Tolkien
posted by Sophie at 11:45 PM
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Saturday, April 30, 2005
My Tolkien paper 1/ Tolkien and the Anglo-Saxon (read for oral trad. content)
Among all of the influences which the work of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien is attributed to, that of the Anglo-Saxon language and history is one of the most prominent. When compared with old forms of literature and myth, the Old English style shows itself frequently throughout the entire collection of Tolkien’s works, whether it be in names of people, places or things. His vast interest in this field of study is essential to look at to understand his message to modern society. Tolkien, a man in the wrong century, was greatly influenced by the Anglo-Saxon as portrayed in the way he lived his life, through his education and teaching, and through the themes and ideas in his works.
At a young age J.R.R. Tolkien already had a taste for languages, so strong that he constructed several of his own, the first of which was elvish. He made up all of the languages used in the Middle-Earth of The Silmarillion, which are rooted in the old Northern European language. This interest of course stemmed from Tolkien having grown up in Great Britain, thought the history of the nation is what ruled his patriotism. He learned how to read Old English and several other ancient European languages. In school, he is remembered as having talked some of his professors into translating ancient Norse in their spare time.
Tolkien’s interest in philology led him to first start work for the New English Dictionary, and in Oxford he became a tutor. Later he worked at Leeds, and eventually became a Professor of Anglo-Saxon in 1925 at Oxford. Here he taught a required Anglo-Saxon class and is as always, much remembered for his speaking style and great lectures. Later on he rose to the position of Merton Professor of English.
While Tolkien did not publish many of his most famed works during his lifetime, he became a renowned in his field. Through his lectures, his translations and some of his early books and critical pieces, he earned for himself a reputation for being one of the greatest English scholars of his time. We see his love for Old English in his lectures on Beowulf, “The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm’w Son,” Exodus and Gawain and the Green Knight, to name a few. These pieces also show the incredible amount of history and linguistics studied by Tolkien as a scholar.
“When he lectured, he did so in the dramatic manner of an Anglo-Saxon bard in a mead hall. W.H. Auden wrote to Tolkien: ‘What an unforgettable experience it was for me as an undergraduate, hearing you recite Beowulf. The voice was the voice of Gandalf.’” (booksfactory)
Anglo-Saxon themes run rampant through Tolkien’s works. When Tolkien wrote The Lord of the Rings, he tried to think of himself translating the story from another language. Norman F. Cantor mentioned that, “Tolkien claimed that he imagined first the language, then the story of the long journey and quest (epic) in that language” (Tompkins). The Anglo-Saxon language that he based his writing on, was spoken until
the Norman Invasion in 1066. The language later evolved to Middle English, spoken in Chaucer and the Canterbury Tales, and then to Modern English around Shakespeare’s time.
Tolkien’s use of runes is an interesting form of writing as well in that though they were firstly Germanic, then later evolved and were used all over Europe. The spread of the Christian faith and Roman/Latin alphabet diminished the use of runes though the so-called, “pagans” continued to use them. The Druid religion especially relied on them, though this led to their persecution by the Christians (Smith 3). In his books, Tolkien used the Anglo-Saxon Runes in The Hobbit for maps and graphics and more importantly for the dwarves. The moon-runes are particularly fun and fascinating, for they are only visible when the moon-light shines upon them, sometimes at a specific time and date.
In the Middle-earth books, Tolkien uses the race of dwarves to symbolize the Anglo-Saxon culture. They are the race that loves gold and riches, they are rough and loud and valiant. They have the mead-halls and are the conquerors of the Celts (the reason for the tension between the dwarves and the elves the books). These are all attributes apparently shared by the Anglo-Saxons, which also occur in the literature of their time period.
“Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics,” by Tolkien, is one of the most renowned essay’s (lectures) on Beowulf, the first English epic and the most celebrated poem of Old Engish. In the essay, he staunchly protects the book against all critics who would look it from a merely historical and factual view point. He says that only literary
and philological critics could be given any credit when commenting on 17th century Beowulf because it is a work of art, not a historical document.
The Anglo-Saxon themes in Tolkien’s writing are most prominent in The Silmarillion, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. A strong Anglo-Saxon theme runs through the books as they describe a world of epic heroes, forgotten glories and quests for the triumph of good over evil. Mead-halls, funeral songs and epic battles are prevalent in the books, as they frequented the Anglo-Saxon history. Also an interesting topic; Bilbo the hobbit steals a goblet from the dragon in the book, The Hobbit. A similar occurance happens in Beowulf when a cup is also stolen from a dragon. While Tolkien never said that Bilbo and the dragon was based on the story of Beowulf and the dragon, he did mention that, “Beowulf is among my most valued sources” (Carpenter, 31).Looking through the events in Tolkien’s books, it is easy to spot the stories repeated here and there from many forms of Old English literature.
Tolkien’s creation of Arda and the language used there is definitely related to Beowulf. The name of Beorn, the shape-shifting character in The Hobbit, is used in Beowulf and means warrior or hero. Of course it also comes out of Norse mythology and means “bear.” “Middan-geard,” out of Beowulf means “Middle-Earth,” which is also referenced in Exodus. Orc-neas, meaning “Evil Shades” in Old English, is the root word for the Middle-Earth creature, the orc. The people of Rohan were given Anglo-Saxon names such as Eowyn and Folcwine and the dwarves of course were also gifted with such titles.
The most important elements and characters are also shown in these sources. “Lo! We have heard how near and far over middle-earth Moses declared his ordinances to men…” (Exodus, 21) This is the first line of The Old English Exodus, translated by Tolkien. Can it be any more apparent how much influence Old English had on Tolkien’s work? Also, the line from Exodus, “I am that I am,” shows up in The Hobbit when Gandalf says, “I am Gandalf and that is me,” when he turns up at Bilbo’s door. This important Christian document in the skilled hands of Tolkien turns into a beautiful translation that is very different than the Exodus we get in today’s religious learning. This version is rife with the Anglo-Saxon tradition, just reading it directly from Old English puts the reader back in a time of valor, battles and ritual.
While Tolkien uses ancient languages such as Norse, Greco-Roman and Norm, Anglo-Saxon takes the cake when it comes to the most used source for his works. Looking at all of his work, Tolkien’s skill at manipulating the language and history to fit his own myths is fascinating. He is a true genius as is recognized by scholars the world over when it comes to philology. His delicacy with the words such as keeping “dwarfs” and “elfen,” to what he thought should be their true form: “dwarves” and “elven,” is amazing to see because it shows how important the language is to him. Even the personalities and relationships that he gives to his fantasy races is all derived from the historical races of the cultures he’s basing them on: Celt, Anglo-Saxon, and of course Modern English society. Tolkien’s work with Old English literature and myth gives him
the qualification to take it and twist it so that modern day people can get a taste of a vanished and valuable culture.
