More Homage to Tolkien Tuesday, Aug 28 2007 

Uncategorized loveofbooks 10:14 am

Another Aspect of Genius

Aside from the previously discussed aspect of genius of J.R.R. Tolkien, there
is another aspect which deserves to be addressed. In fact no homage payed to the
mighty author can be complete without mentioning this aspect as well. I am
referring to the university level academic studies from which Tolkien derived
his stories. As you may or may no know, Tolkien was a university professor and
his creations express his academic tendencies as well.

A Literary Creation

For his stories, Tolkien created at least one language (elvish) and perhaps
others (although he certainly provides us with words in other languages, it is
difficult to claim that there are enough words to commit to a language). The
language he created was the product of his careful academic research. It was
derived from all that he had learnt regarding the development of ancient
languages. The ballads written in the Lays of Beleriand are styled after
different classic works such as the Iliad of Homer and Beowulf. Since he was
creating a world, he had to have legends as all people have. Hence, Tolkien
wrote the Silmarillion, a brilliant work that is a blend of stories resembling
Greek legend and the Bible. Tolkien even wrote legends styled after folk stories
that are designed to explain the ways of nature. For example, why dogs hate cats
or why the course of the moon is erratic. This combination of a study of the
history of literature and a weave of his own inventions, make the works of
Tolkien something that can be read and used as a mirror for studying
mankind.

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Something About Harry Potter Monday, Aug 20 2007 

Uncategorized loveofbooks 10:25 am

A Good Book Blog

In order to keep this blog a quality one, I decided I could not possibly ignore the Harry Potter books. This is especially true in light of the final book of the series having recently come to print. Before I continue, I must admit that although I have read every other book in the series, I have not read the most recent one yet. My comments are addressed at the whole series and not at a specific book.

I Enjoyed the First Few

I must admit that I actually enjoyed the first few books of the series very much. The ideas described by J. K. Rowling were fresh and fun. The style was a light one seemingly intended for children. It was quite refreshing to read a new style of fantasy replete with all the classic components of epic fantasy while written as if for children. The only thing about the first few books in the series that was not exactly ‘for children’ was the impressive length of some of the books. This made them books that were perhaps more suitable as something that the parents could read to their children with everyone enjoying themselves. This was a quality the fantasy genre certainly lacked.

Then Things Began to Change

After the first three books in the series, the stories began to take on a more serious tone. The battle between light and dark became more intense. Characters that were once clearly depicted as good or bad, became less clear. People began to die and the fantasy became less childish and more epic. This, in my opinion, lowered the quality of the storytelling significantly and helped me become disappointed with the whole series. Things only got worse as the story progressed and the fifth and sixth books were published.

 

Tolkien and Lord of the Rings Thursday, Aug 9 2007 

Uncategorized loveofbooks 12:49 pm

The Genius of Tolkien

Although in the past almost everyone had read the works of Tolkien, the
trilogy has seen recent resurgence thanks to the famous films. Perhaps this
comes a little late in it’s timing because everyone has already seen the films
and discussed the author. Even so I would like to point out a special aspect of
the world of Tolkien that is often overlooked.

An Entire World

When Tolkien weaves his fantasy story of magic, war and heroes, he is doing
far more than simply telling a good story. In fact, Tolkien in his genius found
it necessary for his story to take place in an existing world. This is not to
say that Middle Earth actually exists. Rather that it existed in a very
consistent and complete form in the imagination of the author. Many authors
invent detailed histories for the characters that they write about. Much of this
history may never surface in the book or may appear only as hints. for the
author, though, the character has attained an existence beyond the area of the
pages upon which he appears. It was not enough for Tolkien that
his characters should have detailed histories and tales. He created an entire
world and thus his entire world had to have detailed histories and legends.
Clues to this genius creation of an entire world can be seen in many
of the works published by Christopher Tolkien. An example that I like to cite is
a part of a song mentioned in the Lord of the Rings which appears in it’s
entirety in The Lays of Beleriand. Indeed, so great is this creation that even
after reading everything we posses of the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien, we can
only guess at the extent of this spectacular creation.

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Welcome to my Blog Thursday, Aug 2 2007 

Uncategorized loveofbooks 10:43 am

Welcome to my book blog. In this blog you will be able to read all about different authors, books and stories which I have read. I will voice my opinion relentlessly and sometimes I may include spoilers for those of you who have never read the stories. I will also provide insights of my own and literary commentary that you may find fascinating. You are of course welcome to comment on my blog as you see fit.I have always wanted to write about the many books I have read. I also have always enjoyed looking for the really deep insights that can be found in almost any tale worth telling. There is at least one great truth to be found in any good story and I always take pleasure in exposing those truths which I find. At times these truths might offend someone or someone’s personal beliefs. If this occurs, please accept my sincerest apologies. I believe that each person is entitled to his own beliefs. Please remember that no one is required to read this if they find it offensive or otherwise annoying.

Genres to be Covered

I am a very eclectic reader so expect practically any possible genre imaginable to be discussed at some point. My religious inclinations prevent me from discussing genres of immodesty though, so for those who are reading this blog for literary enjoyment, you are in luck! My religious inclinations also mean that I will occasionally discuss religious literature. Again, I hope that you will find my thoughts insightful and not offending.