The musings below initiated the train of thought that led to the writing of my previous posting, the sermon entitled “Why No Fence?”.  So, I’ve posted this article to give some additional background on the sermon and it’s theological / philosophical perspective.  Also, I just recently learned that a dear friend of mine (that I’ve tried to contact several times over the last couple of years) passed away in June, 2007 – which makes this an appropriate time to reflect on this subject again.

Reading “George’s” “My Wife has Cancer Blog” (http://themywifehascancerblog.blogspot.com/) has been thought-provoking.  I often reflect on how cruel and heartless the world can be.  Yet, what is also true is that this world is filled with beauty, beauty which we often find in unexpected places, as George’s reflections show us.

Recently, I’ve thought a lot about the implications of Eternal Life.  Something which YHWH denied us after Adam and Eve (meaning “we”) ate of the “Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil”.

To me, what Eternal Life means is that time no longer matters.  For someone who has Eternal Life, no day is any more, or less, valuable than any other.  Such people are (in essence) immortal: they have infinite time to complete unfinished business, correct mistakes, or finish their “to do” list.  So, what value would any day (or century) have?  Could love and beauty exist in a world without time?  Many writers have thought on this…

Jonathan Swift in “Gulliver’s Travels” imagines an immortal race called the Struldbrugs.  But, they do not have eternal youth: their bodies eventually age to the point where every breath is torment – yet, they cannot die.  Immortality for a Struldbrug is a curse, not a gift.

In “Lord of The Rings”, J.R.R. Tolkien has a race with eternally youthful bodies: the elves.  Yet immortality is still a burden:  They are a people not quite in tune with the world, a “vision of the elder days living in the present”.  A people whose bodies do not age, but who have an inescapable sadness because they know that everything they build, everything they know, will eventually pass away – and they cannot stop it.  They are doomed to outlive everything they love.  They cannot escape from the past and live fully in the present.

Science Fiction author Robert H. Heinlein imagined immortality through technology.  In “Time Enough For Love” Lazarus Long is the oldest human: a man who is “rejuvenated” whenever old age afflicts him.  Yet, Lazarus tired of life.  Like the elves, Lazarus outlived everything he loved.  Heinlein also pointed out that our brains are not infinite: If we live long enough, like Lazarus, we run out of room for new memories.  Even if that weren’t a problem, our memories get cluttered and disorganized with age.  (Lazarus complains about hunting all morning for a book, only to realize he’d put it down a century ago.)  Through Lazarus we see that even with youthful bodies, our minds (and spirits) will still age. 

Heinlein’s Lazarus had his mind “washed” of old memories to make room for new ones, but then asks what good is immortality when memory no longer links you with who you once where?  Immortality is a burden for Lazarus because he outlives his youth, and because of the broken connection between his present and his past.

Mortality makes time precious: every day is a gift that cannot be recaptured.  The flip side of this is that we cannot go back and make different choices when things don’t turn out as we hoped.  We cannot choose to avoid the pain that is the inevitable result of the choice to love (…hence the title of Heinlein’s book).

In the end, we need to ask ourselves  whether it is worth it: to live a life like that of Lazarus, or the elves, or the Struldbrugs, or the timeless existence Adam and Eve had before they ate of the fruit.

What I believe is that the choice to eat of the fruit is what allowed Adam and Eve to choose to have a relationship with God.  This fruit represents the choice to have choices – an essential first step.  It is the choice we must make if we do not want to remain in endless existence as a creature without choices.  That tree’s fruit was the “escape hatch” – the First Choice – that enabled us to have the Second Choice – of whether to Love God (or not). 

So, while I am not eager to come to the end of my mortal existence, and know that the end will probably include pain and suffering, the tradeoff is that I have a life that is worth living.  A life where I can have a relationship with God. 

Genesis says to me that God gave us mortality because God wants a relationship with us, and knows what is best for us.  So, I know that our mortality, and that of those we love, is a gift, part of God’s plan.  Just like time, if our relationships were never-ending, they would have no value to us: love would have no value to us. 

This does not eliminate or even alleviate the pain and hardships of life, but knowing that mortality is necessary for love and life to have value, and that it is all part of God’s plan, gives me the strength I need to endure such things when they come, and the ability to appreciate and rejoice-in the beauty and love that are in this world.  Amen!

MAGIA, ESPADA Y FANTASÍA (VI)

La segunda parte de la monumental adaptación a la pantalla de la obra de J.R.R. Tolkien por Peter Jackson y su equipo da comienzo en el punto en que la Comunidad del Anillo se disuelve: Frodo y Sam siguen su camino hacia Mordor, Merry y Pipin han caído prisioneros de los orcos de Sauron, y Aragorn, Legolas y Gimli, dejando a los pequeños portadores del anillo que encuentren su propio destino, van tras los cautivos para liberarlos, mientras Sauron y su aliado Saruman siguen acumulando fuerzas con las que aplastar a las razas libres de la Tierra Media, desunidas y parapetadas tras sus débiles defensas…

Tras el impactante efecto sorpresa de la primera entrega, Las dos torres ofrece más de lo mismo (pero peor) en la forma, aunque empieza la decadencia en cuanto al fondo. Como dijimos en su momento en esta misma sección, a medida que la trilogía avanza, sus grandes virtudes se van poco a poco diluyendo y los pequeños inconvenientes del primer capítulo, minimizados ante la grandiosidad del conjunto, van creciendo hasta poco a poco adueñarse de este puente hacia la conclusión. El problema, precisamente, es la entrega incondicional a la espectacularidad de las formas y el paulatino descuido de unas, ya de por sí, demasiado elementales, lineales, esquemáticas cuestiones de fondo (personajes, psicología, motivaciones, reacciones ante los hechos…) siguiendo, obviamente, las pautas marcadas por Tolkien pero haciendo que la película, exactamente igual que su antecesora y su continuación, dependa en exclusiva de los conocimientos previos del espectador sobre la obra literaria a fin de que pueda entender la lógica de acontecimientos y personajes, sin que se trate de un producto cinematográfico autónomo. A ello no es ajena la introducción de las grandes batallas y de las escenas de acción propias de la historia en las que la entrega a la espectacularidad es total, y en las que se desvirtúan algunos logros de la primera parte. Por ejemplo, donde hay un ingente esfuerzo por utilizar el maquillaje y la caracterización para la construcción de las diversas criaturas “no humanas” y de ambientación y dirección artística para los espacios, comienza a haber demasiada labor de computadora a fin de recrear enormes ejércitos en movimiento, espacios abiertos o decorados en los que transcurran los combates, auténticamente de videojuego por más espectaculares que sean, y también en el momento de provocar un buen número de efectos de la violencia sobre individuos y objetos. La batalla principal es tan grandiosa como artificiosa, con algún que otro guiño que supera lo humorístico para adentrarse en lo ridículo, completamente fuera del tono general de la historia, y las múltiples y complejas tramas paralelas que como un mosaico van salpicando la narración y cambiando el punto de interés y de tensión a cada momento, unidas a la excesiva duración del film, hacen que el ritmo vaya desde la lentitud más extrema al servicio del crecimiento de una tensión no siempre lograda (porque hay que entender que al igual que se depende del libro para presuponer aspectos de los personajes el espectador ya conoce el desenlace de los hechos sobre los que se pretende cargar emoción) hasta la vertiginosa sucesión de acontecimientos acelerados que siembran la película de altibajos y lagunas de emoción.