At a young age J.R.R. Tolkien already had a taste for languages, so strong that he constructed several of his own, the first of which was elvish. He made up all of the languages used in the Middle-Earth of The Silmarillion, which are rooted in the old Northern European language. This interest of course stemmed from Tolkien having grown up in Great Britain, thought the history of the nation is what ruled his patriotism. He learned how to read Old English and several other ancient European languages. In school, he is remembered as having talked some of his professors into translating ancient Norse in their spare time.
Tolkien’s interest in philology led him to first start work for the New English Dictionary, and in Oxford he became a tutor. Later he worked at Leeds, and eventually became a Professor of Anglo-Saxon in 1925 at Oxford. Here he taught a required Anglo-Saxon class and is as always, much remembered for his speaking style and great lectures. Later on he rose to the position of Merton Professor of English.
While Tolkien did not publish many of his most famed works during his lifetime, he became a renowned in his field. Through his lectures, his translations and some of his early books and critical pieces, he earned for himself a reputation for being one of the greatest English scholars of his time. We see his love for Old English in his lectures on Beowulf, “The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm’w Son,” Exodus and Gawain and the Green Knight, to name a few. These pieces also show the incredible amount of history and linguistics studied by Tolkien as a scholar.
“When he lectured, he did so in the dramatic manner of an Anglo-Saxon bard in a mead hall. W.H. Auden wrote to Tolkien: ‘What an unforgettable experience it was for me as an undergraduate, hearing you recite Beowulf. The voice was the voice of Gandalf.’” (booksfactory)
Anglo-Saxon themes run rampant through Tolkien’s works. When Tolkien wrote The Lord of the Rings, he tried to think of himself translating the story from another language. Norman F. Cantor mentioned that, “Tolkien claimed that he imagined first the language, then the story of the long journey and quest (epic) in that language” (Tompkins). The Anglo-Saxon language that he based his writing on, was spoken until
the Norman Invasion in 1066. The language later evolved to Middle English, spoken in Chaucer and the Canterbury Tales, and then to Modern English around Shakespeare’s time.
Tolkien’s use of runes is an interesting form of writing as well in that though they were firstly Germanic, then later evolved and were used all over Europe. The spread of the Christian faith and Roman/Latin alphabet diminished the use of runes though the so-called, “pagans” continued to use them. The Druid religion especially relied on them, though this led to their persecution by the Christians (Smith 3). In his books, Tolkien used the Anglo-Saxon Runes in The Hobbit for maps and graphics and more importantly for the dwarves. The moon-runes are particularly fun and fascinating, for they are only visible when the moon-light shines upon them, sometimes at a specific time and date.
In the Middle-earth books, Tolkien uses the race of dwarves to symbolize the Anglo-Saxon culture. They are the race that loves gold and riches, they are rough and loud and valiant. They have the mead-halls and are the conquerors of the Celts (the reason for the tension between the dwarves and the elves the books). These are all attributes apparently shared by the Anglo-Saxons, which also occur in the literature of their time period.
“Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics,” by Tolkien, is one of the most renowned essay’s (lectures) on Beowulf, the first English epic and the most celebrated poem of Old Engish. In the essay, he staunchly protects the book against all critics who would look it from a merely historical and factual view point. He says that only literary
and philological critics could be given any credit when commenting on 17th century Beowulf because it is a work of art, not a historical document.
The Anglo-Saxon themes in Tolkien’s writing are most prominent in The Silmarillion, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. A strong Anglo-Saxon theme runs through the books as they describe a world of epic heroes, forgotten glories and quests for the triumph of good over evil. Mead-halls, funeral songs and epic battles are prevalent in the books, as they frequented the Anglo-Saxon history. Also an interesting topic; Bilbo the hobbit steals a goblet from the dragon in the book, The Hobbit. A similar occurance happens in Beowulf when a cup is also stolen from a dragon. While Tolkien never said that Bilbo and the dragon was based on the story of Beowulf and the dragon, he did mention that, “Beowulf is among my most valued sources” (Carpenter, 31).Looking through the events in Tolkien’s books, it is easy to spot the stories repeated here and there from many forms of Old English literature.
Tolkien’s creation of Arda and the language used there is definitely related to Beowulf. The name of Beorn, the shape-shifting character in The Hobbit, is used in Beowulf and means warrior or hero. Of course it also comes out of Norse mythology and means “bear.” “Middan-geard,” out of Beowulf means “Middle-Earth,” which is also referenced in Exodus. Orc-neas, meaning “Evil Shades” in Old English, is the root word for the Middle-Earth creature, the orc. The people of Rohan were given Anglo-Saxon names such as Eowyn and Folcwine and the dwarves of course were also gifted with such titles.
The most important elements and characters are also shown in these sources. “Lo! We have heard how near and far over middle-earth Moses declared his ordinances to men…” (Exodus, 21) This is the first line of The Old English Exodus, translated by Tolkien. Can it be any more apparent how much influence Old English had on Tolkien’s work? Also, the line from Exodus, “I am that I am,” shows up in The Hobbit when Gandalf says, “I am Gandalf and that is me,” when he turns up at Bilbo’s door. This important Christian document in the skilled hands of Tolkien turns into a beautiful translation that is very different than the Exodus we get in today’s religious learning. This version is rife with the Anglo-Saxon tradition, just reading it directly from Old English puts the reader back in a time of valor, battles and ritual.
