Tolkien Transactions XII
Troels Forchhammer
April 2011
This issue of my summary of Tolkien related 'goings-on' on the 'net
is long overdue. The delay is, I hope, fully explained by the fact
that I came back from my Easter holidays (spent off-line in camp at
leaders' training with the scouts) to the announcement that Nokia is
closing down all R&D activities in Copenhagen during 2012 putting
about 950 R&D people on the street including myself. Popping up to
the surface again after this announcement, and catching up with
everything else, has unfortunately taken me until now.
For this reason, I have also chosen to limit myself rather more than
usual, and to occasionally pass on a link merely with a headline and
no further description of the contents. The items, however, still
have to fulfill the three strict criteria: 1: it has some relevance
to Tolkien, 2: I have seen it, and 3: I've decided that it's
interesting enough to pass it on here.
As always, disclaimers apply about newness, completeness and
relevance (or any other implication of responsibility) :-)
= = = = News = = = =
Tyler Kepner, N.Y. Times, Saturday, 30 April 2011, "R.A. Dickey's
Well-Named Arsenal"
<http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/30/r-a-dickeys-well-named-arsenal/>
<http://preview.tinyurl.com/44r9hm7>
Along with this piece:
Ben Yakas, Monday, 8 May 2011, "Is This The Greatest NY Times
Correction Of All Time?"
<http://gothamist.com/2011/05/08/is_this_the_greatest_ny_times_corre.php>
<http://preview.tinyurl.com/3ttzq98>
Just a bit of a laugh, really ;-)
Josh Vogt, Monday, 18 April 2011, "Open enrollment for online
courses on J.R.R. Tolkien and Middle Earth"
<http://www.examiner.com/tolkien-in-national/open-enrollment-for-online-course-on-j-r-r-tolkien-and-middle-earth>
<http://preview.tinyurl.com/5wp9n35>
Not really sure that I want to advertise this -- mostly because I'll
be terribly envious of anyone who do participate in Dimtra Fimi's
on-line courses from the University of Wales :-)
John di Bartolo, Tuesday, 19 April 2011, "MyMiddle-earth.com: More
than a remnant of the faithful!"
<http://www.examiner.com/lord-of-the-rings-online-in-national/mymiddle-earth-com-more-than-a-remnant-of-the-faithful>
<http://preview.tinyurl.com/5syme2u>
= = = = Essays and Scholarship = = = =
BC, Saturday, 9 April 2011, "Tolkien's Notion Club Papers
completed... (a speculative treatment)"
<http://notionclubpapers.blogspot.com/2011/04/tolikiens-notion-club-papers-completed.html>
<http://preview.tinyurl.com/65nnnz4>
Bruce Charlton here gives his best guess at how a hypothetical
finished version of the Notion Club Papers might have looked like.
Interesting idea with some clever commentary regardless of whether
one agrees or not.
JF, Thursday, 14 April 2011, "Umlaut and Tolkien"
<http://lingwe.blogspot.com/2011/04/umlaut-and-tolkien.html>
<http://preview.tinyurl.com/6bjqswc>
If you think that the Germanic i-mutation is a challenge, then
Jason's essay, complete with examples from Tolkien's work, is a
great help.
BC, Thursday, 14 April 2011, "Tolkien as a Lucid Dreamer of Faery"
<http://notionclubpapers.blogspot.com/2011/04/tolkien-as-lucid-dreamer-of-faery.html>
<http://preview.tinyurl.com/6kkkslj>
A bit speculative, I'd say, but still possible . . .
JF, Wednesday, 20 April 2011, "Early responses to "Goblin Feet""
<http://lingwe.blogspot.com/2011/04/early-responses-to-goblin-feet.html>
<http://preview.tinyurl.com/3cfuvbw>
Very interesting!
BC, Thursday, 28 April 2011, "Can *elves* repent?"
<http://notionclubpapers.blogspot.com/2011/04/can-elves-repent.html>
<http://preview.tinyurl.com/66mvszn>
JF, Friday, 29 April 2011, "Ye, Yea, Yay, Yeah"
<http://lingwe.blogspot.com/2011/04/ye-yea-yay-yeah.html>
<http://preview.tinyurl.com/68lxhd5>
Jason lays down the law regarding ye, yea, yay and yeah -- and nay,
ye need not fear that I am kidding you (even more oddly it appears
that ye / you swapped sense, gramatically, in the change from Middle
English to (Early-ish) Modern English -- my use is, I believe,
Middle English).
