tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3571309.post2779094020279329180..comments2023-10-31T07:32:11.739-04:00Comments on Wormtalk and Slugspeak: Michaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07566889846240013567noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3571309.post-71369429052314994262011-05-17T11:16:10.221-04:002011-05-17T11:16:10.221-04:00I've been reading the Children of Hurin, in it...I've been reading the Children of Hurin, in its various forms, for about twenty years now, and have been rereading it this week. This paragraph really shed light on the story:<br /><br /><i>I think that at least one impulse in Túrin is to tell the story of a dragon slayer who isn't some kind of Nietzchean/Wagnerian "ubermensch" * * * the hero who is superior in some existential way to everyone else and thus somehow deserves to crush everything in his path. By taking the physically most powerful hero, the original dragonslayer, but putting him under the curse of Morgoth and showing how he suffers, Tolkien approaches the Sigfried story in a very different, and more humane, way.</i><br /><br />Yes. Which would also explain why Tolkien so emphasized Turin's pity -- e.g. in the account of his childhood friendship with Sador, and in Finduilas's defense of Turin to Gwindor. Turin was undoubtedly a proud man, but he would have (rightly) hated the pride of the <i>ubermenchen</i> from the depth of his soul.David Mitchelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04239208703687264742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3571309.post-50557336192561569682007-06-14T17:11:00.000-04:002007-06-14T17:11:00.000-04:00Hello Professor,Here is the link to the Portuguese...Hello Professor,<BR/><BR/>Here is the link to the Portuguese translation of your review at Valinor website: http://www.valinor.com.br/content/view/7322/39/<BR/><BR/>Thank you again!Gabrielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14947444544967538079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3571309.post-61624661394860560082007-04-23T18:16:00.000-04:002007-04-23T18:16:00.000-04:00Dear Michael Drout,I wrote a review in Belgium of ...Dear Michael Drout,<BR/>I wrote a review in Belgium of CoH, and gave three interviews on the book, and when I see your review here on your blog, it strikes me that we have exact the same vision on the book. This makes my feelings on the book even stronger, because being a Tolkienlover, you can fear that you have prejudices about new Tolkien books.<BR/>I also would like to see the other big tales in a standalone version, but I fear that there is no long proseversion of Beren and Luthien, and that from the Fall of Gondolin only the part in UT is written. So this would be quite impossible for Christopher.<BR/>Thanks anyway for this nive reviewJohan Vanheckehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05334503829925651331noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3571309.post-62374889201646418752007-04-22T16:53:00.000-04:002007-04-22T16:53:00.000-04:00Dr. Drout I finished COH this morning on my patio ...Dr. Drout <BR/>I finished COH this morning on my patio in London as the birds chirped. I thought it was fantastic and brought to life a story that I certainly read before in many versions but never got a real feeling for who Turin was (unlike Beren). I thought there were passages in the book that did what all of Tolkien does - bring to life a world of living breathing people (the Sador Labadal character especaily) who live in the world and have depth and ultimately hope. The last scene (I won't give it away) was the clincher - I knew what was coming but when it came it did really make me well up. Bravo to both J.R.R. and Christopher and like you I would welcome one volume treatments of the other major tales - especially The Fall of Gondolin. I took Book of Lost Tales II off the shelf and start reading the original Turin and the Folake story again.Dr. Andrew Higginshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16695949868240167504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3571309.post-69632423114510217812007-04-22T16:50:00.000-04:002007-04-22T16:50:00.000-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Dr. Andrew Higginshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16695949868240167504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3571309.post-41114663729791142572007-04-19T21:30:00.000-04:002007-04-19T21:30:00.000-04:00Thanks for the in depth review. I am definitely g...Thanks for the in depth review. I am definitely going to purchase this book.Noah Unsworthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16787302506440922931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3571309.post-70025323149072082802007-04-18T23:40:00.000-04:002007-04-18T23:40:00.000-04:00On NPR you mentioned the differences between North...On NPR you mentioned the differences between Northern European and Greek concepts of the hero. Could you please discuss these differences in more detail. (This was my earlier comment, which I deleted by mistake.)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03383543915889641000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3571309.post-2510319109582417952007-04-18T20:08:00.000-04:002007-04-18T20:08:00.000-04:00Please allow this note to express my enjoyment of ...Please allow this note to express my enjoyment of your interview regarding "Children of Hurin." It was great to here you speak Elvish, and I was thrilled by your reading of of Hurin's stand at the Fen of Serech. I found this passage in "The Simarillion" to be very moving when I first read it and continue to do so ( the concluson of his ordeal, when he finds something of peace in the gaze of Melion is also very powerful).<BR/><BR/>Surpised that you did not meantion that this passage was in "The Simarillion"<BR/>I cannot agree with Robin Young's assesment of that book, by the way.<BR/><BR/>Best of luck, and thank you!johnwilliamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13883426858579806945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3571309.post-7383652572615280432007-04-18T12:12:00.000-04:002007-04-18T12:12:00.000-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03383543915889641000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3571309.post-82002473825131825102007-04-18T02:03:00.000-04:002007-04-18T02:03:00.000-04:00It'll be interesting to contrast the differences b...It'll be interesting to contrast the differences between the Narn in Unfinished Tales and Children of Hurin. I really marked the difference of extending the Fifth Battle into Children of Hurin and i enjoyed that part very much as well.<BR/>Thank you for your thoughts-- i'll be following up on your blog when time allows again.<BR/>Thank you, Professor Drout for your erudite input.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01564143938582936182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3571309.post-28506062654395826642007-04-18T01:35:00.000-04:002007-04-18T01:35:00.000-04:00I have not yet had a chance to read CoH yet, but I...I have not yet had a chance to read CoH yet, but I have read both the Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales many times, and what you say about CoH is very comforting. This story is not one of my favorite tales of the old days, but it sounds that it will be an excellent book, nevertheless. Thanks for all of your posts concerning Tolkien these past weeks. I especially loved your response to the critic.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10726095103002443920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3571309.post-73696633134621141552007-04-17T09:20:00.000-04:002007-04-17T09:20:00.000-04:00Amen to all points, as far as I can say so without...Amen to all points, as far as I can say so without having read it myself.John Cowanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11452247999156925669noreply@blogger.com