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01-11-2005, 05:04 PM
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#1 |
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Fëanorophobic
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Between the pages of a book
Posts: 1,417
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On Tolkien's sense of Humor
Lotr and the Sil. are such serious and "grand" works. But through subtle hints here and there you can feel that Tolkien enjoyed a great sense of humor (like with Sam's troll song) and that sense of humor can be seen in some of his letters: he knew someone by the name of T. W. Earp, so he nicknamed him "the original twerp"!
 That said, the Sil. doesn't contain that much humor (at least the Tolkien version of it ) So do you think that this sense of humor was inherent to Tolkien or was it just a literary device to lighten in the mood in some of the darker parts of Lotr? IOW, was Tolkien the stereotypical college professor, or was he a funny guy? |
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01-11-2005, 05:43 PM
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Advocatus Diaboli
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Reality
Posts: 3,767
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my favorite humorous moment is with aragorn and the old lady about the kingsfoil in "houses of the healing"... we get to see some classic gandalf and aragorn sarcasm
 i think that particular part was put in to lighten the mood after the battle and theoden's death
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Your reality, sir, is lies and balderdash and I'm delighted to say that I have no grasp of it whatsoever. |
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01-11-2005, 06:26 PM
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Elven Warrior
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Canada
Posts: 256
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Quote:
I think Tolkien says in the prologue to LotR or something that he had a very simple sense of humour that his publishers (i think) sometimes found tiresome. PS what does IOW mean?
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Earendel arose where the shadow flows At Ocean's silent brim; Through the mouth of night as a ray of light Where the shores are sheer and dim He launched his bark like a silver spark From the last and lonely sand; Then on sunlit breath of day's fiery death He sailed from Westerland |
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01-11-2005, 06:27 PM
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#4 |
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Elven Warrior
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: I dwell in possibility.
Posts: 247
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Inherent to Tolkien.
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"...then how shall I Revive the dying tones of minstrelsy, Which linger yet about lone gothic arches, In dark green ivy, and among wild larches?" Interdum feror cupidine partium magnarum Europae vincendarum. |
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01-11-2005, 10:30 PM
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#5 |
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AngAdan
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Boerne, Texas
Posts: 856
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Sam cousin Halfast (or Half-ast) that sees giant creature waling around in North farthing.
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Gaius Mucius Scaevola Older, richer, and wiser than you "Mighty are the Ainur, and mightiest among them is Melkor, but that he may know, and all the Ainur, that I am Iluvatar, those things that ye have sung, I will show them forth, ... And thou, Melkor, shalt see that no theme may be played that hath not its uttermost source in me," |
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01-11-2005, 11:35 PM
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Head Hollara
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Texas
Posts: 751
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It's largely the book's format... it differs a lot from his other works, which generally had much more dialogue and detailed interaction. The Silmarillion gives us a whole lot of names and places and details in a compressed format.
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01-11-2005, 11:54 PM
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Elven Warrior
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: I dwell in possibility.
Posts: 247
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Quote:
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"...then how shall I Revive the dying tones of minstrelsy, Which linger yet about lone gothic arches, In dark green ivy, and among wild larches?" Interdum feror cupidine partium magnarum Europae vincendarum. |
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01-12-2005, 01:09 AM
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the Shrike
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: San Francisco, CA <3
Posts: 10,647
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Quote:
 Hewwwooooo!!!!  You back?
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"Binary solo! 0000001! 00000011! 0000001! 00000011!" ~ The Humans are Dead, Flight of the Conchords |
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01-12-2005, 09:29 AM
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#9 |
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The Supreme Lord of The Northern Eagles
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: trondheim, norway
Posts: 1,388
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if you had spent more time spamming the Welcome new members thread BoP, you would have known
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Don't Panic! |
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01-12-2005, 03:05 PM
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#10 |
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Elf Lord
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Darkness
Posts: 1,211
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There's humor in there... Dry, dessicated, english humor...
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I have harnessed the shadows that stride from world to world to sow death and madness... Queer haow a cravin' gits a holt on ye -- As ye love the Almighty, young man, don't tell nobody, but I swar ter Gawd thet picter begun ta make me hungry fer victuals I couldn't raise nor buy -- here, set still, what's ailin' ye? ... |
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01-12-2005, 03:54 PM
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#11 | |
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Fëanorophobic
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Between the pages of a book
Posts: 1,417
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Quote:
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01-12-2005, 04:30 PM
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#12 |
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Elf Lord
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Darkness
Posts: 1,211
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You'll have to cite your references for that one...
