cottage of lost play

Finglas · 12-26-2001, 11:08 AM

I got 'The Book of Lost Tales' for Christmas this year. I'm about half way through 'The Cottage of Lost Play' and I am thoroughly confused. How is it connected with The Simarillion? Does it get better, or am I doomed to be reading a pointless book?

Ñólendil · 12-26-2001, 10:24 PM

'Pointless' depends on what you're looking for. The Book of Lost Tales is not a book about The Silmarillion, nor does it really take place in the same world. It is the predecessor of the Silmarillion, in that it eventually 'evolved' into it. The narrative anyway, the Book of Lost Tales as you have probably noticed contains helpful (when you get used to it) notes from Christopher Tolkien. It's to be enjoyed on it's own merits and/or as a study of the building blocks that yielded the geat mythology we are familiar with in The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings.

Personally, at least at the moment I don't have the patience to appreciate it for its own merits, and I am not very much interested in the building blocks.

Treebeard's apprentice · 12-27-2001, 12:07 AM

I also got the Book of Lost Tales for Christmas this year. I probably won't start it for a while, though. I have so many other books to finish!

Michael Martinez · 12-31-2001, 04:26 AM

I found that it was a great sleeping aid the first five years I tried to read it. Some people have better luck than that and get through it on their first attempt.

The closest connection between The Book of Lost Tales and The Silmarillion is the fact that Christopher Tolkien had to derive the second half of "Of Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin" from "The Fall of Gondolin" story which appears in the second volume of The Book of Lost Tales.

FrodoFriend · 01-03-2002, 10:40 PM

I just got the Book of Lost Tales out the library and am loving it, but it is a little confusing. The notes are really helpful though, and the whole story of the Creation and the Ainur and Melko has me enthralled. It's sort of hard to keep the Elves straight . . . they have so many names and live in so many places . . . But it's really interesting to learn more about Middle Earth.

Michael Martinez · 01-03-2002, 10:50 PM

The Book of Lost Tales is not set in Middle-earth. It's set in England and nearby lands.

FrodoFriend · 01-04-2002, 09:59 PM

I thought Middle Earth was supposed to be Europe & England . . . wasn't the whole point of creating M-E to create a mythology that deals with England? I'm fairly sure that that was Tolkien's original purpose. Besides, a lot of the characters and beings in Lost Tales are the same as in other Middle Earth books (Tinuviel, Balrogs, Gondolin, etc.)
I'm almost positive that Lost Tales is Middle Earth. It's sort of a precursor to the Silmarillion, and I hope we're all agreed that that takes place in M-E?

Michael Martinez · 01-04-2002, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by FrodoFriend
[B]I thought Middle Earth was supposed to be Europe & England . . . wasn't the whole point of creating M-E to create a mythology that deals with England?

No. Middle-earth is the entire world. The name itself is quite old, coming from Old English and having cognates (words of similar meaning and derivation evolving along parallel paths of linguistic progression) in Old Norse and other related languages.

The mythology for England was strictly The Book of Lost Tales, which is set in England, and provides mythical explanations for English/Irish geography.

The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion comprise a wholly separate mythology, which is "English" because it was devised by an Englishman who incorporated some English customs and nomenclature into it.

And the characters of The Book of Lost Tales are NOT the same as the characters from the later mythologies. They have the same names, and their stories are similar, but they are different characters from different mythologies.

FrodoFriend · 01-05-2002, 06:15 PM

Oh well. I'll just pretend it's Middle Earth and the characters are the same. Much more fun.

12-26-2001, 11:08 AM	#1
Finglas Enting Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: here, there, everywhere Posts: 88	cottage of lost play I got 'The Book of Lost Tales' for Christmas this year. I'm about half way through 'The Cottage of Lost Play' and I am thoroughly confused. How is it connected with The Simarillion? Does it get better, or am I doomed to be reading a pointless book? __________________ If you don't eat your meat, you can't have any pudding! How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat?!