While Tolkien uses ancient languages such as Norse, Greco-Roman and Norm, Anglo-Saxon takes the cake when it comes to the most used source for his works. Looking at all of his work, Tolkien’s skill at manipulating the language and history to fit his own myths is fascinating. He is a true genius as is recognized by scholars the world over when it comes to philology. His delicacy with the words such as keeping “dwarfs” and “elfen,” to what he thought should be their true form: “dwarves” and “elven,” is amazing to see because it shows how important the language is to him. Even the personalities and relationships that he gives to his fantasy races is all derived from the historical races of the cultures he’s basing them on: Celt, Anglo-Saxon, and of course Modern English society. Tolkien’s work with Old English literature and myth gives him
the qualification to take it and twist it so that modern day people can get a taste of a vanished and valuable culture.
posted by Sophie at 11:28 PM
0 comments
My paper- Orality in Tolkien
“…and they sang before him and he was glad…
they saw a new world…
Behold your music, this is your minstrelsy…”
(Silmarillian 17, Iluvatar)
J.R.R. Tolkien wrote the stories of Middle-Earth to construct a literary forum for his numerous fields of study. Middle-Earth was about his studies, his ideals, and his beliefs, a reflection of a world where humans evolved from their cultural origins. Of these origins, Tolkien found the orality of humanity very important to the world. Tolkien looked back into our societal roots at the people and stories that existed in what we call primitive times, when an oral culture flourished with knowledge and creativity and a memory that is astonishing. Tolkien himself took an acute interest in the people of ancient northern Europe, who were a primary-oral culture. He fashioned his own fantasy world into this same type of environment, where knowledge and memory lives in song, poetry, riddles, and any type of verse to be carried on through time. In Tolkien’s books nestles a fantastical civilization, modeled after real historical cultures, full of the oral tradition in form, style, history, and creativity.
A primary-oral culture is one in which writing does not exist. All information, knowledge and history is put into complex verse and then learned by those whose job it is to carry on the tradition.
Thinking of oral tradition or a heritage of oral performance, genres and styles as ‘oral literature’, is rather like thinking of horses as automobiles without wheels. You can, of course, undertake to do this. Imagine writing a treatise on horses (for people who have never seen a horse) which starts with the concept not of a horse but of ‘automobile’, built on the readers’ direct experience of automobiles. It proceeds to discourse on horses by always referring to them as ‘wheelless automobiles’, explaining to highly automoblized readers who have never seen a horse all the points of difference in an effort to excise all idea of ‘automobile’ out of the concept of ‘wheelless automobile’ so as to invest the term with a purely equine meaning. (Ong, 12)
Of course, Middle-earth is not a world of primary-orality, but the enormous amount of orality used suggests that it was in the beginning. It is only in the modern ages of Middle-Earth that writing has any significance at all. The oral tradition was still prevalent in the books though, and the main source for historical, worldly knowledge, and the society’s emotional center of the people of Middle-Earth.
There are certain elements that go into epic verse and smaller poems that is used to help remember information and make it more accessible to the listener. Almost all of Tokien’s verse have this basic primary-oral form. These methods of memorization or “memory keys,” are used to remember stories such as Beowulf or Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The most obvious oral memory keys are repetition, rhythm, epithets, the story within the story, and back-looping.
Repetition is used to ingrain a word or theme into a person’s mind by using it over and over again. Add rhythm and word patterns to this, and the audience gets an easily remembered musical sense of the verse. Epithets, proverbs, and clichés are all used so that a listener can grasp at a recognizable concept. Stories within stories (like Russian dolls-within-dolls or Chinese puzzle boxes) are interconnected, one story leading to another, which leads again to another. The stories flow into each other and necessitate others being told in conjunction. Back-looping is when the storyteller constantly moves back and forth from beginning to end, from repeating idea after idea, so that the audience does not forget the origin of the tale. These are all tricks used in oral cultures, all which Tolkien uses in the poetry of Middle-Earth.
These forms can be observed in such verse as “The Road Goes Ever On,” a poem sung by Bilbo and Frodo in the books. Bilbo is the first who recites it in The Hobbit. A poem written by Tolkien long before the his books, it is a classic song of traveling and returning. Several times it is spoken by Bilbo, and later by Frodo who absorbs and adapts it in The Lord of the Rings. Each time it is performed there are minor changes in the verse to fit accordingly with situation, the place and time, and the audience to whom it is sung.
This is another colorful and important aspect of orality. With the changing of the storyteller, the story changes according to the person’s viewpoint, creative style, and emotional relation to the moment. The performer also modernizes it in a fashion. He adapts the vocabulary so it is digestible, making sure it relates to the audience.
For an oral culture learning or knowing means achieving close, empathetic, communal identification with the known… Writing separates the knower from the known and thus sets up conditions for ‘objectivity’ in the sense of personal disengagement or distancing. (Ong 45)
Finally, the audience needs to be able to understand the verse itself, so it must be made compelling and simple. Again, this can be seen throughout “The Road Goes Ever On” and many other verses of Middle-Earth.
There is writing in Tolkien such as dwarf runes, the library at Isengard, and the historical scrolls. In fact, almost all races have a written language. Even so, Tolkien obviously finds it very important to manifest the oral culture within Middle-Earth. He knows the significance of orality in the linguistic history of Old English culture which he is using. Being a professor of linguistics, Tolkien took a special interest in northern European cultures. The Anglo-Saxons, the Goths, the Normans, to name a few, were people that he intensely studied.
Tolkien himself has played a major role by working with the literature that came out of the orality of the time. He translated the Anglo-Saxon Exodus as well as Gawain and the Green Knight and The Homecoming of Beortnoth, Beorhthelm’s Son, among others. He also taught this genre, giving famous lectures and writing ingenious essays on stories such as Beowulf and The Pearl. The cultures that created these stories revolved around their use of songs and chant. There is always the vivid image of the Anglo-Saxon men in mead halls, bursting with songs of valor, heroism, honor, death, and triumph. We can definitely see these characteristics in the race of the Rohirim, the dwarves and in the men of Gondor.
In the world of Middle-earth, language has actual physical power. Tolkien, always a scholar and a Catholic, was well-versed in religion and the Bible. He might have taken religious ideas into account when he gave language this power. The story of the people of Babel, who were unified with one common language, built a tower to heaven, and when God discovered this He smote it down and in his wrath. He then divided the language of the people so that they could never again attain such power. In this way, when God took away language, He took away power.
Also, in the event of one people conquering another, there is always the factor of how to integrate them into the new society so that they cannot unify and revolt. So, the Egyptians took away the language of the Jews. The English made it illegal for the Irish, the Scots, and the Welsh to speak or write in their own language thus, the language was forgotten. With the loss of language comes the loss of stories and therefore history. Thus, the culture is stripped of its very essence and instead mixed with the new. How can a people unite if they no longer have individuality and freedom. Without language, how can they remember who they are? It is in Tolkien’s books that this power is played out.
When Gandalf speaks at the Council of Elrond, his words are power. As Gandalf speaks the language of Mordor, it actually has a real effect. He has conjured an evil through the language.
