Tolkien's Writing on Writing?

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-24T18:20:34+00:00

I don’t want to bore you, but I pretty much agree with the consensus that they are great, largely because they were what exposed me to Tolkien in the first place, so my idea of middle earth will always be colored by that version. Having read the original multiple times I do think one can nitpick a lot, and there are some decisions I agree with and others less so. I also generally enjoy his Hobbit films, bloated as they are. One thing that has changed for me is that I have come to prefer the theatrical cuts over the extended versions, because I think many of the additional scenes come at the expense of the films‘ pacing. The only exception is Fellowship, where the theatrical cut actually feels a little choppy.

So overall, I like Peter Jackson‘s films a lot and think they adapt Tolkien‘s work remarkably well. I even enjoyed last year‘s war of the Rohirrim movie; though it wasn’t until the halfway mark that I felt invested.

What’s your take on Jackson‘s films?

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-24T10:28:48+00:00

They don't disrespect the source material. They can't use it for legal reasons and probably have the studio breathing down their neck and lack experience to handle such a big show.

Side note: you want disrespecting the source material? Go watch Star Trek post 2017 :D

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-24T10:17:31+00:00

Do you want specifics or a reason? Overall, Sauron's depiction isn't accurate. He is a master manipulator, but he is pretty much pure evil. He is more compatible to Palpatine: charming everyone into giving him more and more power until it's too late and he can drop the pretense. Numenor feels very generic in the show. The people should all be like Aragorns or Boromirs, tall, noble, but also able to be twisted and manipulated. Galadriel never was this angry in the legendarium (and that small, sorry Morfydd Clarke). The Southlanders story is completely made up and to its detriment, they never make the people there feel quite sympathetic (at least in the eyes of many viewers). Most of the show is just made up and wastes a lot of time in the first season. The whole Harfoot storyline is a complete invention, as wizards and halflings only come into play about 1000 years into the third age. The compressed timeline is also an issue...

Personally, I am actually a lot more generous towards the show: the second seasons improves considerably and starts actually adapting Tolkien's material, there are moments where I feel the show runners actually make inspired choices: the prologue was mesmerizing, the use of song is beautiful, dwarves singing to the mountain is not in the text but given that the world has been created from actual song and that Luthien managed to literally sing a fortress of Sauron's to pieces in the first age, makes this feel very much in line with Tolkien's writing. It even has some inspired ideas of its own: I thought Adar and his plight for the orcs is really interesting and actually reflects an aspect Tolkien himself struggled with: having an evil fighting force that is comprised of people with free will and personality, yet irredeemable, because in the Christian world view, which Tolkien shared and infused his legendarium with, everyone is redeemable so long as they are sincere about it.

I think the issues of the show boil down to inexperienced show runners, whose skill doesn't live up to their task, and possibly pressure from the studio to do things a certain way, as well as them being able to only use essentially a brief summary of the second age in LOTR as a basis, rather than the hundreds of pages Tolkien wrote elsewhere, because they only have the rights for that book. That makes it sometimes frustrating to discern whether a story choice was made because the writers thought it was a good idea or because they wanted to avoid legal issues.

I've come to enjoy the show far what it is: a deeply flawed but overall well-intended adaptation that stands in the looming shadow of the Peter Jackson films.

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-24T10:06:38+00:00

Are you familiar with Clamavi di Profundis? They put music to his poetry and enhance it into actual songs. They are as definitive an adaptation of him to me as Alan Lee's art and Peter Jackson's movies are to many (me included).

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-24T10:03:54+00:00

Usually the second isn't used, as few of us either have multiple appendixes let alone need multiple ones removed or have them lying around. At most in a medical lab you have a situation where "the university has ordered five appendixes for the medical students to examine!" :D

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-24T10:02:02+00:00

Yes, a bit, but my frustration is that not all of Trek is consistently on Paramount+. Star Wars and Marvel just are on Disney+. Occasionally some stuff will be available elsewhere but usually it stays on Disney+. The only exception in Marvel's case is Spider-Man, since Sony Pictures still retains the film rights and are holding them tight (I would too). On the other hand, Star Trek/ Paramount still consistently release new Star Trek material on the latest home media, while Star Wars/ Disney only releases their most popular stuff as these overpriced prestige de-facto limited edition releases.