= = = = Announcements and Reviews = = = =
H&S, Sunday, 10 April 2011, "The Art of _The Hobbit_"
<http://wayneandchristina.wordpress.com/2011/04/10/the-art-of-the-hobbit/>
<http://preview.tinyurl.com/3m46pmx>
Perhaps the most important bit of news this April -- Wayne and
Christina will be publishing a book titled _The Art of "The
Hobbit"_. From the comments it is evident that I am not the only one
looking very much forward to this book. See also
H&S, Friday, 15 April 2011, "The Hobbit 75th Anniversary"
<http://wayneandchristina.wordpress.com/2011/04/15/the-hobbit-75th-anniversary/>
<http://preview.tinyurl.com/6xolefm>
Josh Vogt, Tuesday, 19 April 2011, "The Tolkien Professor announces
upcoming Exploring the Hobbit book"
<http://www.examiner.com/tolkien-in-national/the-tolkien-professor-announces-upcoming-exploring-the-hobbit-book>
<http://preview.tinyurl.com/6aawrpo>
Another promising-looking book coming out in association with the
75th anniversary of _The Hobbit_.
PC, Tuesday, 26 April 2011, "The History of the Hobbit: Revised and
Updated One Volume Edition"
<http://www.tolkienlibrary.com/press/994-The_History_of_The_Hobbit_One_Volume.php>
<http://preview.tinyurl.com/6javsdr>
PC, Wednesday, 27 April 2011, "Tolkien publications for 2011 by
Harper Collins - Q&A with David Braw"
<http://www.tolkienlibrary.com/press/995-Interview_David_Brawn_Tolkien_2011.php>
<http://preview.tinyurl.com/6dlzu3b>
= = = = Other Stuff = = = =
JF, Tuesday, 5 AprilL 2011, "Another last-minute conference
schedule"
<http://lingwe.blogspot.com/2011/04/another-last-minute-conference-schedule.html>
<http://preview.tinyurl.com/3c5f64p>
Anyone knowing the annual Tolkien conference at the University of
Vermont? Anyone who knows of a report of this year's conference?
Sean Kirst, Thursday, 7 April 2011, "Tolkien Reading Day 2011: Green
trees, great books, old friends"
<http://www.syracuse.com/kirst/index.ssf/2011/04/tolkien_reading_day_2011_green.html>
<http://preview.tinyurl.com/6gyjqp9>
A report from a Tolkien Reading Day event.
JDR, Tuesday, 12 April 2011, "A Day at Marquette"
<http://sacnoths.blogspot.com/2011/04/day-at-marquette.html>
<http://preview.tinyurl.com/5tbza9k>
One day I'd like to be able to spend a day -- or maybe a few --
doing Tolkien research at the Marquette . . .
JF, Wednesday, 13 April 2011, "A Description of C.S. Lewis's Lost
Aeneid"
<http://lingwe.blogspot.com/2011/04/description-of-cs-lewiss-lost-aeneid.html>
<http://preview.tinyurl.com/6f4hmgm>
AK, Friday, 15 April 2011, "EXCLUSIVE: Q&A Interview with Dr.
Dimitra Fimi"
<http://www.middleearthnews.net/2011/04/dr.html>
<http://preview.tinyurl.com/5wa6zzd>
A moderately interesting interview with links to some very
interesting articles by Fimi, a couple of which are available for
free.
LS, Saturday, 16 April 2011, "A Small Tolkienish/Old English thang"
<http://theruminate.blogspot.com/2011/04/small-tolkienishold-english-thang.html>
<http://preview.tinyurl.com/5wrer3q>
DB, Thursday, 28 April 2011, "it's the bashers again"
<http://calimac.livejournal.com/520977.html>
David Bratman responds to the claim of 'racial essentializing' of
_The Lord of the Rings_. All I can say is 'Well said!' Or, in
Danish, 'Godt brølt, løve!' (Well roared, lion!)
BC, Saturday, 30 April 2011, "NCPs and The Dark Tower by C.S.
Lewis"
<http://notionclubpapers.blogspot.com/2011/04/ncps-and-dark-tower-by-cs-lewis.html>
<http://preview.tinyurl.com/3qrrvlv>
A comment on the possible connections between Tolkien's _The Notion
Club Papers_ and Lewis' posthumously published _The Dark Tower_.