El problema es que la ingenuidad y expectación del discurso de la primera parte se torna aquí en una oda a las imágenes animadas desprovistas de discurso de cualquier tipo o, lo que es peor, intentando alcanzar la sublimidad de ciertos mensajes a través de la mera repetición de frases y situaciones pretendidamente trascendentes y decisivas (cuando, insistimos, el lector de Tolkien, espectador a quien va dirigida la película, no como intención, pero sí como construcción, ya sabe qué va a pasar y qué no) pero que, a través de ese culto a lo entendido como modernidad e innovación visuales, son en el fondo de una emotividad vacía, de una emoción nula, sin una aventura real, sin un riesgo o un peligro que realmente cruce al otro lado de la pantalla, sin unos personajes vivos por los que podamos sentir una empatía que vaya más allá de lo que los personajes dicen representar, sin llegar a sentir algo por los personajes en sí.

La película acumula historias que transcurren de manera paralela pero no por ello gana en solidez, muy al contrario, es una forma de perder pulso, de deshilvanar un puzzle que en la primera entrega había quedado ensamblado de manera aceptable. Se vuelve facilona, vulgar, reiterativa, simple y lineal, por más que visualmente pretenda todo lo contrario, resultar majestuosa, abigarrada, rica, espectacular; busca enganchar por la belleza y el impacto de imágenes grandilocuentes, olvidándose de atraparnos por el cariz de los acontecimientos que cuenta, y es ahí donde, a pesar de que engancha y obliga a seguirla, apuesta por explotar los elementos más pobres y simplones del lenguaje cinematográfico y busca convencer a través de algo, en el fondo, tan fácil como es apabullar, embaucar por aplastamiento.

Habiendo alcanzado así la trilogía la cúspide de lo que podía ofrecer, buena parte de esta segunda entrega y toda la tercera parte son un lento caer hacia la superficialidad en el discurso y el tributo a las formas animadas por ordenador en detrimento de la historia misma, al metraje excesivo en la creencia de que la mejor adaptación es la que cuenta todo (ya dijo Voltaire que el secreto de aburrir consiste en decirlo todo), de que a más, siempre es mejor. Y el cine nos ha dado gran cantidad de muestras, seguramente las mejores, de que lo mejor suele ser siempre lo contrario.

True knighthood is the Holy Grail of manhood, a revelation attainable only by the pure.  The proud are ever barred from taking a draught from it.

Our very captivation with the Holy Grail consists in the fact that it has not been found and only few have even seen it.  And, of course, the reason that the mysterious cup remains ever out of reach for the ordinary man and is because its quest is fraught with danger:  fearful obstacles, inscrutable riddles, and deadly foes.

To those who possess true manliness, such obstacles are the reason why The Quest is so appealing.  By definition manliness is the penchant to overcome obstacles. The more hopeless the attainment, the bigger and better is the man who laughs in the face perils to be found there.  Those who are lesser men still aspire to the Grail, but fear leads them to experience the danger only vicariously by following along at a safe distance, through spectator sports, litrerature and movies.

And yet there is a temptation in that boldness to which those gallant men of the Round Table too easily succumb.  The bigger and better that a man thinks he is, the more likely he is to fail utterly in attaining the goal.  Gawain, for example, showed himself the fool for this very reason.  And Lancelot had to be taken down a few notches (many actually) before he was even granted a partial fulfillment of his desire.  Galahad attained the grail, not so much by his prowess, but more so, by his humility and purity.

There is a strange and wonderful coincidence of opposites in the embodiment of true chivalry:  courage, strength, boldness and skill, on the one hand; reverence, humility, meekness, and deference on the other.

In a sermon written during his Anglican Period, entitled, “The Weapons of the Saints,” Venerable John Henry Cardinal Newman couched the spiritual life in terms of a war in which the stratagem for victory demands an inversion of worldly values:

But in that kingdom which Christ has set up, all is contrariwise. “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.” What was before in honour, has been dishonoured; what before was in dishonour, has come to honour; what before was successful, fails; what before failed, succeeds.

It is this inversion that constitutes the real difficulty to the attainment of the Holy Grail of true knighthood.  It is the riddle of riddles.  The Black Knight, enemy of our souls, guards the bridge that leads to the hermit who is ensconced away from the manners of worldly men.  It is from him that we are to unlearn our pride and find the real weapons by which we are to succeed in our quest.

Cardinal Newman’s sermon is a commentary on Our Lord’s words: Many that are first shall be last, and the last shall be first (Mt 19:30).  And he supports his thesis from many other passages of the New Testament concerning, for example, strength made perfect in weakness (2 Cor 12:9), the of putting down the proud and the exalting of the humble (Lk 1:52), the blessedness of those who suffer and the woes of those who are satisfied (Mt 5:2-10; Lk 6:24-26), and God’s choice of the weak and despised to do his work (1 Cor 1:27).  It should be abundantly clear to anyone with a modicum of familiarity with scripture that God triumphs in and through those who have rejected worldly ambition and self-assuredness.

The invisible powers of the heavens, truth, meekness, and righteousness, are ever coming in upon the earth, ever pouring in, gathering, thronging, warring, triumphing, under the guidance of Him who “is alive and was dead, and is alive for evermore.”

Truth, meekness and righteousness, according to Venerable Newman, are the real weapons of the saints, the means by which they are victorious over Satan, sin and death.  The Holy Grail of Christian Knighthood is so hidden that in order to find it the knight must lose himself in the process.

This is that intangible, greater thing, after which young men aspire.  It is the stuff of true nobility.  It is strength without arrogance, command without self-interest.

Venerable Newman notes that “we like to hear marvellous tales, which throw us out of things as they are, and introduce us to things that are not.”  The paradox of the cross and of the victorious King who triumphs through His own death is the cosmic myth, the retelling of which is the incantation that opens the sealed doors of our hearts. He that openeth and no man shutteth, shutteth and no man openeth, is the only one with the key (Ap 3:7).

The beloved disciple saw Him mounted on a white horse, and going forth “conquering and to conquer.” “And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations, and He shall rule them with a rod of iron.” [Rev. xix. 14, 15.]

The Quest of the Holy Grail is a lesser myth, as are all other stories when compared to the gospel myth in which the most fantastic tale is merged with history, and where what Tolkien called eucatastrophe, a literary climax beyond our wildest hopes, is made the substance of all our hopes and the ground upon which we walk in the daylight of this world.

Indeed, the return of the king in Tolkien’s mythology is an ascendency by way of descent.  Aragorn and the Dúnedain are content to be despised if that will better equip them to protect and defend the peoples of Middle Earth.  Aragorn himself must choose the path leading downward, literally underground, through the Paths of the Dead under the White Mountains, like Christ in His harrowing of hell, if he is to triumph on behalf of those entrusted to his care.

