Appreciation of Tolkien

[Balgin]

A LITTLE TOO DESCRIPTIVE!!!!!! Aurican how could you? As far as I'm concerned it's not possable to be too descriptive (exept for in a few instances). I was first introduced to The Hobbit when a friend gave my father a record (round thing with a hole in the middle, bit like a big CD-Rom)wich featured an almost unnabridged reading of it and this was so good that I just had to read it. I remember children at school talking about The Lord of The Rings and asking about it only to be told that it was a story for older children (I was only six, and couldn't actually read 'till I was eight but when it clicked my vocabulary grew and there was no stopping me). A year or two later my father began to read it to me and then it was broadcast on the radio (BBB Radio 4). This was a stunning production featuring the highly acclaimed Sir Michael Horden, Sir Jack May, Ian Holm (as Frodo, now playing Bilbo in the soon to be developed film), and Peter Woodthorpe (who as far as vocal manipulation is concerned is the male equivalanet of Miranda Richardson). Even though it overtook us we blissfully read on, revelling in the adventures of Tom Bombadil (also a separate book in it's own right featuring various poems)and other untold events. At a later date we then aqcuired the Unfinished Tales and the Lost Tales (volume one and two) and thereafter procured the eight volume The History of Middle Earth series (I have heard that it might have extended to ten books but have no proof of this). However, I found these books less gripping as they seemed to be written in a somewhat dull and dispassionate way (mostly finished by the great mans son, Christopher Tolkien). In both of the audio productions there was not a single American accent and it sounded as the great man might have intended it. (Please remember that the BBC has a scrupulous pronounciation department that, after extensive etymological studies, advisies the British Broadcasters, although they seem to have relaxed a bit lately (to the point that a program announcer actually changed the pronounciation of her own surname (De Vine) to (Devine)for a few months although this has now returned to it's former state)). Tolkien himself described Thoe Lord of The Rings (in an interview in the sixties) as "more of a journey through languages" (he was a lecturer in ancient Norse and other languages at a major English University (can't remember if it was Oxford or Cambridge but I think it was Oxford)). This is why I shall be later dissappointed by a New Zealander film featuring NZ sounding Orcs and various American accents (if only Michael Horden was alive today to repeat his cocmmanding performance as Gandalf). In fact I'm begining to gather together together a Michael Horden soundset (compiled from his Gandalf role and his reading of the Complete Chronicles of Narnia) for use in BG, BG2 and IWD (I just haven't decided on the exact phrases that I want yet). I am also not ashamed to say that last week I wept twice when thinking of the death of Theoden. Don't ask me why, it just happened. And the descriptive writing is really useful for those of us who play MERP (Middle Earth Role Play)or who just enjoy GMing a pnp session like I do.

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Balgin, the Dwarf

[Sentinel04]

Originally posted by Memnoch: I agree he does take a bit to get used to. Not the kind of guy you'd pick up if you were looking for some light reading. Think of Forgotten Realms as fast-food - quick, to the point, enjoyable at the time but a year later you'll probably have forgotten the stories (which is why they're so readable). There are exceptions, like Salvatore and Cunningham - they're more like Burger King than McDonalds. Tolkien is a 7 course banquet - you don't read him everyday and not all of it tastes good, but the more you go/read the more you enjoy him.

Wow, exactly.


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