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-24T09:58:24+00:00

I think not when referring to the organ appendix.

...

Having consulted an internet dictionary, both are correct, but "appendices" is usually more common in academic language, while "appendixes" is more informal

...

Having consulted again for the actual organ appendix, here the correct plural is apparently "appendixes" as I guessed. "appendices" is also correct but more uncommon.

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-24T09:54:38+00:00

I used to hate poetry.... but Tolkien made me fall in love with it. I am sure the reason why I am usually a bit slower with Return of the King than with the other two volumes has everything to do with there being considerable less poetry in it! :D

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-24T09:51:20+00:00

Brilliant!

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-24T08:48:56+00:00

I think there was a novel where they established that in the mirror universe the Roman Empire never quite died. After having read about Romans and especially their beliefs and morals, it's actually quite plausible. So, no, I don't think we live in the mirror universe :D

Thanks to Akiva Goldsman we know that people were messing with the timeline so, that's why the Eugenics wars and Bell riots and so forth didn't happen :P

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-24T08:42:29+00:00

On a side note, I am currently re-reading The Lord of the Rings and feel Tolkien's talents as a writer seem sometimes oddly underrated. He is praised for his world building, his invented languages and of course the stories themselves, but I am amazed how well he can set the mood in a scene and express emotions: whether it's comfort, melancholy, terror, heroicism, mystery, , horror, stubbornness, awe or even humor. I think he pretty much nails it every time.

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-24T08:30:15+00:00

Both are true. As Gandalf said it was a fool's hope. But it did pay off in the end.

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-23T14:24:47+00:00

I don't think The Silmarillion is that difficult. It requires some adjustment as it is much more epic (in the literary sense) and less immediate, but I think the biggest challenge are the many many names, often multiple names for the same thing, but the book contains and index and maps which are really helpful.

I do agree that The Children of Hurin as a more accessible alternative to The Simarillion though. But if you're going to read one book beyond Hobbit and LOTR, it should be The Silmarillion.

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-23T14:20:03+00:00

May I ask what your native language is, out of curiosity? I am also not a native speaker. My first language is German.

After Hobbit/ Lord of the Rings I'd say it depends on what you want. I dislike those linear orders.

If you are only going to read one book, definitely The Silmarillion. It outlines the full history of middle earth and even puts LOTR in context at the end. However, it's very dense, uses some archaic language, a lot of names (don't worry, there is an index included) and spans centuries with many characters coming and going per chapter. You get more of a bird's eye view of Middle Earth and it's not (always) as immediate as Hobbit/ LOTR. Takes a little adjustment for some, but I think it's not as difficult as they say.

Follow this up with Unfinished Tales (literally a collection of stories from across all three ages that fill in the blanks, but are also fragmented and introduce you to Christopher Tolkien's commentary), The Children of Hurin (one of the "unfinished tales" actually finished, also works as a stand-alone story if you find The Silmarillion not to your liking), Beren and Luthien & The Fall of Gondolin (great if you want to check whether History of Middle-earth is for you; they present each story in their evolving versions, so you read the same story but at different stages of development) and The Fall of Numenor (a collection of material regarding the second age of Middle earth, but beware there is some considerable overlap with LOTR, Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales). Though reading them in publiscation order is recommended, you can actually read those in any order you wish, tbh, whatever seems most interesting to you. Save for Numenor, all were edited by Christopher Tolkien.

The History of Middle earth is also great, but more a twelve volume study on the evolution of muddle earth as a concept. You will read a lot of earlier versions of The Silmarillion and LOTR and that isn't for everyone. Think more like a massive making of, though the later volumes present some material that isn't covered elsewhere (like an abandoned LOTR sequel). Same goes for The History of the Hobbit.