“The change in the wizard’s voice was astounding. Suddenly it became menacing, powerful, harsh as stone. A shadow seemed to pass over the high sun, and the porch for a moment grew dark. All trembled, and the Elves stopped their ears.” (Tolkien, 248)
A damned language such as this dark Elvish, might manifest the very evil itself, and the elves, knowing this were angry with Gandalf for having endangered them all.
Names also hold power in Tolkien’s works. Another biblical explanation for this might be that in the Bible; God does not even say his own name, but instead says “I am.” Nor are his worshippers alowed to say his name; even in modern times the Christian will not “take the Lords name in vain.” To do this may invoke the wrath of God. When Christ wants to hold political sway, he calls upon the names of his forefathers: David, Abraham, Adam, so that he may have their power, though he too incurs their sins. Gandalf always refers to characters by their names and then the names of their father, such as; “Gimli son of Gloin.” Names are always of importance in Tolkien. To give a name is to give the recipient power over you. To be given a name is to take on the characteristics of that name. Gollum “Sneak” becomes a sneak; “Strider” becomes “Wind-walker,” as he must travel quickly.
When Gollum is caught by the agents of the dark-lord, with torture he is forced to utter through his grimy lips, “Baggins!” and “Shire!” With these words the evil-doers can then locate the ring and start on their journey. Another example is when Thingol, Luthien’s father, curses Beren in The Silmarillion. Beren refuses to take the names onto himself when Thingol does this. “Death you can give me earned or unearned; but names I will not take from you of baseborn, nor spy, nor thrall.” (The Silmarillion, 167) In this way, Thingol’s names cannot define being of Beren.
Of course, the real importance of orality that jumps to mind when the history of Middle-earth comes to mind is its creation. Eru/Iluvatar makes the Ainur/Valar who sing Arda/Middle-earth into existence. Through each of their individual melodies, the three harmonies create the world. The power of song is the power of creation. This makes it quite apparent then, how song and orality is based in the very existence of the earth.
Orality is used throughout history whether it is to invoke evil and good, to mourn or to remember people and events past. Interestingly enough, many of the songs, lays, poems or riddles are related to actual real English lore. Old nursery rhymes and fairy tales are woven into the orality of Middle-earth, as if that is where they originated in the first place, or maybe to demonstrate where all fairy tales come from. In The Silmarillion, when Luthien is trapped in her house, she uses her long hair to escape, like the story of Rapunzel. The Middle-earth song, “The Man on the Moon Came Down too Soon,” is a longer and more descriptive version of “Hey Diddle Diddle, the Cat and the Fiddle.”
Tolkien seems to revere the origins of oral culture to a high degree, whether that is because of his love of language or his study of primary oral culture. It shows up in every single one of his written works and in his oral dialogue. In inventing this fictional oral culture, he has again conjured admiration for the oral tradition. In every song and story in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, the reader is sent down a road of history, into the heart of the world.
they saw a new world…
Behold your music, this is your minstrelsy…”
(Silmarillian 17, Iluvatar)
J.R.R. Tolkien wrote the stories of Middle-Earth to construct a literary forum for his numerous fields of study. Middle-Earth was about his studies, his ideals, and his beliefs, a reflection of a world where humans evolved from their cultural origins. Of these origins, Tolkien found the orality of humanity very important to the world. Tolkien looked back into our societal roots at the people and stories that existed in what we call primitive times, when an oral culture flourished with knowledge and creativity and a memory that is astonishing. Tolkien himself took an acute interest in the people of ancient northern Europe, who were a primary-oral culture. He fashioned his own fantasy world into this same type of environment, where knowledge and memory lives in song, poetry, riddles, and any type of verse to be carried on through time. In Tolkien’s books nestles a fantastical civilization, modeled after real historical cultures, full of the oral tradition in form, style, history, and creativity.
A primary-oral culture is one in which writing does not exist. All information, knowledge and history is put into complex verse and then learned by those whose job it is to carry on the tradition.
Thinking of oral tradition or a heritage of oral performance, genres and styles as ‘oral literature’, is rather like thinking of horses as automobiles without wheels. You can, of course, undertake to do this. Imagine writing a treatise on horses (for people who have never seen a horse) which starts with the concept not of a horse but of ‘automobile’, built on the readers’ direct experience of automobiles. It proceeds to discourse on horses by always referring to them as ‘wheelless automobiles’, explaining to highly automoblized readers who have never seen a horse all the points of difference in an effort to excise all idea of ‘automobile’ out of the concept of ‘wheelless automobile’ so as to invest the term with a purely equine meaning. (Ong, 12)
Of course, Middle-earth is not a world of primary-orality, but the enormous amount of orality used suggests that it was in the beginning. It is only in the modern ages of Middle-Earth that writing has any significance at all. The oral tradition was still prevalent in the books though, and the main source for historical, worldly knowledge, and the society’s emotional center of the people of Middle-Earth.
There are certain elements that go into epic verse and smaller poems that is used to help remember information and make it more accessible to the listener. Almost all of Tokien’s verse have this basic primary-oral form. These methods of memorization or “memory keys,” are used to remember stories such as Beowulf or Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The most obvious oral memory keys are repetition, rhythm, epithets, the story within the story, and back-looping.
Repetition is used to ingrain a word or theme into a person’s mind by using it over and over again. Add rhythm and word patterns to this, and the audience gets an easily remembered musical sense of the verse. Epithets, proverbs, and clichés are all used so that a listener can grasp at a recognizable concept. Stories within stories (like Russian dolls-within-dolls or Chinese puzzle boxes) are interconnected, one story leading to another, which leads again to another. The stories flow into each other and necessitate others being told in conjunction. Back-looping is when the storyteller constantly moves back and forth from beginning to end, from repeating idea after idea, so that the audience does not forget the origin of the tale. These are all tricks used in oral cultures, all which Tolkien uses in the poetry of Middle-Earth.
These forms can be observed in such verse as “The Road Goes Ever On,” a poem sung by Bilbo and Frodo in the books. Bilbo is the first who recites it in The Hobbit. A poem written by Tolkien long before the his books, it is a classic song of traveling and returning. Several times it is spoken by Bilbo, and later by Frodo who absorbs and adapts it in The Lord of the Rings. Each time it is performed there are minor changes in the verse to fit accordingly with situation, the place and time, and the audience to whom it is sung.
This is another colorful and important aspect of orality. With the changing of the storyteller, the story changes according to the person’s viewpoint, creative style, and emotional relation to the moment. The performer also modernizes it in a fashion. He adapts the vocabulary so it is digestible, making sure it relates to the audience.