After Gandalf  had “passed through fire and deep water,” and had completed his own christic transformation, he delivered a message to Aragorn from the Lady of Light, Galadriel:

Where now are the Dúnedain, Elessar, Elessar?
Why do thy kinsfolk wander afar?
Near is the hour when the Lost should come forth,
And the Grey Company ride from the North.
But dark is the path appointed for thee:
The Dead watch the road that leads to the Sea (Book III, Chapter V).

Aragorn chose the path of truth, meekness and righteousness.  He was prepared to face his fear, and he was not afraid to confront his own ego with the double-edged sword of God’s truth.  He chose to go down in order to go up, to be last in order to be first.  Yet the myth of Aragorn cannot be a vicarious substitute for our own humiliation.  We must really experience it.  Newman has it right:

We so love the idea of the invisible, that we even build fabrics in the air for ourselves, if heavenly truth be not vouchsafed us. We love to fancy ourselves involved in circumstances of danger or trial, and acquitting ourselves well under them. Or we imagine some perfection, such as earth has not, which we follow, and render it our homage and our heart. Such is the state more or less of young persons before the world alters them, before the world comes upon them, as it often does very soon, with its polluting, withering, debasing, deadening influence, before it breathes on them, and blights and parches, and strips off their green foliage, and leaves them, as dry and wintry trees without sap or sweetness.

We must not loose our idealism as we grow older, but “heavenly truth” should purify our tendency to experience knighthood vicariously through its trappings and shards.  Ours is to be the knighthood of the real Dúnedain, a hidden knighthood in search of the hidden, but very real Holy Grail.

As a Franciscan, I have had many opportunities to reflect upon the militant example of Saints Francis and Maximilian, and of the great tertiary St. Louis of France.  The Holy Patriarch of the Seraphic Order, Our Holy Father St. Francis, was well aware of the Arthurian legends and aspired to knighthood and the Holy Grail himself.  Later, after he too had chosen the path downward, he called the simple brothers who lived in seclusion and despised status and pomp, his “Knights of the Round Table.”

In this last week of ordinary time, during the “octave” of the Feast of Christ the King, we look for His return at the end of the world, when he will preside over the cosmic resolution to the perennial struggle of St. Michael and the dragon.  Then He will raise his wounded hands over the universe and all of us will be witnesses of the full revelation of His truth, a more powerful illumination than possession of the Grail itself.  Then we will all know what true chivalry is and whether we are worthy to drink from the cup filled by the hands of Him who carried the sword of truth and slayed the dragon by His humble acceptance of our condition and by His willing suffering and death.

The weapons of the true knight are those of the saints: truth, meekness and righteousness.  They are best fitted to help us along the way of our Quest, a path that leads up a narrow crag in a mountain.  But this path to the heights strangely leads us downward by many uneven steps, until we arrive in the sanctuary of the Holy Grail and find rest in the yoke of Christ on the Holy Mountain of His Passion, Death and Resurrection.

A new 39 minute Lord of the Rings episode telling of Aragorn’s hunt for Gollum before The Fellowship of the Ring. This high concept short film is brought to the screen for free by Independent Online Cinema. www.thehuntforgollum.com
Made by talented volunteer filmmakers for under $5,000, the film is a faithful tribute to the style of Peter Jackson’s trilogy and the world of J.R.R. Tolkien telling how Aragorn tracked down Gollum between The Hobbit & The Fellowship of the Ring.

The film achieved over 1 million views in the first week of release in May 2009. (Dailymotion) and wide press acclaim for it’s high production values on a microbudget.

This Youtube version is slightly extended with 1 scene added back in.

www.thehuntforgollum.com
www.independentonlinecinema.com

Costumo dizer que se a partir de hoje nenhum novo livro fosse publicado, o tempo que me resta de vida não seria suficiente para ler todos os grandes clássicos da literatura mundial. Tendo em minha relação de não lidos alguns dos livros de Dostoiévski, Kafka, Shakespeare, Faulkner, Flaubert, Garcia Márquez, Homero, Thomas Mann e Virginia Woolf, só pra citar alguns, não dá pra perder tempo lendo Stephanie Meyer ou Dan Brown.

Meu primeiro contato com os clássicos aconteceu no começo dos anos 90, quando eu tinha uns 14 anos, através de uma coleção de histórias em quadrinhos chamada Clássicos Ilustrados. Eram edições semanais com adaptações de obras clássicas como Moby Dick, Hamlet, O Conde de Monte Cristo, Grandes Esperanças, A Ilha do Dr. Moreau, A Queda da Casa dos Usher, O Morro dos Ventos Uivantes, A Letra Escarlate, A Ilha do Tesouro e Cyrano de Bergerac (links para a versão .pdf dos quadrinhos de 1990).

Não consigo pensar numa forma melhor de despertar em crianças e adolescentes a paixão pelos grandes clássicos da literatura mundial.

Se você concorda e curte quadrinhos — principalmente adaptações de clássicos — vai gostar de saber que começou a pré-venda de “O Hobbit”, de J.R.R. Tolkien, ilustrado por David Wenzel.

Abaixo, 3 páginas de “O Hobbit” ilustrado (imagens de divulgação – clique para ampliar).

_______________

AVISO AOS LEITORES

O link da pré-venda de “O Hobbit” que aparece nesse texto é meu primeiro como integrante do Programa de Afiliados do Submarino. No entanto, a adesão a esse programa não tem como função gerar algum tipo de renda para o este blogueiro que vos fala: todo o valor arrecadado com as vendas — incluindo os valores gerados pelas compras que eu mesmo fizer — será convertido em doação de livros.

Achei que seria legal comentar.

Mylo contava le pause ed i margini che componevano la giornata. Le guardie Arenty non avevano più bisogno di tenerlo d’occhio. Solo nella tenda, attendeva il ritorno del maestro, dileguatosi al mattino insieme a Tawares, primo ministro dei Testimoni di Seidon. Aveva smesso di porsi domande. Gli avevano fatto rientrare il mal di testa e si era sentito uno sciocco. Uno strano senso di abbandono aveva preso il posto della frustrazione. Adesso non temeva più per la sua vita, per questo gli era più facile lasciarsi andare.
Si era invece concentrato sul crepitio, improvvisando parole e gesti legati a dei piccoli incantesimi di sua conoscenza. Aveva provato a smorzare il rumore, ad evocare il potere sottilmente, schermando, mutando, offuscando l’eco della magia, come aveva visto fare al suo maestro il giorno prima. Nella semi oscurità della tenda era stato cauto, ed era riuscito anche ad ottenere alcuni risultati positivi. Se qualcuno lo avesse sorpreso a manipolare la realtà si sarebbe cacciato nuovamente nei guai.
«Non passa giorno senza che tu riesca a sorprendermi.» La voce era quella di Rivier, ma il maestro fece il suo ingresso solo dopo aver terminato la frase. Mylo sobbalzò, nascose le mani impegnate in strani gesti e solo dopo essersi reso conto che la voce era quella del suo amico riuscì a riprendere fiato… continua…

Whenever I feel tired, lazy, overworked, burn out, or any other typically collegiate emotion, I watch the trailer to Return of the King (or sometimes the Two Towers) to remind myself why I want to keep learning and where I want to go. I guess it’s a bit odd, since it isn’t directly academic, but somehow it just always works for me.