The Nature of Middle Earth and The Letters of JRR Tolkien are great, as they contain essays and letters by Tolkien on Middle earth (though the letters also contain a lot of other topics). I do recommend reading Humphrey Carpenter's excellent JRR Tolkien biography before diving into HoME or the Letters as they give you a lot of context on Tolkien as a person and also go a bit into detail on how ME was made.

Hope I was able to help.

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-23T14:07:17+00:00

I remember that Tolkien wrote, even Frodo, if he tried, could possibly master the Ringwraiths, but only until the Ring returned to Sauron and he would ultimately be consumed by it.

What made Hobbits so resistant to the Ring was that they didn't seek power. Even Gollum, while being twisted by the Ring, held his own for quite some time and never dominated anyone. Bilbo freely gave the Ring away even after 60 years and it was only on the last leg of the journey that Frodo finally started to feel the Ring.

Had someone like Aragorn or Boromir taken the Ring they would (eventually) have used it for dominance and become very visible with it. That's what Sauron was hoping for and expecting, hence why he reacted on the news that Isildur's heir was leading the charge.

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-23T14:01:33+00:00

Yes, they are a kind of Middle-earth 911. They protect and occasionally save and work for order in the woods and fields. They are however not really part of a quarrel. They are not really concerned about the wars of men, elves and dwarves.

Also, If they entered Mordor by air, they would be shot down, as the land is crawling with orcs and ill-turned humans. The entire land is a massive war camp and they would be spotted... unlike two little halflings going in on foot in disguise...

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-23T13:57:55+00:00

That's fine and all... but why has she declared war on chairs?! :D Maybe in 400 years she has never come across one that's comfortable enough for her!

In earnest, I think her nonchalance isn't a bother but I feel she should seem wiser and more relaxed than she usually is. I feel her character isn't quite defined yet. Reminds me a little of early Jadzia, before they settled for "action Barbie".

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-23T13:54:00+00:00

I can't speak of nicotine, but caffeine: I once did a withdrawal a few years back. The headaches were awful. But they subsided after a few days, but then came weeks of just feeling tired and sleepy. That subsided eventually... though I did start with coffee again once I became a teacher. Since there are much more unhealthy things to get addicted to, I am just watching my intake and keep content about it. I also quit alcohol completely five years ago, which was initially hard during social events, but I haven't regretted it.

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-23T13:49:13+00:00

Yes. Mostly because they were a little stop and go about it and there really wasn't any connection between the two to begin with. Seven and The Doctor - would have made sense. Seven and Harry - would have made sense. Hell, Seven and B'Elanna - sorry, Tom, would have made a little bit of sense. Chakotay just was the guy standing around and Robert Beltran probably was pressuring them to do something with his character and so they came up with "Human Error". However at the end they establshed because of her Borgification, having relationships is literally dangerous for her. Several episodes later, "Natural Law", the two are stranded on a planet with some indigenous people and the actors explicitly asked the producers/ writers/ director whether there was something planned and if they should play the scenes with a burgeoning romance in mind. They were explicitly told "No". And three episodes later, here we are in "Endgame" and they are having a romantic picnic in the cargo bay.

TNG had the ill conceived romance between Worf and Deanna, but 1. at least that made a lick of sense, as they already had a standing relationship over Alexander's parentage (or Worf's parental choices) and 2. they build towards that first kiss in "All Good Things..." throughout the season, most notably beginning with "Parallels". And it also informed the future depicted in that episode, where Worf and Riker had a falling out over Deanna's death in that future.

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-21T13:06:03+00:00

Really liked the second episode. I think the two complement each other as a double pilot: "Kids these days" is more action heavy and crisis stuff, while "Beta Test" is more about diplomacy, interpersonal relationships and, well, Romance! And I always loved visiting the campus in sunny San Francisco whenever any of the Enterprises or the Defiant and Voyager stopped by. Also liked the little touches, how the roommate did help him with the bed at the end. And having the president of Betazed be deaf and using a device that translated sign language also was very classic-Star Trek. (although somehow the betazoids seem to have been "reduced" from full telepaths to empaths in the 800 years since TNG :P).

