The Iliad, The Odyssey, the entire epic cycle, Winnie the Pooh, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings. What do these stories all have in common? They were/are told out loud.
Our class on Monday made me realize the connections and similarities between these works. They are all such incredible pieces of literature but they seem vastly different. However, I realized some common threads that run through all of them. There are some things that take certain works to another level of importance and memorability. There are some things that make works deserve an oral telling and/or a special place on the shelf.
Rhythm and Rhyme. There is some element of rhythm or meter or in each of these stories. Lord of the Rings achieves this through Tolkien's interspersed poetry and song and through his unique sentence structure. The importance of rhythm is that is allows for a story to be memorized and spoken orally with more ease. Poetry is incredibly important in all the listed stories and in Tolkien's work because it provides a sort of foundation for the entire story. It does a lot of the work of world-building and helps with the continuation of the myth of the entire world. Rhyme is just as important as we see in the "Hey diddle diddle" section. These sections that contain familiar rhymes and rhythms are much more easily spoken out loud than the remainder of a story because they are already known to us. We are not reading and simultaneously speaking words in a pattern we have never seen them in before, rather we are singing along to a song on the radio that we already know. Whether it be the nursery rhymes of the Hobbits or the somber songs of the Dwarves, there is an element of familiarity and comfort within the rhythm and rhyme that allows for an easier oral tradition of the work.
High and Low Diction. One of the most important aspects of our class discussion was our focus on Tolkien's mix of both high and low diction. And yes, I am going to argue that this mix allows for an unparalleled oral tradition. A story of Hobbits with Hobbit like language that contains only simple diction would not hold a readers attention. But a story of of lofty diction and enormous verbiage would be too difficult to comprehend through as a listener. This is exactly why Tolkien's mix of both high and low diction works so perfectly for an audience of listeners. There are words that make you pause and think for a bit but also words that flow by in the stream. Oral stories need this mixture. They need to be accessible yet interesting. In my opinion, this mixture of word use allows for Tolkien's stories to be perfect for an out loud telling. Also, for the one who is speaking, it means that you are not having to continually spit out words that are many letters long constantly. You are able to oftentimes speak in conversational language (which is obviously easier to read and say our loud).
English and Not English. What could be more intriguing than something beautiful that you can't understand? The use of languages other than English in Tolkien's work provides excellent intermissions throughout the story, complete with a beautiful orchestra playing. There has to be a dynamic element in epic stories that are meant to be told out loud and switches between English and other languages provides just enough change to be the perfect basis for the story. We need to be drawn in as listeners (and as readers) and the inclusion of something that we have never heard before is the perfect way to do so. And, on the side of the storyteller, it provides something similar to poetry. It is another break from the English, a chance to switch to another register.
Translation and a Land Far Away. Just as so many epic stories before it, Lord of the Rings is a translation. Tolkien claims that the entire work is to be considered a translation from its original language of Westron. This is a really important fact! The Aeneid, The Iliad, The Odyssey are some of the most important tales in literature to this day and they are translations as well! There is something about the concept of a story that was not originally available to you that makes it even more desirable. These stories are desirable because they are not near to us. These epics come from a land far far away. And that makes them even more interesting. Translation implies an importance, an importance that encouraged the transmission of these stories into other cultures. For a variety of reasons, these stories are important enough to have made their way to us.
So, why is this important? Why does it matter that these stories so perfectly fit into our oral tradition? Well, maybe it doesn't matter. But, we have to remember what Tolkien was attempting to do with his writing. He was trying to create an entire history.
The story that is told in The Iliad has proved to have at least some historical truth to it. And as The Aeneid relates, someone truly did found Rome. These epics that have been so widely translated and passed down and told have truth to them. They have become Myth in its truest form. They have almost become history. And Tolkien's works have all of the same elements. So why can't Lord of the Rings be considered alongside these epic tales, these stories that have been passed down for so many generations? Maybe it can. Let me know what you think.
[AH]
Our class on Monday made me realize the connections and similarities between these works. They are all such incredible pieces of literature but they seem vastly different. However, I realized some common threads that run through all of them. There are some things that take certain works to another level of importance and memorability. There are some things that make works deserve an oral telling and/or a special place on the shelf.