(Este foi o primeiro Conto que escrevi, livremente inspirado nas histórias de J.R.R.Tolkien: “O Hobbit” e “O Silmarillion”)

Conversa de Bilbo e Smaug - ilustração de "O Hobbit" - JRR Tolkien

Há muito tempo atrás, antes da Terra seguir adiante e dos homens fazerem a grande viagem a oeste, numa época de dragões e guerreiros, de tesouros sem fim, de magias e encantamentos, de reinos poderosos e guerras por controle e poder, contava-se a história do dragão Smaug, o terrível.

Naquela época, Smaug percorria terras levando destruição e medo, pelos caminhos nos quais arrastava sua cauda deixava um rastro de total desolação.  A maldade fazia parte dele e, na verdade, ele era a Maldade, seus olhos eram negros como uma profunda caverna e ele não tinha nenhum sinal de compaixão.  E poder havia sido dado a Smaug da parte do senhor do mal.

Muitos guerreiros tentaram defender suas cidades, magos quiseram aprisioná-lo com seus encantamentos, reis morreram sem deixar seus tronos, todos eles em vão, o terrível Smaug, em seu caminho de terror não encontrava inimigos à altura de sua força, nem mesmo em outros dragões, suspeita-se que foi o próprio Smaug que acabou com sua raça. 

E por anos, há quem diga que foram séculos antes das histórias escritas, Smaug aterrorizou a mente dos viventes da Terra antiga do Leste.  Mas enfim, encontrou um lugar que houvera procurado por muito tempo, a montanha escondida dos anões mineradores e artesãos.  Até então, um lugar protegido, escondido dos olhos penetrantes do Grande Dragão, ela ficava ao norte da Grande Floresta. [...continue lendo esse texto clicando no link abaixo] 

                E nas cavernas ocultas Smaug encontrou o maior tesouro que seus olhos já viram: quatro longos corredores, com suas entradas apontadas exatamente para as extremidades da rosa dos ventos, desciam até a profundidade de três pinheiros e se encontravam num vasto salão, como a grande sala de bailes de um castelo. Embora fossem poucas as luzes, apenas algumas lamparinas presas nos corredores, aquela luz pálida que vinha de cada uma das quatro entradas reluziam na pilha de ouro e prata do centro do salão, criando uma visão incrível.

Um amontoado de riquezas mais alto que o próprio Smaug, fruto de anos de trabalho dos anões nas minas e também das negociações e aquisições deste povo, apaixonado pelo ouro e pedras preciosas.  Smaug não conseguiu desviar-se do brilho dourado, fumaça e vapor quente saiam  de suas narinas e escalou a pilha de coroas, colares, escudos e jóias de toda sorte de formas e tamanhos, quando estava no topo respirou fundo, como um atleta que iniciará uma longa jornada, e cuspiu fogo, como nunca antes havia feito, em quantidade e ódio nunca antes atingida pelo poder de um dragão, e pelas quatro entradas da caverna o fogo se espalhou pela terra, ardendo florestas e cidades, matando os guerreiros e animais que seguiram Smaug até aquele lugar, foi como um aviso: Smaug era senhor da montanha agora, e não pouparia quem dali se aproximasse.

Junto com a desolação da última e mais poderosa rajada de fogo do dragão, espalhou-se pelo ar o odor fétido da morte, a fumaça acumulou-se em torno da montanha do tesouro, o solo ressequido, mesmo depois de longos anos, não ousava desafiar o ódio do Grande Dragão, e naquele pedaço de chão nada crescia.  Um vapor quente e negro espalhava a partir das entradas da caverna até muitos quilômetros dali, e com o passar dos anos a escuridão parecia espalhar-se cada vez mais.

Havia o povo da Grande Floresta, que dali não poderia sair, pois eram dela seus guardiões e hóspedes, e por ela tinham amor e gratidão.   Desde o Canto da Criação do Senhor da Luz, eles viveram naquele lugar, cuidando dos rios e suas nascentes, dos velhos e gigantes carvalhos e de toda planta rasteira e erva medicinal.  Era da floresta seu alimento e sua cura, era no pé das grandes árvores sua casa, era das flores do campo seu jardim.

Acreditavam que somente matando o Dragão Smaug a escuridão seria afastada do interior da floresta e a vida voltaria às margens dos seus rios.  E de tempos em tempos expedições eram enviadas para o interior da caverna, dos mais bravos guerreiros eram formadas, e por dias a população esperava seu regresso, mas nenhum deles voltava.

E por fim, mais guerreiros eram treinamos e enviados.  E cada vez mais jovens, menos preparados iam para o sacrifício. Até que o próprio Rei dos homens da floresta liderou a última expedição, formada mais por camponeses que guerreiros, já que restavam poucos agora. 

Avançaram com facilidade até a entrada da caverna, e só precisaram se apertar um pouco, enfileirados para conseguir avançar pelo corredor Sul até o salão central do tesouro.  E tamanha foi a surpresa do rei, quando lá chegou: vendo Smaug, deitado sobre o tesouro dos anões, imóvel, imaginou que o dragão estava morto.

Não demorou para o rei perceber as ossadas de vários homens, cobertas apenas por seus elmos reluzentes e misturados com as peças brilhantes, jóias e cálices dourados. Notou que não haviam sido queimadas ou destroçadas pela ira do dragão, mas foram transpassados pelas espadas de seu próprio reino. No mesmo instante percebeu a agitação da tropa que levara consigo, viu que discutiam como repartir tudo aquilo, a discussão transformou-se em briga, e entendeu o que tinha acontecido ali, e que o horror causado por Smaug não era maior que cena de irmãos que levantaram espadas contra irmãos, por ganância.

O rei percebeu também que seu próprio coração começava a se inclinar em direção à riqueza, e seus olhos já não conseguiam se desviar do brilho do tesouro. E descobriu que havia nele, também, o desejo de não repartir com ninguém o que tinha encontrado, e pensou em guerra, e nada fez para impedir que um a um fossem se matando.

Até que só restou o Rei e o mais forte dos guerreiros, então o Rei sacou sua espada e num golpe certeiro, embora desleal, feriu de morte o guerreiro.  Ele ajoelhou-se sobre o tesouro, sua mão esquerda, espalmada, penetrou entre moedas e colares, e a direita ergueu um cálice dourado, pesado e antigo e gargalhou alto e desprevenido.  E o Rei viu sua imagem refletida sobre a superfície arredonda da peça, e que seu rosto distorcido era muito parecido com o de Smaug, o Terrível.  Neste instante ficou em silêncio e um medo profundo atravessou seu corpo, quando percebeu que suas risadas haviam despertado o velho Dragão, que respirava e soltava um vapor desconfortavelmente quente às costas do Rei… Smaug, o Terrível não teve muito trabalho naquele dia, afinal restara-lhe somente um inimigo.