Puns, wordplay and so forth are exactly what I would classify as "dry"... That doesn't mean I don't appreciate or even enjoy it. I can appeciate a desert landscape... though I may not want to walk across it. Sand in my knickers and all..
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I have harnessed the shadows that stride from world to world to sow death and madness... Queer haow a cravin' gits a holt on ye -- As ye love the Almighty, young man, don't tell nobody, but I swar ter Gawd thet picter begun ta make me hungry fer victuals I couldn't raise nor buy -- here, set still, what's ailin' ye? ... |
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01-12-2005, 04:44 PM
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#13 |
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Elf Lord
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: sikeston, MO, usa, earth, sol
Posts: 3,114
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Well, BH, to expect non-punning humour on the part of a philologist IS A BIT MUCH, don't you think?
To pun or not to pun? Anglaise or Anglo-Saxon QUEST -i- on Vouched Shakespearean! Humour Olympian!!
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Inked "Aslan is not a tame lion." CSL/LWW "The new school [acts] as if it required...courage to say a blasphemy. There is only one thing that requires real courage to say, and that is a truism." GK Chesterton "And there is always the danger of allowing people to suppose that our modern times are so wholly unlike any other times that the fundamental facts about man's nature have wholly changed with changing circumstances." Dorothy L. Sayers, 1 Sept. 1941 |
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01-12-2005, 04:49 PM
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#14 |
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the Shrike
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: San Francisco, CA <3
Posts: 10,647
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Are you wearing my knickers again?
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"Binary solo! 0000001! 00000011! 0000001! 00000011!" ~ The Humans are Dead, Flight of the Conchords |
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01-12-2005, 04:56 PM
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#15 |
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Elf Lord
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Darkness
Posts: 1,211
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Only the pair you left in my van of evil...
Oh yes people, do not be fooled. Evil drives a van. A big black monster van... with red sparklies.... By the way, were those your knee-hi boots too? because they do not fit me at all.
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I have harnessed the shadows that stride from world to world to sow death and madness... Queer haow a cravin' gits a holt on ye -- As ye love the Almighty, young man, don't tell nobody, but I swar ter Gawd thet picter begun ta make me hungry fer victuals I couldn't raise nor buy -- here, set still, what's ailin' ye? ... Last edited by Blackheart : 01-12-2005 at 05:05 PM. Reason: What, you want speling? from evil?! foolish mortal. |
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01-12-2005, 05:00 PM
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#16 |
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Elf Lord
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: sikeston, MO, usa, earth, sol
Posts: 3,114
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Hope you two are having .......(p)un!
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Inked "Aslan is not a tame lion." CSL/LWW "The new school [acts] as if it required...courage to say a blasphemy. There is only one thing that requires real courage to say, and that is a truism." GK Chesterton "And there is always the danger of allowing people to suppose that our modern times are so wholly unlike any other times that the fundamental facts about man's nature have wholly changed with changing circumstances." Dorothy L. Sayers, 1 Sept. 1941 |
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01-12-2005, 05:20 PM
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#17 | |
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Elven Warrior
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: I dwell in possibility.
Posts: 247
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Quote:
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"...then how shall I Revive the dying tones of minstrelsy, Which linger yet about lone gothic arches, In dark green ivy, and among wild larches?" Interdum feror cupidine partium magnarum Europae vincendarum. |
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01-12-2005, 06:17 PM
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#18 |
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Elf Lord
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: sikeston, MO, usa, earth, sol
Posts: 3,114
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Well, if you are going to be PUNctilious, I shall PUNt on the PUNs for now!
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Inked "Aslan is not a tame lion." CSL/LWW "The new school [acts] as if it required...courage to say a blasphemy. There is only one thing that requires real courage to say, and that is a truism." GK Chesterton "And there is always the danger of allowing people to suppose that our modern times are so wholly unlike any other times that the fundamental facts about man's nature have wholly changed with changing circumstances." Dorothy L. Sayers, 1 Sept. 1941 |
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01-12-2005, 07:35 PM
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#19 | |
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Swan-Knight of Dol Amroth
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: On the Bay of Belfalas
Posts: 1,125
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Quote:
Inked, thank the Lord. He who would make a pun would pick a pocket. Or steal a pair of pants.
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"What song the Sirens sang, or what name Achilles assumed when he hid himself among women, though puzzling questions are not beyond conjecture." - Sir Thomas Browne, Urn Burial. |
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