(369 views)
Shortcut
|
'How We Became Middle Earth: A Collection of Essays on The Lord of the Rings'
|
Can't Post
|
|
Has anyone seen or read this book? I just got home from the library with it. It was published in 2007 by something rather cute called Walking Tree Publishers. It looks pretty interesting, and a quick skim of the index gives me about 14 TORn references. There is even a section written by a certain Erica Challis. It is a series of essays related to the films being made in NZ, fandom, cultural considerations and so on; and at 400 odd pages there is plenty to keep me going for a while. It's the first time I've seen it, so straight away I wondered whether anyone here had read it.
|
|
|
Ataahua
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
May 25 2008, 4:53am
Post #2 of 12
(255 views)
Shortcut
|
but I'd be interested to know what you think of it.
Celebrimbor: "Pretty rings..." Dwarves: "Pretty rings..." Men: "Pretty rings..." Sauron: "Mine's better." "Ah, how ironic, the addictive qualities of Sauron’s master weapon led to its own destruction. Which just goes to show, kids - if you want two small and noble souls to succeed on a mission of dire importance... send an evil-minded b*****d with them too." - Gandalf's Diaries, final par, by Ufthak. Ataahua's stories
|
|
|
Starling
Half-elven
May 25 2008, 5:09am
Post #3 of 12
(315 views)
Shortcut
|
for a longish wait. I'm so tired with work lately, I seem to only get through a couple of pages of a book a night... Yay! Just remembered next weekend is a three-dayer. That should give me a bit more reading time.
|
|
|
dernwyn
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
May 25 2008, 12:43pm
Post #4 of 12
(251 views)
Shortcut
|
that Erica Challis is "our own" Tehanu, whose receiving of an erroneous cease-and-desist order barring her from the filming sites led to her becoming a guest there, and - the rest is history! Here's the link to its Amazon listing. Looks interesting; do give us a review!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "I desired dragons with a profound desire" "It struck me last night that you might write a fearfully good romantic drama, with as much of the 'supernatural' as you cared to introduce. Have you ever thought of it?" -Geoffrey B. Smith, letter to JRR Tolkien, 1915
|
|
|
Rosie-with-the-ribbons
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
May 25 2008, 2:26pm
Post #5 of 12
(238 views)
Shortcut
|
I went to New Zealand to visit the LOTR-locations in 2005/2006. And our tourguide Anne Buchmann, has also a chapter in the book. She has done her doctoral-thesis on Filmtourism in New Zealand That's why I bought it. I've read a bit of it. Some parts are a bit difficult to get through. It really are essays, and not stories. But it is fun to read the stories behind the big-story.
|
|
|
Annael
Immortal
May 25 2008, 2:38pm
Post #6 of 12
(245 views)
Shortcut
|
thanks for alerting me to it!
It is good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters in the end. - Ursula Le Guin * * * * * * * * * * * * * * NARF and member of Deplorable Cultus since 1967
|
|
|
Silverlode
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
May 25 2008, 9:25pm
Post #7 of 12
(219 views)
Shortcut
|
According to Amazon, 29% of people who view that page go on to buy "Tolkien's Shorter Works". *snicker*
Silverlode "Of all faces those of our familiares are the ones both most difficult to play fantastic tricks with, and most difficult really to see with fresh attention. They have become like the things which once attracted us by their glitter, or their colour, or their shape, and we laid hands on them, and then locked them in our hoard, acquired them, and acquiring ceased to look at them. Creative fantasy, because it is mainly trying to do something else [make something new], may open your hoard and let all the locked things fly away like cage-birds. The gems all turn into flowers or flames, and you will be warned that all you had (or knew) was dangerous and potent, not really effectively chained, free and wild; no more yours than they were you." -On Fairy Stories
|
|
|
Starling
Half-elven
May 26 2008, 7:06am
Post #8 of 12
(238 views)
Shortcut
|
You know you're dealing with essays when the titles are ones like:
[In reply to]
|
Can't Post
|
|
Whose Middle Earth is it? Reading The Lord of the Rings and New Zealand's New Identity from a Globalized, Post-Colonial Perspective (Daniel Smith-Rowsey) or The Weight of Existence: A Camusian Analysis of Frodo's Journey (Gerald A. Powell) or Breaking of the Fellowship: Competing Discourses of Archives and Canons in The Lord of the Rings Internet Fandom (Robyn Anne Reid) or my personal favourite: Lord of the Games? Father and Son Review The Lord of the Rings Video Games (Kenneth and Simon Henshall) Phew!
|
|
|
lola
Registered User
May 28 2008, 11:50am
Post #9 of 12
(201 views)
Shortcut
|
This might sound like a bit of an odd request, but... would it be possible for you to tell me what the chapter headings/essay titles are in the book? I'm doing my master's dissertation on the LOTR film adaptations, and honestly there are that many books out there on the subject that I just cannot tell which ones are relevant to my (disturbingly specific) topic. And with only the short blurb on amazon to go by, I've ended up with quite a few books that are very interesting but sadly not useful at all...
|
|
|
Starling
Half-elven
May 29 2008, 7:15am
Post #10 of 12
(194 views)
Shortcut
|
The book is in six parts followed by a conclusion. As there are 24 sections it would take me all night to give you the individual title of each essay, but I can give you the gist of it: Forward Part One: The Research Fellowship of the Ring An introduction, contributors, insider's views (including Erica Challis from TORn, and Daniel Reeve) Part 2: A World Consumed by Two Towers Section 1: Film Tours and NZ's Post-Colonial Identity Perceptions of NZ by overseas audiences, cultural perspectives, illusion and reality Section 2: Modernity, Ecology, Space and Environmentalism The illusion of space and place in the films, digital, relevance of LOTR, and 'ecocritical' reading of the films Section 3: The Pilgrims in and Beyond the Tale: Analysis from differing perspectives eg: Zen Buddhism Part 3: Where Does the King Return To? Section 4: Interpretations Forever Eucatastrophe, Inheritance and resistance in the context of LOTR and Harry Potter. power and surveillance Section 5: Tale after Tale Analysis of extended editions, internet fandom Section 6: Lord of the Games Reviews of games, online middle earth Conclusions; Waiting for the King to Return, A Journey to Erewhon or a journey to Nowhere I have only just started reading it. "Whose Middle-Earth is it?" got me a bit grouchy, due the the author's rather sweeping statements related to race and gender and how they are depicted in the films. Anyway, I hope this is of some help.
|
|
|
lola
Registered User
May 29 2008, 12:15pm
Post #11 of 12
(158 views)
Shortcut
|
thanks for that Starling! So what are these sweeping statements that frustrate you?
|
|
|
Starling
Half-elven
May 30 2008, 8:56am
Post #12 of 12
(170 views)
Shortcut
|
Hopefully you will get to read it and decide for yourself but
[In reply to]
|
Can't Post
|
|
I just got a bit irritated by what the author wrote about how Tolkien treated his women characters, and that PJ should not expect women to be happy with the way they are portrayed in the movies because only three women get lines and two of them are mostly 'mooning' over Aragorn. As has been discussed around here a lot, there are different kinds of strength. Then the author moans that the Haradrim rider is killed before he gets to say a line. I know we view things through the lens of our times, but I think this author made some simplistic arguments, rather than discussing the issues in a thoughtful manner.
|
|
|
|
|