Interesting article...
Many fans are quite frustrated by this state of affairs...
Are they? Fans of Tolkien? Fans of the films maybe...
For the curious, the Quest for Erebor may be found in a shortened form in...
For the curious?! Would that be those strange people who have actually
read Tolkien? (It's pretty clear how well read the author thinks TORN readers are likely to be.)
...we want know if it one we can or should support as the best decision; and we want to even voice an opinion as to whether we think Christopher has the ethical right to make the call (even though he, again, has full legal right.)
I know, it's shameful what Christopher is doing here, denying film fans the world over this material. (It's currently available in book form, for those interested.)
Let’s first ask: Is Christopher fit to be deciding the fate of his father’s work? Did his father make the right choice in naming him the executor?
Let's not...
Now that we’ve established Christopher as a true fan...
As opposed to, say, a film fan?
“Tolkien has become a monster, devoured by his own popularity and absorbed into the absurdity of our time. The chasm between the beauty and seriousness of the work, and what it has become, has overwhelmed me. The commercialization has reduced the aesthetic and philosophical impact of the creation to nothing. There is only one solution for me: to turn my head away.”
He is hardly mincing words...
Indeed. He'd probably hate TORN too, if he'd heard of it, or cared...
I would never have discovered the world of Tolkien without that ‘monster’ crossing my path in a 1973 holiday display at a local bookstore.
Just think: we might not have had this article...
This website, first made for the production of the films, has places devoted to discussing Tolkien’s work, and has created a community for discussion of the books that would not have existed but for this ‘cultural monster’.
So TORN wouldn't exist if it wasn't for all the crass commercialism? It's a pity all that happened then, isn't it.
We aren’t going to get more, because Christopher won’t let us have any...
An unfortunate choice of words, I feel.
...and we aren’t sure what J.R.R. Tolkien would have done. Christopher has the legal right to make the call, is a good choice to be the one making the call, knows his father’s wishes better than anyone, but can we and should we support the decision?
I'm confused as to whether the author is genuinely asking this. The article, up to this point, presents Christopher is an obstacle to the wishes of the "fans".
It’s clear to us that Christopher thinks his father’s work conveys something vital.
So why treat his stance with such contempt; continually questioning it?
Anyway, in the end the author is brought round to Christopher's stance... apart from in regard to
The Quest for Erebor...
BH
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