tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post632567870826163551..comments2024-03-29T11:18:17.285+00:00Comments on Bruce Charlton's Notions: What is the secret power of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings? Bruce Charltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-29937283038296292082021-05-05T17:19:37.417+01:002021-05-05T17:19:37.417+01:00" I think you mean the *Ace* pirate edition&q..." I think you mean the *Ace* pirate edition"<br /><br />Never argue with Bruce about LotR editions, folks. ;)Matthew Thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10705518098650594541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-88937013013139410972021-05-05T17:02:30.263+01:002021-05-05T17:02:30.263+01:00LOTR is true in a way that few things in this worl...LOTR is true in a way that few things in this world are. The only other book that gave me that powerful feeling of divine truth was the Book of Mormon, or at least the first 50% that I read—and the historical accuracy of either is not an issue that concerns me.<br /><br />Also, whether you love or hate LOTR seems to be a litmus test of some kind. In my experience it's the especially hard-hearted that find it dull, though I'm sure there are notable exceptions. I imagine it's similar with the BOM.Sean G.https://www.blogger.com/profile/03107563428752354740noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-50471553673148573312021-05-05T13:41:42.312+01:002021-05-05T13:41:42.312+01:00@sykes - Great story.
BTW I think you mean the *...@sykes - Great story. <br /><br />BTW I think you mean the *Ace* pirate edition - the Ballantine was official. <br /><br />The Ace had *much* better cover art, however!Bruce Charltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-10816949115234866482021-05-05T13:30:26.514+01:002021-05-05T13:30:26.514+01:00I bought a copy of LotR in the original Ballantine...I bought a copy of LotR in the original Ballantine pirate edition at a drug store in Codman Sq., Boston, around 65 or 66. It was addictive. It was real in a deep sense. It represented the fallen world and the eternal struggle against evil.<br /><br />Some academic critics now list it as part of the English canon. I would agree.<br /><br />But the impact of this book must derive from Tolkien's own life experience: an orphan raised by a Catholic priest; service at the Somme in 1916; immersion in Germanic legend. All that is sublimated in the LotR.sykes.1https://www.blogger.com/profile/10954672321945289871noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-16604676638509753712021-05-05T03:41:33.139+01:002021-05-05T03:41:33.139+01:00This from Orthodox Father Andrew Stephen Damick mi...This from Orthodox Father Andrew Stephen Damick might be of interest: https://blogs.ancientfaith.com/asd/2021/01/25/myth-mythology-fakelore-and-whether-fairies-exist/Ann K.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16090998958073744134noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-26594673833497483002021-05-04T23:13:59.530+01:002021-05-04T23:13:59.530+01:00@Doc - Not really. There is probably a window in e...@Doc - Not really. There is probably a window in early life for books to have a big impact - but I think it is a wide window, extending from maybe 7 into the early 20s. During this time I read a vast amount of fiction - much more than I have read since, for sure; but still LotR stood out. Bruce Charltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-46233136676639542482021-05-04T19:36:24.981+01:002021-05-04T19:36:24.981+01:00I agree, I was struck by both the Hobbit and then ...I agree, I was struck by both the Hobbit and then even more so by LOTR when I was just a wee lad and continue to be so today. the other books too. mainly the Silmarillion and the Children of Hurin are all interrelated , of course, and present an ongoing "study" of these ideas and stories. I suspect they are true and reflect an age far n the distant past possibly before the last Ice Age, but I speculate and wallow in that folly.....but it sure seems like it is true.robert kendallhttp://www.bklocations.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-51269349159209222482021-05-04T18:53:52.963+01:002021-05-04T18:53:52.963+01:00The effect Bruce describes is absolutely real. LOT...The effect Bruce describes is absolutely real. LOTR is the only book that has an effect on me and my family comparable to the Holy Bible itself. LOTR taps into immense transcendent energies -- eternal, true and beautiful.Stephen Macdonaldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13474300559219020772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-54433132048532873192021-05-04T16:40:41.960+01:002021-05-04T16:40:41.960+01:00Would have to agree on LOTR. Also, though not ver...Would have to agree on LOTR. Also, though not very popular in the U.S. I find JG Ballard very real these days..R.J.Cavazoshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12450048633891439382noreply@blogger.com