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DaWei · Aug 27th, 2005, 8:09 PM

Think under the influence, write when sober. Hemingway shoulda said that, iffen he didn't

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B3TA_SCR1PT3R · Aug 27th, 2005, 8:50 PM

reading is for the weak

Ooble · Aug 28th, 2005, 3:58 AM

Reading is for those with cerebrums.

Isn't posting the Silmarillion here illegal or something? Has Tolkein's copyright expired yet?

Quote:

Actually had he not felt the need to pad out a good story with quasi-mythological twaddle such as the allegedly Anglo-Saxon "elvish" names that seem to inject a sort of Star Trek level of absurdity into a great work of literature, and streamlined the narrative a bit, it would probably be highly regarded in its own right as a "Great", not just in the wake of the recent movie.

It always has been. You just didn't notice. :p

Arevos · Aug 28th, 2005, 5:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rory

Actually had he not felt the need to pad out a good story with quasi-mythological twaddle such as the allegedly Anglo-Saxon "elvish" names that seem to inject a sort of Star Trek level of absurdity into a great work of literature, and streamlined the narrative a bit, it would probably be highly regarded in its own right as a "Great", not just in the wake of the recent movie.

It has been considered a genre-defining piece of fiction for a long time now. Lord of the Rings is somewhat long-winded, yes, but it's true impact is somewhat transparent to us now. We're used to fantasy worlds populated by nations of elves and dwarves, demons and men. Fiction about such topics is two-a-penny nowadays. So there's a temptation to look at Tolkein and say, so? What's so special about this?

It's easy to forget that Tolkein essentially created this entire genre with his books. And the world he created is still one of the best thought in modern fiction. In the same way that the genre of Science Fiction was created by pioneering writers such as H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, the Fantasy genre was kickstarted by Tolkein.

stevengs · Aug 28th, 2005, 5:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arevos

same way that the genre of Science Fiction was created by pioneering writers such as H. G. Wells and Jules Verne

..Isaac Asimov...

DaWei · Aug 28th, 2005, 6:20 AM

Nah, Asimov himself credited the masters that came before him and, for a fact, were often his editors. I freely admit that the second crop, so to speak, generally outperformed their predecessors. Early work created the genre' and served as a foundation for a lot of follow-up dreck. Isaac, et.al., placed it well beyond the dime-novel, BEM type of thing.

stevengs · Aug 28th, 2005, 7:07 AM

... Lovecraft.... Bradbury... Edgar Rice Burroughs...Heinlin...Herbert

personally, I always preferred the lighthearted, lymrical, Breadbasket of America style of L. Frank Baum (continued by Ruth Plumly Thompson and John R. Neill) in the Wizard of Oz series. I still have great copies of Kabumpo in Oz (my all time favourite), Jack Pumpkinhead in Oz, The Giant Horse of Oz, The Yellow Knight of Oz and Lucky Bucky in Oz. If anyone has any laying around, or hidden in the attic that they wouldn't mind parting with... let me know

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Polyphemus_ · Aug 28th, 2005, 7:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by B3TA_SCR1PT3R

(Toggle Plain Text)

reading is for the weak

can you explain that a bit more to me? i don't really get you

stevengs · Aug 28th, 2005, 8:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by B3TA_SCR1PT3R

(Toggle Plain Text)

reading is for the weak

ya know... comin' from you, this does'nt surprise me a bit. I'd've (hehe, double contraction... 50 scrabble points) eaten my hat if you had added something sensible and intelligible.

Polyphemus_ · Aug 28th, 2005, 8:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevengs

ya know... comin' from you, this does'nt surprise me a bit. I'd've (hehe, double contraction... 50 scrabble points) eaten my hat if you had added something sensible and intelligible.

LOL

Aug 27th, 2005, 8:09 PM	#11
DaWei Resident Grouch Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 6,453 Rep Power: 10	Think under the influence, write when sober. Hemingway shoulda said that, iffen he didn't . __________________ Abstraction doesn't make it impossible to write bad code; it makes it possible to write superior code. Contributor's Corner: Grumpy on C++ Exceptions DaWei on Pointers

Aug 27th, 2005, 8:50 PM	#12
B3TA_SCR1PT3R Hobbyist Programmer Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Dallas, Texas Posts: 101 Rep Power: 0	(Toggle Plain Text) reading is for the weak reading is for the weak __________________ Hoes telling me to calm down but I'm like fuck that shit!

Aug 28th, 2005, 6:20 AM	#16
DaWei Resident Grouch Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 6,453 Rep Power: 10	Nah, Asimov himself credited the masters that came before him and, for a fact, were often his editors. I freely admit that the second crop, so to speak, generally outperformed their predecessors. Early work created the genre' and served as a foundation for a lot of follow-up dreck. Isaac, et.al., placed it well beyond the dime-novel, BEM type of thing. __________________ Abstraction doesn't make it impossible to write bad code; it makes it possible to write superior code. Contributor's Corner: Grumpy on C++ Exceptions DaWei on Pointers

Aug 28th, 2005, 7:07 AM	#17
stevengs Professional Programmer Join Date: May 2005 Location: Bad Nauheim, Germany Posts: 436 Rep Power: 4	... Lovecraft.... Bradbury... Edgar Rice Burroughs...Heinlin...Herbert personally, I always preferred the lighthearted, lymrical, Breadbasket of America style of L. Frank Baum (continued by Ruth Plumly Thompson and John R. Neill) in the Wizard of Oz series. I still have great copies of Kabumpo in Oz (my all time favourite), Jack Pumpkinhead in Oz, The Giant Horse of Oz, The Yellow Knight of Oz and Lucky Bucky in Oz. If anyone has any laying around, or hidden in the attic that they wouldn't mind parting with... let me know . __________________ -Steven "Is this a piece of your brain?" - Basil Fawlty Last edited by stevengs; Aug 28th, 2005 at 7:24 AM.

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Programming Forums > Community Forums > Coder's Corner Lounge

the silmarillion