J.R.R. Tolkien ebbe una fitta corrispondenza con il suo secondo figlio, Christopher, che attualmente è curatore dell’ intero corpus del padre.
Fu attraverso la corrispondenza con il figlio durante il suo servizio come aviatore che Tolkien trovò l’ispirazione per andare avanti con Il Signore degli Anelli, dopo l’interruzione al punto in cui Gandalf e Pipino corrono verso Minas Tirith.
In una di queste lettere, Tolkien, professore di lingua inglese e di filologia, autore del Dizionario Oxford e di vari saggi di linguistica e mitologia, trovò anche l’agio per dire due parole ai giardinieri.
In una lettera a Christopher Tolkien (24 dicembre 1994 -FS70) Tolkien nota che il figlio ha scritto Harebell e poi corretto in Hairbell. Secondo Tolkien (è chiaro, dice) il nome antico è harebell (un nome di animale, come spesso sono i nomi di fiori in Inghilterra), e con questo nome -continua Tolkien- ci si riferiva al giacinto e non alla campanula (Endymion non-scripta). Bluebell non è così antico come harebell e venne coniato per la campanula (difatti le bluebell scozzesi sono le campanelle e non i giacinti). In Inghilterra (ma non in Scozia e nelle zone in cui i dialetti sono rimasti per lo più integri) il nome harebell cambiò in bluebell ad opera di “[...]botanici ignoranti (di etimologia) e pasticcioni di epoche recenti, sul tipo di quelli che trasformarono folk’s glove in foxglove!, e che ci hanno allontanato dalla retta strada. Quanto a quest’ultima parola l’unica parte dubbia è glove, non fox. Foxes glofa esiste anche in anglosassone, ma anche nella forma clofa: nei vecchi erbari sembra applicata abbastanza sconsideratamente a piante con foglie grandi e larghe , per esempio a burdock (bardana), chiamata anche foxes clife, clifwirt*=foxglove.
*Dato che clifan=fenditura, stecco, è chiaro che foxes clife e clifewyrt originariamente=burdock,bardana. Clofa è probabilmente un errore per glofa “.

Un po’ complesso, forse, ma in buona sostanza significa che la digitale ha delle foglie brutte, larghe e ispide. E non si potrebbe dire altrimenti.

Any time a book captures the interest and imagination of a large number of people, that is good. The better the book or series, the more significant interest in it is. Take the Harry Potter series, for example: solid composition, wonderfully complex (yet still accessible) storylines, replete with references to mythology and a fan-base that created, quite literally, a new generation of readers. Impressive.

Twilight, by comparison, doesn’t shine as bright, in part because (love her or hate her) Meyer just isn’t the same caliber writer as JK Rowling. Her stories, while they have certainly captured the hearts of adolescent girls, lack complexity and are, perhaps, a little overdone in the areas of teenage angst and drama.

I know that many of my author heroes have made public statements against the Twilight series, and I understand this to some degree. Not only are the stories formulaic, but they also take a classic literary device (the vampire) and turn him/her into something far less fierce. Something almost fuzzy. They sparkle in sunlight, for crying out loud.

And while all of this is true, I read all the books. All four of them. I own them in hardcover. I recommended them to friends. I liked the first book and the second half of the fourth best, but I enjoyed them all.

It’s easy to criticize Twilight. It easy, frankly, to criticize any book or movie in which the monsters glitter. And with writers like Rowling and Gaiman out there creating storylines that make you believe in magic again, it’s easy to become highbrow about your literary tastes, shunning the likes of Twilight with it’s ridiculous marketing, which, to date, includes a line of pillows and throws emblazoned with the faces of Jacob and Edward. (Tell me you wouldn’t be frightened to find these in an adult’s home.)

But it’s a fun series. No, it’s not Tolkien. People won’t be pluming the literary depths of Twilight 50 years from now. It is, most likely, a flash in the pan, but it’s a fun one. If you’re an adult and you’re willing to remember what it felt like to be a teenager, to feel the first flames of what you were sure was love, then Twilight is even deeply personal, a weird and oddly sacred revisiting of your own adolescent fears and insecurities.

If you haven’t read it, I suggest giving it a chance. I’ll tell you right now that the books are better than the first movie and, I suspect, will be better than the second, as well. Consider it a guilty pleasure, like that Britney Spears song you like that no one knows about or your secret appreciation for The Girls Next Door. You might be surprised. You might even, perish the thought, find yourself claiming allegiance to Team Jacob or Team Edward. (Seriously, who chooses Team Jacob?)

The point is, Twilight isn’t the best thing in print, but that doesn’t mean it’s not enjoyable. Don’t allow the hype, good or bad, to keep you from reading something light-hearted and fun.

10. The Chronicles of Amber
Roger Zelazny

With the Amber novels, Zelazny created a very detailed and intricate fantasy universe. Fantasy fans have called this one of the most engrossing fantasy worlds they have ever read and remains a classic of modern fantasy.

9. The King of Elfland’s Daughter
Lord Dunsany

One of the most influential works of fantasy writing, Lord Dunsany’s 1924 novel of elves, kingdoms and magic laid out the groundwork for much of modern fantasy today. This is truly a pioneering work in the genre which laid out the groundwork for the writers who would come after.

8. A Song of Ice and Fire
George R. R. Martin

George Martin’s series is a richly constructed world grounded in both reality and fantasy. These unconventional plots keep the story fresh. The action is realistic while the events are unpredictable, adding a certain suspense around the characters, as you truly don’t know what will happen to them. The four books of the series thus far have grabbed the attention of high fantasy fans everywhere as they have proven to be some of the best there is.

7. A Wrinkle in Time
Madeleine L’Engle

This richly layered children’s fantasy has become a favourite to many readers over the years. Its deep themes may remind you of C.S. Lewis, with a hard look at what it means to be a child, as well as just being a great adventure. A Wrinkle in Time is a book which will stand the test of time.

6. The Harry Potter Series
J.K. Rowling

Sure, it may be bold of me to include a series which is so recent as high as #5. However, this is no ordinary fantasy series. This is the series which created a worldwide reading phenomenon, grabbing the attention of both kids and adults everywhere. Yet Harry Potter is not just hype; these are wonderfully crafted stories set in a fully realized magical world. The characters feel real, and even more so since we follow them through their growing years throughout the seven books. There are twists and very interesting plot devices all leading up to a final conclusion which does not disappoint. This series is one of the powerhouses of modern fantasy, and will remain so more a long, long time.

5. The Chronicles of Narnia
C.S. Lewis

Its interesting that most of this list is comprised of stories written for children. Perhaps it says something about the child-like need for discovery in fantasy tales, and none sums it up better than the Narnia books. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe has reached instant classic status, and the wardrobe in the title has become an icon for all portals into new and fantastic worlds. Lewis’ Christianity allegories also give this series an intellectual edge which doesn’t distract from the story. These seven books are some of the most beloved fantasy stories of all time.