= = = = Web Sites = = = =
Middle-earth Network
<http://middleearthnetwork.com/>
My Middle-earth
<http://mymiddle-earth.com/>
Middle-earth News
<http://www.middleearthnews.net/>
= = = = Sources = = = =
John D. Rateliff (JDR) -- "Sacnoth's Scriptorium"
<http://sacnoths.blogspot.com>
Jason Fisher (JF) -- "Lingwë -- Musings of a Fish"
<http://lingwe.blogspot.com>
Michael Drout (MD) -- "Wormtalk and Slugspeak"
<http://wormtalk.blogspot.com/>
Wayne G. Hammond & Christina Scull (H&S) -- "Too Many Books and
Never Enough"
<http://wayneandchristina.wordpress.com/>
Pieter Collier (PC) -- "The Tolkien Library"
<http://www.tolkienlibrary.com/>
Douglas A. Anderson (DAA) et Al. -- "Wormwoodiana"
<http://wormwoodiana.blogspot.com>
Corey Olsen (CO), "The Tolkien Professor"
<http://www.tolkienprofessor.com>
David Bratman (DB), "Calimac"
<http://calimac.livejournal.com/>
Larry Swain (LS), "The Ruminate"
<http://theruminate.blogspot.com>
'Wellinghall', "Musings of an Aging Fan"
<http://wellinghall.livejournal.com>
Various, 'The Northeast Tolkien Society' (NETS), "Heren Istarion"
<http://herenistarionnets.blogspot.com>
Bruce Charlton (BC), "Tolkien's The Notion Club Papers"
<http://notionclubpapers.blogspot.com/>
Andrew Higgins (AH), "Wotan's Musings"
<http://wotanselvishmusings.blogspot.com>
Sam Bosma (SB), "Sam Blogsma"
<http://sambosma.blogspot.com/>
John Howe (JH), "John Howe"
<http://www.john-howe.com/news/>
Various, The Mythopoeic Society
<http://www.mythsoc.org>
Troels Forchhammer (TF), "Parmar-kenta"
<http://parmarkenta.blogspot.com>
Arwen Kester (AK), "Middle-earth News"
<http://www.middleearthnews.net/>
_Mythprint_ -- 'The Monthly Bulletin of the Mythopoeic Society'
<http://www.mythsoc.org>
_Amon Hen_ -- the Bulletin of the Tolkien Society
<http://www.tolkiensociety.org/>
- and others
--
Troels Forchhammer <troelsfo(a)googlewave.com>
Valid e-mail is <troelsfo(a)gmail.com>
Please put [AFT], [RABT] or 'Tolkien' in subject.
If quantum mechanics hasn't profoundly shocked you, you
haven't understood it yet.
- Niels Bohr (1885-1962)
Steve Morrison
> Tyler Kepner, N.Y. Times, Saturday, 30 April 2011, "R.A. Dickey's
> Well-Named Arsenal"
> <http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/30/r-a-dickeys-well-named-arsenal/>
> <http://preview.tinyurl.com/44r9hm7>
> Along with this piece:
> Ben Yakas, Monday, 8 May 2011, "Is This The Greatest NY Times
> Correction Of All Time?"
> <http://gothamist.com/2011/05/08/is_this_the_greatest_ny_times_corre.php>
> <http://preview.tinyurl.com/3ttzq98>
> Just a bit of a laugh, really ;-)
Re the baseball player with the esoterically-named bats,
I like this writeup better:
http://www.gotmedieval.com/2011/05/tolkienists-1-medievalists-0.html
It seems the history of Orcrist was not his only error, but
it was the one which got corrected promptly!
Stan Brown
> I came back from my Easter holidays (spent off-line in camp at
> leaders' training with the scouts) to the announcement that Nokia is
> closing down all R&D activities in Copenhagen during 2012 putting
> about 950 R&D people on the street including myself.
Troels, I'm so sorry. In these economic times losing a job is doubly
terrifying, because getting another tends to be much more difficult
than formerly. I wish you the best , and I hope you find another and
maybe even a better position soon.
--
Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Tompkins County, New York, USA
http://OakRoadSystems.com
Tolkien FAQs: http://Tolkien.slimy.com (Steuard Jensen's site)
Tolkien letters FAQ:
http://mysite.verizon.net/aznirb/mtr/lettersfaq.html
FAQ of the Rings: http://oakroadsystems.com/genl/ringfaq.htm
Encyclopedia of Arda: http://www.glyphweb.com/arda/default.htm
more FAQs: http://oakroadsystems.com/genl/faqget.htm