For an oral culture learning or knowing means achieving close, empathetic, communal identification with the known… Writing separates the knower from the known and thus sets up conditions for ‘objectivity’ in the sense of personal disengagement or distancing. (Ong 45)
Finally, the audience needs to be able to understand the verse itself, so it must be made compelling and simple. Again, this can be seen throughout “The Road Goes Ever On” and many other verses of Middle-Earth.
There is writing in Tolkien such as dwarf runes, the library at Isengard, and the historical scrolls. In fact, almost all races have a written language. Even so, Tolkien obviously finds it very important to manifest the oral culture within Middle-Earth. He knows the significance of orality in the linguistic history of Old English culture which he is using. Being a professor of linguistics, Tolkien took a special interest in northern European cultures. The Anglo-Saxons, the Goths, the Normans, to name a few, were people that he intensely studied.
Tolkien himself has played a major role by working with the literature that came out of the orality of the time. He translated the Anglo-Saxon Exodus as well as Gawain and the Green Knight and The Homecoming of Beortnoth, Beorhthelm’s Son, among others. He also taught this genre, giving famous lectures and writing ingenious essays on stories such as Beowulf and The Pearl. The cultures that created these stories revolved around their use of songs and chant. There is always the vivid image of the Anglo-Saxon men in mead halls, bursting with songs of valor, heroism, honor, death, and triumph. We can definitely see these characteristics in the race of the Rohirim, the dwarves and in the men of Gondor.
In the world of Middle-earth, language has actual physical power. Tolkien, always a scholar and a Catholic, was well-versed in religion and the Bible. He might have taken religious ideas into account when he gave language this power. The story of the people of Babel, who were unified with one common language, built a tower to heaven, and when God discovered this He smote it down and in his wrath. He then divided the language of the people so that they could never again attain such power. In this way, when God took away language, He took away power.
Also, in the event of one people conquering another, there is always the factor of how to integrate them into the new society so that they cannot unify and revolt. So, the Egyptians took away the language of the Jews. The English made it illegal for the Irish, the Scots, and the Welsh to speak or write in their own language thus, the language was forgotten. With the loss of language comes the loss of stories and therefore history. Thus, the culture is stripped of its very essence and instead mixed with the new. How can a people unite if they no longer have individuality and freedom. Without language, how can they remember who they are? It is in Tolkien’s books that this power is played out.
When Gandalf speaks at the Council of Elrond, his words are power. As Gandalf speaks the language of Mordor, it actually has a real effect. He has conjured an evil through the language.
“The change in the wizard’s voice was astounding. Suddenly it became menacing, powerful, harsh as stone. A shadow seemed to pass over the high sun, and the porch for a moment grew dark. All trembled, and the Elves stopped their ears.” (Tolkien, 248)
A damned language such as this dark Elvish, might manifest the very evil itself, and the elves, knowing this were angry with Gandalf for having endangered them all.
Names also hold power in Tolkien’s works. Another biblical explanation for this might be that in the Bible; God does not even say his own name, but instead says “I am.” Nor are his worshippers alowed to say his name; even in modern times the Christian will not “take the Lords name in vain.” To do this may invoke the wrath of God. When Christ wants to hold political sway, he calls upon the names of his forefathers: David, Abraham, Adam, so that he may have their power, though he too incurs their sins. Gandalf always refers to characters by their names and then the names of their father, such as; “Gimli son of Gloin.” Names are always of importance in Tolkien. To give a name is to give the recipient power over you. To be given a name is to take on the characteristics of that name. Gollum “Sneak” becomes a sneak; “Strider” becomes “Wind-walker,” as he must travel quickly.
When Gollum is caught by the agents of the dark-lord, with torture he is forced to utter through his grimy lips, “Baggins!” and “Shire!” With these words the evil-doers can then locate the ring and start on their journey. Another example is when Thingol, Luthien’s father, curses Beren in The Silmarillion. Beren refuses to take the names onto himself when Thingol does this. “Death you can give me earned or unearned; but names I will not take from you of baseborn, nor spy, nor thrall.” (The Silmarillion, 167) In this way, Thingol’s names cannot define being of Beren.
Of course, the real importance of orality that jumps to mind when the history of Middle-earth comes to mind is its creation. Eru/Iluvatar makes the Ainur/Valar who sing Arda/Middle-earth into existence. Through each of their individual melodies, the three harmonies create the world. The power of song is the power of creation. This makes it quite apparent then, how song and orality is based in the very existence of the earth.
Orality is used throughout history whether it is to invoke evil and good, to mourn or to remember people and events past. Interestingly enough, many of the songs, lays, poems or riddles are related to actual real English lore. Old nursery rhymes and fairy tales are woven into the orality of Middle-earth, as if that is where they originated in the first place, or maybe to demonstrate where all fairy tales come from. In The Silmarillion, when Luthien is trapped in her house, she uses her long hair to escape, like the story of Rapunzel. The Middle-earth song, “The Man on the Moon Came Down too Soon,” is a longer and more descriptive version of “Hey Diddle Diddle, the Cat and the Fiddle.”
Tolkien seems to revere the origins of oral culture to a high degree, whether that is because of his love of language or his study of primary oral culture. It shows up in every single one of his written works and in his oral dialogue. In inventing this fictional oral culture, he has again conjured admiration for the oral tradition. In every song and story in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, the reader is sent down a road of history, into the heart of the world.
posted by Sophie at 11:21 PM
0 comments
This is a cool site talking about the brain and memory. It has some awsome stories and examples of people with extraordinary memory gifts: http://www.exploratorium.edu/memory/
This is a great site for my beloved Isabelle Allende: http://www.isabelallende.com/
This is a great site for my beloved Isabelle Allende: http://www.isabelallende.com/
posted by Sophie at 5:22 PM
0 comments
The Brothers K and memory!
Ok here is a great essay to check out!!!
This refers to the Brothers K and how the importance of memory is brought up in the end!
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~karamazo/sheehan.html
sample:
Central to Eastern Orthodox Christendom is the singing, at the end of every Orthodox funeral, of the song known as "Memory Eternal" (in Church Slavonic: Vechnaya Pamyat). This song also concludes Dostoevsky's great, final novel, The Brothers Karamazov, when, following the funeral of the boy whom Alyosha Karamazov (and the circle of schoolboys around Alyosha) had deeply loved, Alyosha speaks to the boys about the funeral and about the meaning of the resurrection, with this brief song as their steady focus.