4. His Dark Materials
Philip Pullman

Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy tells the story of two kids who are able to journey through the different dimensions which exist in the universe. These two children have a great destiny in the future of all the worlds which will affect the very nature of existence and spirituality. Pullman reaches for some pretty big goals here, but does not disappoint. He tackles the domination of organized religion while championing the freedoms of human thought and expression.

3. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass
Lewis Carroll

Carroll’s fantasy tale of Alice’s trip down the rabbit hole has captured the imagination of youth all over the world. This exercise in nonsensical logic, language and situations has become a book not only to enjoy, bu also to study. The metaphors in these two tales run deep and are often referenced by many other media. Alice and her crazy adventures simply make no sense; and that’s why we love them.

2. A Midsummer’s Night Dream
William Shakespeare

Let’s face it;  Shakespeare is the master.  Many of Shakespeare’s plays have an element of fantasy in them, but with Dream the bard went all out.  Shakespeare mostly played upon the idea of the fairy world and the mischievous creatures’ intrusions upon the lives of us regular humans.  Midsummer night’s dream is perhaps Shakespeare’s most beloved comedy, and its whimsy will live on for many centuries to come.

1. The Lord of the Rings
J.R.R. Tolkien

Choosing the greatest work of literary fiction was an easy task. It is, of course, the Lord of the Rings; the epic high fantasy of one hobbits journey to defeat the powers of evil. No fantasy world is as rich or detailed as Tolkien’s Middle Earth. It is as if he himself believed it to be a real place, complete with a full, fleshed out history and wonderfully detailed geography. And set in this world is a strong, heartfelt story which has proven to be ageless. This is a bold tale of massive proportions which also works on the simplest emotional level. A masterpiece in every way.

É isto mesmo, o livro intitulado “Os Filhos de Húrin” será lançado no Brasil. Trata-se de mais uma obra do aclamado autor J.R.R.TOLKIEN o autor de “O Senhor dos Anéis” ,”O Hobbit” e “Silmarillion”, todos livros tratam da história da Terra-Média desde seus primórdios. “Os Filhos de Húrin” é uma das mais magníficas histórias de TOLKIEN e está sendo lançado em volume separado pela primeira vez com a história completa. Cristopher Tolkien o filho de TOLKIEN reuniu notas e rascunhos do pai e completou a história pela primeira vez.

A história se passa na Primeira Era da Terra-Média, contando sobre a vida dos filhos de Húrin, que fora feito prisioneiro e amaldiçoado por Melkor o primeiro senhor do Escuro, enquanto preso fora obrigado a ver toda a sua família sofrer devido à maldiçao imposta por Melkor. O desenrolar da história se passa na vida de seus filhos os que mais sofreram com esta maldição.

O livro será lançado dia 1º de Dezembro de 2009 pela Martins Fontes, segue o link do lançamento – “Os Filhos de Húrin” – Editora Martins Fontes

Para os fãs das obras de TOLKIEN aconselho um portal sobre TOLKIEN, o maior portal sobre TOLKIEN da América Latina, a Valinor – “Valinor, onde a luz do antigo oeste ainda vive”

Vale a pena conferir também a melhor resenha de “Os Filhos de Húrin” aqui – Resenha

Eu falo que Balrogs nao tem asas!!!

Кратко стихотворение превърнато в песен.

Песентта не е българска, но е единственната трагична и която някога ме е трогвала;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pu1XaTIUWR4

“But evil men, you will say, have power.”

My second meditation on Boethius begins with his own objection.  Having pressed his claim that evil men do not exist, Boethius comes to the sticking point:  if evil men don’t exist, why are they so powerful?  This is neither more nor less than the problem we have with Sauron and the Nazgul.  If Tolkien really embraces the Boethian/Augustinian view that evil is nothing, why is it that his evil creatures can cause so much harm?

“I would not deny this myself, but their power stems not from their strength but from their weakness.”

What weakness is this?

“If, as we concluded a little earlier, evil is nothing, it is obvious that wicked men have no power, because they can perform only evil deeds.”

This is hard to swallow.

The thing is that you can’t criticize Boethius for not knowing how much harm an evil person can do.  You can’t bring the Holocaust or World War II against him.  As Boethius pens the lines above, he is witnessing the final collapse of Roman civilization while pining in the prison whither he has been sent after betrayal and disgrace by his fellow senators.  The wicked men he mentions will eventually put him to death—an eventuality that he already suspects.  So there is no telling him that he does not know what he is talking about when it comes to the power wielded by evil men.

But power, Boethius suggests, is always a power for something.  Now, what if you set about to get something you want, but it turns out that every power you thought you had ends up hindering you in your quest?  Clearly these “powers” would not be real powers at all—they would be handicaps, because they would render you powerless to fulfill your desires.

It is precisely this that becomes the curse of the wicked.  For they too have desires (for happiness of course, like the rest of us), but they have chosen the ways of evil to bring them about.  And the problem with the ways of evil is that they take no account of the good.  But the good, as Boethius argues, is what all desire, and what is necessary for happiness.  Thus, having cultivated the wrong powers and become strong in the wrong paths, evil men are powerless to attain the good.

What is the weakness of Sauron?  It is the weakness that Boethius ascribes to the evil man.  “He is very wise,” Gandalf says of Sauron, “and weighs all things to a nicety in the scales of his malice.  But the only measure that he knows is desire, desire for power; and so he judges all hearts.”  In his weakness of mistaking power for the only desirable good, Sauron is blind to all other goods.  On this blindness depends the web and weft of the ensuing plot:  Sauron cannot think that someone would refuse power, and actively seek to destroy the One Ring.

You might ask yourself, “How far would Stephen King’s fans go to read his latest book before the publication date?” Well, his UK publisher asked themselves the same thing. Then they broke down his latest tome into 5000 pieces and seeded it across various fansites, inviting readers to a game of literary hide and seek. Some people took it to extreme lengths, even hiding snippets of the manuscript by hanging it from bridges and scribbling it on public walls, to hiding it in code online. It is predicted that while Under the Dome is no Lost Symbol, it will certainly hit the bestseller lists, and fast!

King is a self-described voracious reader, and his influences span a number of genres and literary periods. Perhaps the most obvious is H.P. Lovecraft, who is even referred to blatantly in some of King’s works. From Bram Stoker, to William Golding and Tolkien, and the list goes on, there is no doubt that King is one to creatively use inspiration to create highly memorable stories. More notably, it is nice to see a writer of his stature keeping up to date with modern literature, even straying into realms outside of his expertise. While discussing the Harry Potter series, King said “The miracle of the Harry Potter series is that it keeps getting better. The genius of Ms. Rowling was her decision (probably never even seriously considered at the time) to follow Harry through his schooling. As a result, Harry’s fans have never left him behind. The question is whether Ms. Rowling will be bound to him for life, as Arthur Conan Doyle was bound to Sherlock Holmes.”