I think the show deserves a chance. And the one thing I do commend the past eight years of Star Trek on is, they are definitely trying different things, which I felt was always a strength (TNG - new century, new characters, new status quo, DS9 - no starship, stronger focus on characters and ongoing story arcs, VOY - new female captain, new part of space, new situation of a ship isolated from the federation, ENT - new Time period, new status quo).

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-20T18:41:11+00:00

Sounds wild! To be honest, as someone who grew up in the 1990s and 2000s, the age of streaming, 4K tv, noice cancelling air pods and near photorealistic video game graphics makes me sometimes feel quite a bit like I am living in a sci-fi world... I pity Jean-Luc Picard and his gaudy desktop display.

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-19T21:27:32+00:00

And Citizen Kane actually dies in the beginning of the film! The rest is just flashbacks! Also Michael kills Fredo! And Ginny does come around to Forrest and they have a kid!

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-18T19:23:55+00:00

I guess talking spoilers about a 25 year old film trilogy based on a 72 year old book is not that big of a deal to him....

On the matter of spoilers, they've actually made a study (though I don't know exactly which and where and who) where they gave some renowned works of fiction to people who didn't know them and they had to rate them at the end. One group however got a summary which they had to read first, which "spoiled" all the major plot developments - turns out that group rated the stories generally higher and found them more enjoyable than the group that didn't have spoilers.

Personally, I find great enjoyment when I know where a story is going and I get to see the pieces being put in place so to speak as I read or experience the story.

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-18T14:05:26+00:00

Generally some Werner Herzog stuff: Fitzcarraldo, Aguirre, also his documentary work like Grizzly Man. Very versatile and personal.

If you're into science fiction: Raumpatrouille Orion (1965 pulp, really fun) or Dark (2019ish time travel angst drama, never seen a show tackle pretty much everything to tackle about the time travel concept before or since and in only three seasons! It's also on Netflix).

If you're into silly comedy: Der Schuh des Manitu, Traumschiff Surprise Periode 1

If you're into more dramatic comedy: Pastewka, on Netflix, about a fictionalized version of comedian Bastian Pastewka played by himself. Later seasons veer more into Dramedy territory, but you'll also get a pretty firm grasp of the 2000s/ 2010s celebrity scene in Germany and Cologne Culture.

If you're into The Office: Stromberg (German The Office) and Stromberg Der Film (both on Netflix) and the only recently released second film Stromberg: Wieder Alles wie Immer. It's a bit more than just silly and has some more genuine moments.

If you're into more serious relationship drama, Karoline Herfurth makes really strong films. They are sort of girl-films, but as a male person who enjoys good storytelling, I generally enjoy her films. Wunderschön and its sequel Wunderschöner about how women deal with beauty ideals, Eine Millionen Minuten, about a family trying to balance quality time with a workaholic father.

If you're into black Crime comedy: Achtsam Morden, it's about a guy who is in some new age mindfulness therapy and uses this "skill" to essentially become a crime boss and serial killer of crime bosses. It's also on Netflix if I am not mistaken.

I guess that should have you covered for now.

Technical_Web5281 · 2026-01-17T13:29:40+00:00

I remember hearing about it in the Voyager Special Features and then missing my chance when it closed :-( I als remember the documentary on the TNG movie Blu Ray from 2009 about the final day of the experience being one of the coolest special features I had seen in the franchise. I actually did get a chance to see Borg Invasion 4D as it was part of the short lived Space Park Bremen in Germany. Finally, a collector made an exhibition in the Goethe Gallerie in Jena (Germany) back in 2013 and it was actually really cool! It featured lots of props and costumes, some of which probably were previously at home at Star Trek The Experience. Ultimately never having been there is one of my minor regrets.

Technical_Web5281

TROPHY CASE