This refers to the Brothers K and how the importance of memory is brought up in the end!
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~karamazo/sheehan.html
sample:
Central to Eastern Orthodox Christendom is the singing, at the end of every Orthodox funeral, of the song known as "Memory Eternal" (in Church Slavonic: Vechnaya Pamyat). This song also concludes Dostoevsky's great, final novel, The Brothers Karamazov, when, following the funeral of the boy whom Alyosha Karamazov (and the circle of schoolboys around Alyosha) had deeply loved, Alyosha speaks to the boys about the funeral and about the meaning of the resurrection, with this brief song as their steady focus.
posted by Sophie at 5:06 PM
0 comments
Magical Realism and Oral Traditions
Some of my favorite books of all time fall into the category of "magical realism" (I found out this semester).
Now you may ask, how does this relate to Oral Traditions and I would answer you this:
Because when one reads a book with the element of "magical realism," one gets the feeling that a very old and wise storyteller is sitting right across the table, relating the tales of his life for you to hear. The element of reading seems to almost vanish, as the vivid detail seems to speak out loud.
I am concerned when people call it fantasy (not that I don't love to read fantasy), because magical realism is quite different while still holding the same appeal. It is more like real, practical and everyday life being expressed in a fantastical way. It does not contain any elements of a fantasy world such as magic powers, or unicorns, atleast not in a physical sense. The fantasy element in a magical realism novel is more mystery and enigma. It is stuff from peoples cultural legends- so while it may seem unreal or a tall tale, it is taken from the human life world and from the natural world.
Example: In "The House of Spirits," when the old farmer on the South American ranch deals with the ant problem, he doesn't get insecticide, he simply picks up the ant, speaks very kindly to it in his cupped palm to take his friends, and then my the next day all the ants are gone.
Or in the same novel, Clara's wild uncle picks up a puppy in a distant land and brings it back small dirty and shivering. It then grows up to be the size of a small horse and unrecognizable as any breed known.
For anyone who hasn't ventured into the world of magical realism, you should! (Especially since several very important books in this category (One Hundred Years of Solitude, Metamorphosis (Kafka)) or on our Top One Hundred list!
Here is a list I pulled off a site when I was looking a magical realism stuff:
A Long List -
Aitmatov, Chingiz (USSR) The Day Lasts More Than A Hundred Years [fg]
Alexie, Sherman (?) Reseration Blues [np]
Allende, Isobel (Chile) House of the Spirits [np]
Allende, Isobel (Chile) Love and Shadows [fg]
Beagle, Peter (US) A Fine and Private Place [ew]
Bell, Douglas Mojo and the Pickle Jar [ew]
Billias, Stephen The Quest for the 36 [ew]
Bisson, Terry (US) Talking Man [ew]
Blaylock, James (US) All the Bells on Earth [ew]
Blaylock, James (US) The Digging Leviathan [ts]
Blaylock, James (US) Night Relics [ew]
Blaylock, James (US) Paper Grail [ew]
Blaylock, James (US) The Last Coin [ew]
Blaylock, James (US) The Rainy Season [ew]
Blaylock, James (US) Winter Tides [ew]
Bradbury, Ray (US) Dandelion Wine [ew]
Bradbury, Ray (US) [others] [ew]
Bulgakov, Mikhail (Russia) The Master and Margarita [sm]
Byatt, A. S. (UK) The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye [ew]
Cabell, James Branch (US) The Cream of the Jest [ew]
Cabell, James Branch (US) [others] [ew]
Calvino, Italo (Italy) Numbers in the Dark [ew]
Calvino, Italo (Italy) The Watcher & Other Stories [ew]
Carey, Peter (Australia) Illywhacker [fg]
Carroll, Jonathan (UK) [ew,gec]
Carter, Angela (UK) Burning Your Boats: The Collected Short Stories [soh]
Carter, Angela (UK) Nights at the Circus [fg,np,soh]
Castillo, Anna (?) So Far from God [np]
Chamoiseau, Patrick (?) Texaco [np]
Charnas, Suzy McKee (US) Dorothea Dreams [ew]
Cheever, John (US) "The Swimmer" [rm]
Chesterton, G. K. (UK) The Man Who Was Thursday [ew]
Crowley, John (US) Little, Big [ew]
Crowley, John (US) [others] [ew]
Davidson, Avram (US) [ecl]
De Lint, Charles (Canada) "Newford" stories [dt]
Delany, Samuel R. (US) Dahlgren [ts]
DeMarinis, Rick (US) Cinder [ew]
Doctorov, E L (US) Loon Lake [fg,np]
Eco, Umberto (Italy) Foucault's Pendulum [fg,soh]
Esquivel, Linda (Mexico) Like Water for Chocolate [dt,rh]
Finney, Charles (US) The Circus of Dr. Lao [ew]
Fowles, John (UK) A Maggot [fg]
García Márquez, Gabriel (Colombia) One Hundred Years of Solitude [everyone]
Gearhardt, Sally M (US) The Wanderground [fg]
Golding, William (UK) The Paper Men [fg]
Goldstein, Lisa (US) Dark Cities Underground [ew]
Goldstein, Lisa (US) The Red Magician [jn]
Goldstein, Lisa (US) Tourists [dn,jn]
Goldstein, Lisa (US) Walking the Labyrinth [jn]