12-26-2001, 10:24 PM	#2
Ñólendil Elf Lord Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: California Posts: 60,865	'Pointless' depends on what you're looking for. The Book of Lost Tales is not a book about The Silmarillion, nor does it really take place in the same world. It is the predecessor of the Silmarillion, in that it eventually 'evolved' into it. The narrative anyway, the Book of Lost Tales as you have probably noticed contains helpful (when you get used to it) notes from Christopher Tolkien. It's to be enjoyed on it's own merits and/or as a study of the building blocks that yielded the geat mythology we are familiar with in The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings. Personally, at least at the moment I don't have the patience to appreciate it for its own merits, and I am not very much interested in the building blocks. __________________ Falmon -- Dylan

12-31-2001, 04:26 AM	#4
Michael Martinez Elven Loremaster Join Date: Feb 2000 Posts: 892	I found that it was a great sleeping aid the first five years I tried to read it. Some people have better luck than that and get through it on their first attempt. The closest connection between The Book of Lost Tales and The Silmarillion is the fact that Christopher Tolkien had to derive the second half of "Of Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin" from "The Fall of Gondolin" story which appears in the second volume of The Book of Lost Tales. __________________ http://www.xenite.org/faqs/lotr_movie/ http://www.michael-martinez.com/ http://www.merp.com/essays/MichaelMartinez/

01-03-2002, 10:40 PM	#5
FrodoFriend Halfwitted Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Eryn Vorn Posts: 1,659	I just got the Book of Lost Tales out the library and am loving it, but it is a little confusing. The notes are really helpful though, and the whole story of the Creation and the Ainur and Melko has me enthralled. It's sort of hard to keep the Elves straight . . . they have so many names and live in so many places . . . But it's really interesting to learn more about Middle Earth. __________________ Fingolfin lives! ... in my finger! The Crossroads of Arda - Warning. Halfwit content. Not appropriate for people with IQ of over 18. The Fellowship of the Message Board Nyáréonié - The Tale of Tears

01-03-2002, 10:50 PM	#6
Michael Martinez Elven Loremaster Join Date: Feb 2000 Posts: 892	The Book of Lost Tales is not set in Middle-earth. It's set in England and nearby lands. __________________ http://www.xenite.org/faqs/lotr_movie/ http://www.michael-martinez.com/ http://www.merp.com/essays/MichaelMartinez/

12-27-2001, 12:07 AM	#3
Treebeard's apprentice Elven Warrior Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Wherever I may roam Posts: 207	I also got the Book of Lost Tales for Christmas this year. I probably won't start it for a while, though. I have so many other books to finish!

01-04-2002, 09:59 PM	#7
FrodoFriend Halfwitted Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Eryn Vorn Posts: 1,659	I thought Middle Earth was supposed to be Europe & England . . . wasn't the whole point of creating M-E to create a mythology that deals with England? I'm fairly sure that that was Tolkien's original purpose. Besides, a lot of the characters and beings in Lost Tales are the same as in other Middle Earth books (Tinuviel, Balrogs, Gondolin, etc.) I'm almost positive that Lost Tales is Middle Earth. It's sort of a precursor to the Silmarillion, and I hope we're all agreed that that takes place in M-E? __________________ Fingolfin lives! ... in my finger! The Crossroads of Arda - Warning. Halfwit content. Not appropriate for people with IQ of over 18. The Fellowship of the Message Board Nyáréonié - The Tale of Tears

01-05-2002, 06:15 PM	#9
FrodoFriend Halfwitted Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Eryn Vorn Posts: 1,659	Oh well. I'll just pretend it's Middle Earth and the characters are the same. Much more fun. __________________ Fingolfin lives! ... in my finger! The Crossroads of Arda - Warning. Halfwit content. Not appropriate for people with IQ of over 18. The Fellowship of the Message Board Nyáréonié - The Tale of Tears

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