Blurt! — Sben

Blurt! — Sben
pile.org

The Return of the King, for all its various virtues, was the volume with most of the racist characterizations we think of as we reevaluate Tolkien — not just the Haradrim and Easterlings, but even some of his depictions of orcs cross the line. Important to be aware of flaws in a work, even (or especially) if you otherwise love it.

Also

Finished rereading The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien, including the appendices.

It turns out I haven’t read all the appendices, or had thoroughly forgotten some of them. I like to think that everybody should read them, but … well, they’re not part of the main story for a reason.

— 9/25/2023 7:55pm ∞
Finished rereading The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Another thing I’ve noticed on this reread is that my mental images of the locations are very different. Tolkien’s descriptions seem very clear, and I don’t know why or how I could ever have imagined things as I did in the past, and I don’t think my current images are influenced by the movies in any meaningful way. Curious!

— 9/10/2023 9:54am ∞
Speaking of sagas, this is very much a book that wants to be read aloud.

— 8/27/2023 3:11pm ∞
Finished rereading The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien, part one of The Lord of the Rings as I’m sure I don’t need to tell you, for something like the twentieth time.

One thing that strikes me from this reading is how economical it is — seriously! — with the important exception of the poetry, which felt self-indulgent. Pay attention to how much happens in any given chapter, and how short that chapter is compared to how it would have been written by a modern author. Inner lives of the characters, and even much of the outer lives, are pared down, leaving us with the scope of an epic.

— 8/27/2023 10:17am ∞
Finished reading Crook Manifesto by Colson Whitehead, a followup to Harlem Shuffle, and equally delightful.

— 8/14/2023 9:42am ∞