Grant, Richard (US) Tex and Molly in the Afterlife [ew]
Grant, Richard (US) [maybe others] [ew]
Greenland, Colin (UK) Other Voices [fg]
Herrick, Amy (?) At the Sign of the Naked Waiter [np]
Hesse, Herman (Germany) Magister Ludi [fg]
Hoban, Russell (US/UK) The Lion of Boaz-Jachin and Jachin-Boaz] [ew]
Hoban, Russell (US/UK) The Medusa Frequency [fg]
Hoban, Russell (US/UK) [others] [ew]
Hoeg, Peter (Denmark) The History of Danish Dreams [fg]
Hoffman, Alice (US) Illumination Night [np]
Hoffman, Alice (US) Practical Magic [rm]
Hospital, Janette T (Australia) The Last Magician [fg]
Hulme, Keri (New Zealand?) The Bone People [em]
Kafka, Franz (Czech) Metamorphosis [fg]
Kathryns, G. A. The Borders of Life [ew]
Kinsella, W. P. (US) Shoeless Joe [dt]
Knudtsen, Ingar (Norway) [son]
Kotzwinkle, William (US) The Bear Went over the Mountain [nl]
Kundera, Milan (Czech) Immortality [fg,np,rh]
Lafferty, R. A. (US) [ew]
Le Guin, Ursula K (US) Threshold [fg]
Lessing, Doris (UK) The Memoirs of a Survivor [fg]
Lindholm, Megan (US) Wizard of the Pigeons [ew,jn]
Machen, Arthur (UK/Wales) The Hill of Dreams [ew]
Machen, Arthur (UK/Wales) The Three Imposters [ew]
McCammon, Robert (US) A Boy's Life [ba]
McCarthy, Cormac (US) Blood Meridian [das]
McEwan, Ian (UK) The Child in Time [fg,np]
Millhauser, Steven The Barnum Museum [ew]
Millhauser, Steven In the Penny Arcade [ew]
Millhauser, Steven The Knife Thrower and Other Stories [ew]
Millhauser, Steven Little Kingdoms [ew]
Morrison, Toni (US) Beloved
Morrison, Toni (US) Paradise [das]
Morrison, Toni (US) Sula
Naylor, Gloria (?) Bailey's Cafe [np]
Nordan, Lewis (US) Lightning Song [das]
Nordan, Lewis (US) Wolf Whistle [das]
O'Brien, Flann (Ireland) The Third Policeman [ew]
Okri, Ben (Nigeria) The Famished Road [je]
Parsipur, Sharnush (Iran) [jb]
Peake, Mervyn (UK) Mr. Pye [ew]
Powers, Tim (US) Earthquake Weather [ew]
Powers, Tim (US) Expiration Date [ew]
Powers, Tim (US) Last Call [ew]
Puig, Manuel (Argentina) [rh]
Ransmayer, Christoph (Austria) The Last World [fg]
Read, Herbert (UK) The Green Child [ew,fg]
Ruff, Matt The Fool on the Hill [ew]
Rushdie, Salman (UK/India) Midnight's Children and Shame [fg,np]
Saramago, Jose (Portugal) [das]
Saxton, Josephine (UK/US) Queen of the States [fg]
Singer, Isaac Bashevis [vs]
Skibell, Jospeh A Blessing on the Moon [np]
Smith, Thorne The Lost Lamb [ew]
Smith, Thorne Rain in the Doorway [ew]
Stewart, Sean (US) Galveston [ew]
Stewart, Sean (US) Resurrection Man [ew]
Swanwick, Michael (US) Stations of the Tide [frossie]
Swift, Graham (UK) Waterland [fg,np]
Tepper, Sheri (US) "Marianne" books [eam,jw]
Tepper, Sheri (US) Beauty [eam,jw]
Thornton, Lawrence (?) Imagining Argentina [np]
Tutuola, Amos (Nigeria) The Palm Wine Drinkard [sc]
Vargas Llosa, Mario (Peru) [rh]
Warner, Sylvia Townsend Lolly Willowes [ew]
White, T. H. (UK) The Elephant and the Kangaroo [ew]
White, T. H. (UK) Mistress Masham's Repose [ew]
Williams, Charles (UK) [ew]
Winton, Tim (?) Cloudstreet [np]
Wolfe, Gene (US) The Devil in a Forest [ew]
Wolfe, Gene (US) Free Live Free [ew]
Wolfe, Gene (US) Peace [ew]
Wolfe, Gene (US) Soldier of the Mist [dn,jn]
Wolfe, Gene (US) There Are Doors [ew]
Woolf, Virginia (UK) Orlando [ew]
Now you may ask, how does this relate to Oral Traditions and I would answer you this:
Because when one reads a book with the element of "magical realism," one gets the feeling that a very old and wise storyteller is sitting right across the table, relating the tales of his life for you to hear. The element of reading seems to almost vanish, as the vivid detail seems to speak out loud.
I am concerned when people call it fantasy (not that I don't love to read fantasy), because magical realism is quite different while still holding the same appeal. It is more like real, practical and everyday life being expressed in a fantastical way. It does not contain any elements of a fantasy world such as magic powers, or unicorns, atleast not in a physical sense. The fantasy element in a magical realism novel is more mystery and enigma. It is stuff from peoples cultural legends- so while it may seem unreal or a tall tale, it is taken from the human life world and from the natural world.
Example: In "The House of Spirits," when the old farmer on the South American ranch deals with the ant problem, he doesn't get insecticide, he simply picks up the ant, speaks very kindly to it in his cupped palm to take his friends, and then my the next day all the ants are gone.
Or in the same novel, Clara's wild uncle picks up a puppy in a distant land and brings it back small dirty and shivering. It then grows up to be the size of a small horse and unrecognizable as any breed known.
For anyone who hasn't ventured into the world of magical realism, you should! (Especially since several very important books in this category (One Hundred Years of Solitude, Metamorphosis (Kafka)) or on our Top One Hundred list!