Have you read Under the Dome yet, or are you planning to purchase it soon? A note to the tech-savvy: the digital e-book retails at $35 and will be available on Dec 24th.

Watch this video to hear Stephen King talk about Under the Dome:

10. 1984
George Orwell

Orwell’s dystopian novel of a world controlled by Big Brother has become the quintessential cautionary tale for the far-reaching arm of government and the dangers of totalitarianism. Orwell has designed every corner of this futuristic world and transports us to a place where we may not want to be, yet cannot tear ourselves away from. It is a strong message about uniformity vs. individualism and makes us question what freedom really means while at the same time frightening us by showing that freedom may be slipping away from us as we speak.

9. To Kill A Mockingbird
Harper Lee

To Kill a Mockingbird is a tale of racism and bigotry seen through the eyes of a child. At first, the novel works as a story of what it is to be young and free. Then the novel moves into issues of social justice as Scout and Jem have their eyes open to the larger world. Atticus Finch is a hero of morals and values who fights to do what is right even when he knows he will lose. The novel is rich with themes and characters which are almost impossible to forget once you have read it.

8. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
James Joyce

James Joyce is one of the greatest writers of this century, and this semi-autobiography led Joyce’s movement into modernist literature. This novel outlines the main characters journey to grow in his intellect, philosophy and spirituality. Joyce’s style here is inventive and thought-provoking and has made this one of the best novels of the last one hundred years.

7. The Sound and the Fury
William Faulkner

A tale told from the viewpoint of multiple characters, The Sound and the Fury is a masterpiece at describing the thought processes of humans. Faulkner damn-near perfected the stream-of-consciousness thinking. Faulkner moves us with his tale of the decline of a southern family and their struggle to maintain honour.

6. The Catcher in the Rye
J.D. Salinger

Teen angst has never been so literary. Catcher in the Rye is one of the most popular books in the world. Its biting satire and well-constructed anti-hero have made this an exceptionally brilliant novel, definitely worthy in its inclusion as one of the greatest ever written.

5. The Grapes of Wrath
John Steinbeck

There may be no better written recording of the Great Depression than Steinbeck’s classic The Grapes of Wrath. It tells the tale of the Joad family on a quest for a better life in California and it is a tale of adversity and perseverance on a scale which sets the bar for all other American novels.

4. The Lord of the Rings
J. R. R. Tolkien

The Lord of the Rings has become a cultural phenomenon in the latter half of the twentieth century, a masterpiece of high fantasy on an epic scale in both scope and depth. Lord of the Rings is not a simple fantasy tale but is in fact a story rich in themes; loyalty, friendship, fate, duty, corruption, etc. Tolkien has created a world so full and complex you are immediately transported into it and become engrossed with every detail. Literary critics often dismiss The Lord of the Rings because of its genre, not able to look further to see that it is the masterpiece of its genre and is a work of genius.

3. Gravity’s Rainbow
Thomas Pynchon

Perhaps the greatest piece of post-modern literature, Pynchon’s masterpiece is a story about post-war Europe and the production of the V2 rocket. Pynchon’s novel is complex in its plot and structure. Gravity’s Rainbow also uses a lot of science and mathematics in its story, adding a level of sophistication and even greater complexity. Many critics argue that this may be the greatest literary work on the last one hundred years, while other claim it is far too difficult to be read. Nonetheless it is a massive achievement in writing and storytelling.

2. The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Great Gatsby is often called “the great American novel”. Jay Gatsby is living the dream; riches, women, high society lifestyle. Everything seems to be going his way. Fitzgerald uses this character and situation to explore they areas of morality, materialism, and what it means to have wealth and worth. It is a true classic that was never recognized in its time, but grew into one of the most acclaimed novels of the modern era.

1. Ulysses
James Joyce

As almost any literary scholar what the work of the century is and you will almost get a unanimous decision: Ulysses. It seems to almost be a given that Ulysses is the best novel of the 20th century. Ulysses has strong characters, humour, technique, style; it is perhaps the most important piece of modernist literature. James Joyce is one of the greatest writers of the modern age and he has given us the greatest novel of the century.

Library, Nottingham “Poly” Clifton campus – reading The Mill on the Floss.
Men outside rasing a flagpole – clear day, sunshine – blue sky without a cloud.
Flowers of Evil, TV Sky.

Haven’t been to see the countryside. All city life – must go to Staffordshire for a weekend – catch up on school work – not put chocolate chips in mugs of coffee and not spill drink on shirt while running to the bus in the morning with H.
Come through this all-right – farty farts – but that’s not my fault?
Want to go outside – should do a lot of work during the week – get out of bed! Can do. I like early mornings – then the first mug of coffee! Yum.

Man taped together – scotch, tape and bits of string and rubber band. You can make noise – modern music is interesting – all happened within twenty years. Thirty at the most. Maps and maps and maps.
Traveler wandering “childhood” today is a day from long ago, cool, cold fall like the fall that used to be – no clean clothes, lingering odors of cigarette – not a childhood day – then.
But yet again so much like La Plata Canyon, church in the log cabin, herbal teas and coffee, log fire in the wood-burning stove, first service then Sunday school – members of the church teaching through C.S. Lewis – sometimes.
(School girl instincts – arrested social development.)

Sometimes lunch with the Gs – P and T? Yucky name! Daughter named after a character in The Lord of the Rings?

Scotland or Ireland for spring vacation? Soft hands – no work – want to get out and chop wood – rugged, rural outdoor type life.

Women can now be priests – vote carried, Government wants to cut? wages – lost at NERTS last night but not by that much. Rook on a twisted tree.
Now noon, day should be heating up, middle of November. Could turn out to be a warm day, won’t though – too far north.
Questions questions only needed to write the word once. Mind is? clearing from the horror. Can’t go back to work in Durango though. Goldmund – tending toward that fiction slightly.
Wonder about S. She is still asleep or just waking in Iowa – where it is just a little warmer than it is here. Oh, E – such a twisted, broken thing – “cutting off legs to walk” don’t draw or even doodle anymore – Western World – repentance – enjoy it too much – therefore it isn’t good to do. Too much clutter now I’m trying to write – and don’t know where I am, can’t judge the words objectively. How do they come across when I haven’t written them? How do they compare? How do I know!

Can’t really get a sense of writing – like in class, workshop – too involved in the personal vision to be able to tell if the words realize that vision – is there a wall, or short-circuit between insight and expression? A line has meaning in and of itself – a line exists on the page. Words have no inherent meaning, especially in English – maybe the “oriental” languages do, more so – as expressed through calligraphy based on pictograms – but I guess that too is not expressive – when written with a mechanical pencil in neat lines.

Girl diagonal from my cubicle – mine for a moment, what face?
It is not the sound of language. One can hear the primeval lyricism and poetry in a voice – even those American voices – even those because they are not so “new and different” a sensation for the ear – I hear the voice behind the voice – unfortunately all English accents for the most part – are pleasing now – the voice behind the voice speaks – in silence – still completely unable to make judgments – but the face begins to speak.

