This must be what I am thinking of http://www.forbesbookclub.com/bookpage.asp?prod_cd=I4RJF
Rick -----Original Message----- From: Haggerty, Mike [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, July 01, 2003 4:23 PM To: CF-Community Subject: RE: Simarillion No, this was a book released by Tolkein himself explaining the history of the Elves. He intended it to come out when LOTR was published, but there was some row with the publisher and things worked out differently. It doesn't surprise me that so many people had negative reactions to the book. Tolkein wrote it as a narrative of the poetic history of the Elves, which he had already written in books like the Lays of Beleriand, and it's form reflects that. He's trying to convey more than just what happened, he is trying to tell the story of a story, and that puts some people off. The book is deep with meaning. The tales start off very abstract and somewhat nonsensical, but they become concrete as events unfold. The story of Beren and Luthien is probably the most important one for LOTR, as the story of the characters is central to the later relationship of Strider and Elrond's daughter (they are both doomed and they know it - Strider sings a song about Luthien in FOTR, and Elrond's daughter directly quotes Luthien several times). But what really struck me about the book is Tolkein's intent. I read some of his letters in college, and he said he was trying to create a mythology for the English people. I didn't know it before I got into the book, but this is definitely his Genesis / Exodus / Deuteronomy. It contains some really heavy stories that are full of moral fiber and classic tragedy. The whole time I read it, I was thinking this is so much more than just a fantasy tale, it was more like a reevaluation of the relationship between religion and history. Then again, I really enjoyed the Hulk. M -----Original Message----- From: cfhelp [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, July 01, 2003 4:37 PM To: CF-Community Subject: RE: Simarillion I'm in the Second Book of LOTR (The Two Towers) and have read the Hobbit twice and now with my daughter. Isn't Simarillion just pieces of Tolkien's writings spliced together by his son? Rick ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/index.cfm?forumid=5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/index.cfm?method=subscribe&forumid=5 Get the mailserver that powers this list at http://www.coolfusion.com Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5
