These are the archives from 2010-2018 for the discussion forum hosted by the UNM Hobbit Society at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, NM, USA. The purpose of our group is to meet and associate with others interested in Tolkien, and to learn more about the author, his written works, and his sources through discussion, guest lectures and academically oriented activities. This blog is intended to expand discussion among UNM Hobbit Society members beyond what meeting times allow.
What thoughts do you have about our readings for class this semester? Are there any you think we could have omitted? Any we should have added? Were the selections from Snyder and TMOME worth including to provide background info or not?
I really enjoyed all of the reading that we had this semester! I think that the set up of starting with the letters and "On Fairy-stories" was a good way to give an introduction into the semester and Tolkien. I think that maybe having "Mythopoeia" and "Leaf by Niggle" shortly after could have been nice because then we would have gotten to see 3 different styles of approaching mythmaking in close succession. I also think that reading through and analyzing the Silmarillion was very interesting, but I didn't (and somewhat still don't) fully understand why we read the Hobbit before. Another thing that I really appreciated was having the background from Snyder and TMOME! That additional background helped me understand Tolkien better and it altered how I read his work a little.
I enjoyed nearly all the readings from the semester. I think the background information for the most part was helpful. If I could leave out one reading, I would leave out the “Master of His Universe” article because most of our discussion only focused on flaws with the article and in my opinion it did not provide very much useful background, only general statements. I wish we could have read all of The Silmarillion, but I understand we did not have time. If I could choose one piece of writing to add to the schedule I would add the “Akallabêth” because it’s a fairly short but well-written and enjoyable history. It would have been interesting to discuss mythmaking topics such as the repetitive cycles of history in Tolkien’s world, and parallels with real world history and other mythologies. It also develops and adds new facets to profound themes spanning Tolkien’s work, such as the idea of immortality versus mortality.
I also really enjoyed the readings from this semester! Even though I'd read everything by Tolkien before class started, I found his Mythopoeia cycle interesting to read. Although I did find them slightly redundant and thought we could have read only one or two to get the message across, I definitely see the merit in reading the poem, paper, and short story altogether. I also thought the background articles from Snyder and Thome were very informative and very helpful going forward.
I wish we could have read more of the Silmarillion but I definitely understand there were time constraints.
I really liked reading the background information in Snyder and TMOME. Getting to know Tolkien in this way helped me to engage in his work in a much deeper way. The only other thing I would add to the readings is one of the stand alone stories edited by Christopher Tolkien. I particularity enjoyed The Fall of Gondolin and Beren and Luthien and because I think they were great examples of the process Tolkien went through to create a myth. I realize though that something would have to be sacrificed to include those, and it might be worth cutting some of Snyder or TMOME.
4 comments:
I really enjoyed all of the reading that we had this semester! I think that the set up of starting with the letters and "On Fairy-stories" was a good way to give an introduction into the semester and Tolkien. I think that maybe having "Mythopoeia" and "Leaf by Niggle" shortly after could have been nice because then we would have gotten to see 3 different styles of approaching mythmaking in close succession. I also think that reading through and analyzing the Silmarillion was very interesting, but I didn't (and somewhat still don't) fully understand why we read the Hobbit before. Another thing that I really appreciated was having the background from Snyder and TMOME! That additional background helped me understand Tolkien better and it altered how I read his work a little.
I enjoyed nearly all the readings from the semester. I think the background information for the most part was helpful. If I could leave out one reading, I would leave out the “Master of His Universe” article because most of our discussion only focused on flaws with the article and in my opinion it did not provide very much useful background, only general statements. I wish we could have read all of The Silmarillion, but I understand we did not have time. If I could choose one piece of writing to add to the schedule I would add the “Akallabêth” because it’s a fairly short but well-written and enjoyable history. It would have been interesting to discuss mythmaking topics such as the repetitive cycles of history in Tolkien’s world, and parallels with real world history and other mythologies. It also develops and adds new facets to profound themes spanning Tolkien’s work, such as the idea of immortality versus mortality.
~Ulmo
I also really enjoyed the readings from this semester! Even though I'd read everything by Tolkien before class started, I found his Mythopoeia cycle interesting to read. Although I did find them slightly redundant and thought we could have read only one or two to get the message across, I definitely see the merit in reading the poem, paper, and short story altogether. I also thought the background articles from Snyder and Thome were very informative and very helpful going forward.
I wish we could have read more of the Silmarillion but I definitely understand there were time constraints.
-Varda*
I really liked reading the background information in Snyder and TMOME. Getting to know Tolkien in this way helped me to engage in his work in a much deeper way. The only other thing I would add to the readings is one of the stand alone stories edited by Christopher Tolkien. I particularity enjoyed The Fall of Gondolin and Beren and Luthien and because I think they were great examples of the process Tolkien went through to create a myth. I realize though that something would have to be sacrificed to include those, and it might be worth cutting some of Snyder or TMOME.
-Vairë
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