Aristocracy of fame replaces monarchies of birth – the film stars and pop stars are the new feeble inbred royalty  – royalty now a tabloid star – rise of the artisans and theatre to the top – actors actresses singers and strippers – the big life, the in crowd.

I should be able to write something that produces the same sense of wonder and amazement as the life I live. This?

Wishing for a pencil to mark in the margins of this book I’m reading. School is for interactive learning – not private, personal learning – though that too can be gained through interaction. I’m always struggling towards an insight through statements of authority, “This is.” But do I need to make assertions of my own? Language is a tool and a toy – a substance to be bent and molded – Fuse the rational and irrational, emotion and (what word?) Intuitive knowledge and “book knowledge.” No such thing as rigid, workable system – like the Scientific Method.

If the “universe” is not a strictly balanced causal system then there is free will – it isn’t all as firmly tied as “science” would have us believe – especially those sciences, such as biology in previous years, what about psychology? There are no twelve steps there are no right, final answers. Look at physics… re-discovery of non-Newtonian universe, re-describe – but is that all meaningless- and?

Dark patches in the limbs of a tree against pale blue autumn sky.
Are they leaves not yet fallen or are they birds?
I am the leaf I am the bird.

Why does poetry almost always sound so schlocky and contrived?
Because some writing is broken up into different segments, rather than paragraphs, sentences, phrases on a page it becomes “poetry.” Have I tried rhyme schemes and alliteration and hell I don’t know what all about verse, and in school we’ve had it so often – my mind does not retain.

- I “completely disagree” that some story J thought was “good” because the “character” had a “voice” was actually all that good – I thought it was “false” and empty and contrived – like something that was one thing trying to be another – dishonest – no spine.

Song by Jesus and Mary Chain Bum dum dum – like it used to sound!

-waiting for the girl as she takes on half the world

-just like honey

See how this is all tied to her and makes me sick! Not sounding at all the same – X obscurity – because what I’m trying to can’t be said in words.

I wonder about my own relational judgments – like a book dislike – because of them – get it or don’t and wonder what they see in it and completely miss what you yourself could see in it.

If I’m going to create something I will be throwing myself into their hands!  Unfortunately B (well at least the impression I got from presentation in class of “writing group”) was off – like Scientific Method applied to the actual lived practice of generating science.
Even the Inklings… weren’t at all what she seemed to be saying they were – Tolkien seemed to work in the “rarefied air” of his own created world – but then, he did share work – so inevitably the reactions of the others would have some effect… one must do it and write and share and write again if one is ever going to do it – one must be Zen to be Zen.

Ever heard the phrase, “What I don’t know could fill an encyclopedia?” Or perhaps, “The words I don’t know could fill a dictionary.” Reading Tolkien is a fun way to realize one’s limitations (and have them expanded).

Just the first chapter of LOTR contains words I would seldom use like tussock, thicket, and brake as nouns refering to different types of growth; but moreover, a word I didn’t know at all came up: sloe. Fortunately, because of context, I gathered it was a type of fruit, but beyond that I was only guessing.

“A bitter wild fruit like a small plum that grows on a bush called a blackthorn”

For the record a blackthorn is a thorned bush with black branches, white flowers and sour purple fruit. Looking these up in the dictionary, I stumbled upon sloe gin. That is not to say that I stumbled over my bottle of sloe gin left carelessly near the bookshelf, but rather I saw the entry in the dictionary.

“A strong alcoholic drink made by leaving sloes in gin so that the gin has the flavour and colour of the sloes.”

Just feeling a little more knowledgable today. Who knows what Tolkien will teach me on the train ride home.

The Hobbit in his secret hole,

Unwillingly lets

The Fortune of the Ring unfold.

Then Begins

The story of adventure told.

~ Eyes searching the horizon

Clinching teeth, nibbling old rations,

Temporarily frozen passions

Flowing beneath leaden brows

Incredible sacrifice he knows. ~

Around his neck

The Destiny of Middle Earth he holds.

~ But thanks to the unsung henchman

(the friend to the end), and a certain guide;

Immortal peril and deep, dark evil on an epic scale

He Bolds. ~

ALBACON, www.albacon.org , has its hotel for 2010: Best Western Sovereign Hotel – Albany, 1228 Western Ave., Albany, NY 12203; +1-518-489-2981; http://www.sovereignhotels.com/ .

We hope to have on-line registration up and running real soon now.  Y’all come.  We give good con!  Allen Steele is our Literary Guest of Honor.

    As a fan of fantasy & science fiction, I’ve found that although characters, plot & dialogue are vital to a genre story —  the location where a story is set has a tremendous impact on the success or failure of the completed project.  Discovering at FaeireCon that I need a Steam Punk setting for my novel’s faeryland was a breakthrough.

    Some readers & writers might be shaking their heads, but those of us who’ve tumbled with Alice down a rabbit hole, walked with Lucy through a wardrobe, or stepped with a character through a looking-glass, know location often decides the direction of a story.

     Without The Shire, the Mines of Moria, Rivendell, Helm’s Deep, Mordor & the rest of Middle Earth, J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasies wouldn’t be the same. Many of the challenges faced by Bilbo, Frodo, the other Hobbits & their companions are a result of the places where they find themselves while on their journeys. 

     When George Lucas imagined the adventures of Luke Skywalker he took us from the wastelands of Tatooine to the forest moon of Endor, the swamps of Dagobah, the interior of the Millenium Falcon, the ice world of Hoth, the Cloud City of Bespin & dozens of other locations in the vast galactic sprawl of moons, asteroids & planets that is home to the Star Wars saga. The contrasts in the various settings gives rise to action, encourages character development & helps the reader “suspend their disbelief.”

     Another favorite of mine, Neil Gaiman, chose the sidewalks, pubs & subways of a city in Great Britain for his Neverwhere. He knew the claustrophobic closeness of tunnels, subways, apartments, and urban nooks & crannies would make a difference in the feel of the story. Likewise, when he wrote about Wall & the world of Faery that existed next to it, the settings made a difference in what it meant to locate a fallen star in Stardust.

     And what about Harry Potter? J.K. Rowling’s decision to have Harry travel from a cupboard under the stairs to Hogwarts, Diagon Alley, the Weasley home & the rest of the author’s wizard world gave rise to the change & growth of Harry, the dialogue, the other characters, the antagonists, the plotlines…

     In each of these examples & countless others, location is one of the keys to the success of the tale. In my story, Sideshow by the Sea, the boardwalk-carnival-seaside location was an important element. The locale’s flavor added not only a touch of reality to the fantastic, but was a familiar presence for many readers. In my next story with Echelon eShorts, Assassins, the vast prairies, mountains & canyons of the planet Konur Prime are a familiar touchstone. In fact, this science fiction adventure tale could be classified as a “Space Western” — with updated versions of the stagecoaches, saloons, gunslingers & heroes of the Old West moved to — why, a new LOCATION of course!

    For those who want to know more about what a Space Western is — check out: www.spacewesterns.com  And if you’d like to read a story of mine for free, For the Good of the Settlement  is item #25 in the archives.