Here is a list I pulled off a site when I was looking a magical realism stuff:
A Long List -
Aitmatov, Chingiz (USSR) The Day Lasts More Than A Hundred Years [fg]
Alexie, Sherman (?) Reseration Blues [np]
Allende, Isobel (Chile) House of the Spirits [np]
Allende, Isobel (Chile) Love and Shadows [fg]
Beagle, Peter (US) A Fine and Private Place [ew]
Bell, Douglas Mojo and the Pickle Jar [ew]
Billias, Stephen The Quest for the 36 [ew]
Bisson, Terry (US) Talking Man [ew]
Blaylock, James (US) All the Bells on Earth [ew]
Blaylock, James (US) The Digging Leviathan [ts]
Blaylock, James (US) Night Relics [ew]
Blaylock, James (US) Paper Grail [ew]
Blaylock, James (US) The Last Coin [ew]
Blaylock, James (US) The Rainy Season [ew]
Blaylock, James (US) Winter Tides [ew]
Bradbury, Ray (US) Dandelion Wine [ew]
Bradbury, Ray (US) [others] [ew]
Bulgakov, Mikhail (Russia) The Master and Margarita [sm]
Byatt, A. S. (UK) The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye [ew]
Cabell, James Branch (US) The Cream of the Jest [ew]
Cabell, James Branch (US) [others] [ew]
Calvino, Italo (Italy) Numbers in the Dark [ew]
Calvino, Italo (Italy) The Watcher & Other Stories [ew]
Carey, Peter (Australia) Illywhacker [fg]
Carroll, Jonathan (UK) [ew,gec]
Carter, Angela (UK) Burning Your Boats: The Collected Short Stories [soh]
Carter, Angela (UK) Nights at the Circus [fg,np,soh]
Castillo, Anna (?) So Far from God [np]
Chamoiseau, Patrick (?) Texaco [np]
Charnas, Suzy McKee (US) Dorothea Dreams [ew]
Cheever, John (US) "The Swimmer" [rm]
Chesterton, G. K. (UK) The Man Who Was Thursday [ew]
Crowley, John (US) Little, Big [ew]
Crowley, John (US) [others] [ew]
Davidson, Avram (US) [ecl]
De Lint, Charles (Canada) "Newford" stories [dt]
Delany, Samuel R. (US) Dahlgren [ts]
DeMarinis, Rick (US) Cinder [ew]
Doctorov, E L (US) Loon Lake [fg,np]
Eco, Umberto (Italy) Foucault's Pendulum [fg,soh]
Esquivel, Linda (Mexico) Like Water for Chocolate [dt,rh]
Finney, Charles (US) The Circus of Dr. Lao [ew]
Fowles, John (UK) A Maggot [fg]
García Márquez, Gabriel (Colombia) One Hundred Years of Solitude [everyone]
Gearhardt, Sally M (US) The Wanderground [fg]
Golding, William (UK) The Paper Men [fg]
Goldstein, Lisa (US) Dark Cities Underground [ew]
Goldstein, Lisa (US) The Red Magician [jn]
Goldstein, Lisa (US) Tourists [dn,jn]
Goldstein, Lisa (US) Walking the Labyrinth [jn]
Grant, Richard (US) Tex and Molly in the Afterlife [ew]
Grant, Richard (US) [maybe others] [ew]
Greenland, Colin (UK) Other Voices [fg]
Herrick, Amy (?) At the Sign of the Naked Waiter [np]
Hesse, Herman (Germany) Magister Ludi [fg]
Hoban, Russell (US/UK) The Lion of Boaz-Jachin and Jachin-Boaz] [ew]
Hoban, Russell (US/UK) The Medusa Frequency [fg]
Hoban, Russell (US/UK) [others] [ew]
Hoeg, Peter (Denmark) The History of Danish Dreams [fg]
Hoffman, Alice (US) Illumination Night [np]
Hoffman, Alice (US) Practical Magic [rm]
Hospital, Janette T (Australia) The Last Magician [fg]
Hulme, Keri (New Zealand?) The Bone People [em]
Kafka, Franz (Czech) Metamorphosis [fg]
Kathryns, G. A. The Borders of Life [ew]
Kinsella, W. P. (US) Shoeless Joe [dt]
Knudtsen, Ingar (Norway) [son]
Kotzwinkle, William (US) The Bear Went over the Mountain [nl]
Kundera, Milan (Czech) Immortality [fg,np,rh]
Lafferty, R. A. (US) [ew]
Le Guin, Ursula K (US) Threshold [fg]
Lessing, Doris (UK) The Memoirs of a Survivor [fg]
Lindholm, Megan (US) Wizard of the Pigeons [ew,jn]
Machen, Arthur (UK/Wales) The Hill of Dreams [ew]
Machen, Arthur (UK/Wales) The Three Imposters [ew]
McCammon, Robert (US) A Boy's Life [ba]
McCarthy, Cormac (US) Blood Meridian [das]
McEwan, Ian (UK) The Child in Time [fg,np]
Millhauser, Steven The Barnum Museum [ew]
Millhauser, Steven In the Penny Arcade [ew]
Millhauser, Steven The Knife Thrower and Other Stories [ew]
Millhauser, Steven Little Kingdoms [ew]
Morrison, Toni (US) Beloved
Morrison, Toni (US) Paradise [das]
Morrison, Toni (US) Sula
Naylor, Gloria (?) Bailey's Cafe [np]
Nordan, Lewis (US) Lightning Song [das]
Nordan, Lewis (US) Wolf Whistle [das]
O'Brien, Flann (Ireland) The Third Policeman [ew]
Okri, Ben (Nigeria) The Famished Road [je]
Parsipur, Sharnush (Iran) [jb]
Peake, Mervyn (UK) Mr. Pye [ew]
Powers, Tim (US) Earthquake Weather [ew]
Powers, Tim (US) Expiration Date [ew]
Powers, Tim (US) Last Call [ew]
Puig, Manuel (Argentina) [rh]
Ransmayer, Christoph (Austria) The Last World [fg]
Read, Herbert (UK) The Green Child [ew,fg]
Ruff, Matt The Fool on the Hill [ew]
Rushdie, Salman (UK/India) Midnight's Children and Shame [fg,np]
Saramago, Jose (Portugal) [das]
Saxton, Josephine (UK/US) Queen of the States [fg]
Singer, Isaac Bashevis [vs]
Skibell, Jospeh A Blessing on the Moon [np]
Smith, Thorne The Lost Lamb [ew]
Smith, Thorne Rain in the Doorway [ew]
Stewart, Sean (US) Galveston [ew]
Stewart, Sean (US) Resurrection Man [ew]
Swanwick, Michael (US) Stations of the Tide [frossie]
Swift, Graham (UK) Waterland [fg,np]
Tepper, Sheri (US) "Marianne" books [eam,jw]
Tepper, Sheri (US) Beauty [eam,jw]
Thornton, Lawrence (?) Imagining Argentina [np]
Tutuola, Amos (Nigeria) The Palm Wine Drinkard [sc]
Vargas Llosa, Mario (Peru) [rh]
Warner, Sylvia Townsend Lolly Willowes [ew]
White, T. H. (UK) The Elephant and the Kangaroo [ew]
White, T. H. (UK) Mistress Masham's Repose [ew]
Williams, Charles (UK) [ew]
Winton, Tim (?) Cloudstreet [np]
Wolfe, Gene (US) The Devil in a Forest [ew]
Wolfe, Gene (US) Free Live Free [ew]
Wolfe, Gene (US) Peace [ew]
Wolfe, Gene (US) Soldier of the Mist [dn,jn]
Wolfe, Gene (US) There Are Doors [ew]
Woolf, Virginia (UK) Orlando [ew]
posted by Sophie at 4:03 PM
0 comments
Monday, April 04, 2005
"Dorky Howlie" (Cousin Dan) with the Hula Hotties at the feast (singing and dancing the the traditions and lore of the polynesian islands)
posted by Sophie at 5:18 PM
0 comments