Rhythm and Rhyme. There is some element of rhythm or meter or in each of these stories. Lord of the Rings achieves this through Tolkien's interspersed poetry and song and through his unique sentence structure. The importance of rhythm is that is allows for a story to be memorized and spoken orally with more ease. Poetry is incredibly important in all the listed stories and in Tolkien's work because it provides a sort of foundation for the entire story. It does a lot of the work of world-building and helps with the continuation of the myth of the entire world. Rhyme is just as important as we see in the "Hey diddle diddle" section. These sections that contain familiar rhymes and rhythms are much more easily spoken out loud than the remainder of a story because they are already known to us. We are not reading and simultaneously speaking words in a pattern we have never seen them in before, rather we are singing along to a song on the radio that we already know. Whether it be the nursery rhymes of the Hobbits or the somber songs of the Dwarves, there is an element of familiarity and comfort within the rhythm and rhyme that allows for an easier oral tradition of the work.
High and Low Diction. One of the most important aspects of our class discussion was our focus on Tolkien's mix of both high and low diction. And yes, I am going to argue that this mix allows for an unparalleled oral tradition. A story of Hobbits with Hobbit like language that contains only simple diction would not hold a readers attention. But a story of of lofty diction and enormous verbiage would be too difficult to comprehend through as a listener. This is exactly why Tolkien's mix of both high and low diction works so perfectly for an audience of listeners. There are words that make you pause and think for a bit but also words that flow by in the stream. Oral stories need this mixture. They need to be accessible yet interesting. In my opinion, this mixture of word use allows for Tolkien's stories to be perfect for an out loud telling. Also, for the one who is speaking, it means that you are not having to continually spit out words that are many letters long constantly. You are able to oftentimes speak in conversational language (which is obviously easier to read and say our loud).
English and Not English. What could be more intriguing than something beautiful that you can't understand? The use of languages other than English in Tolkien's work provides excellent intermissions throughout the story, complete with a beautiful orchestra playing. There has to be a dynamic element in epic stories that are meant to be told out loud and switches between English and other languages provides just enough change to be the perfect basis for the story. We need to be drawn in as listeners (and as readers) and the inclusion of something that we have never heard before is the perfect way to do so. And, on the side of the storyteller, it provides something similar to poetry. It is another break from the English, a chance to switch to another register.
Translation and a Land Far Away. Just as so many epic stories before it, Lord of the Rings is a translation. Tolkien claims that the entire work is to be considered a translation from its original language of Westron. This is a really important fact! The Aeneid, The Iliad, The Odyssey are some of the most important tales in literature to this day and they are translations as well! There is something about the concept of a story that was not originally available to you that makes it even more desirable. These stories are desirable because they are not near to us. These epics come from a land far far away. And that makes them even more interesting. Translation implies an importance, an importance that encouraged the transmission of these stories into other cultures. For a variety of reasons, these stories are important enough to have made their way to us.
So, why is this important? Why does it matter that these stories so perfectly fit into our oral tradition? Well, maybe it doesn't matter. But, we have to remember what Tolkien was attempting to do with his writing. He was trying to create an entire history.
The story that is told in The Iliad has proved to have at least some historical truth to it. And as The Aeneid relates, someone truly did found Rome. These epics that have been so widely translated and passed down and told have truth to them. They have become Myth in its truest form. They have almost become history. And Tolkien's works have all of the same elements. So why can't Lord of the Rings be considered alongside these epic tales, these stories that have been passed down for so many generations? Maybe it can. Let me know what you think.
[AH]
2 comments:
I think it is apt to make comparisons between LotR, the Iliad, the Odyssey, and, yes, Winnie the Pooh, but I would have liked to have seen more examples of what you meant by rhythm, diction, English/not English, and translation. How do the other epics you mention fit this schema? I am puzzled by the claim that the Aeneid, Iliad, and Odyssey are translations. They were not written as such, although we may read them that way. Specific examples from the texts would help anchor your comparisons. RLFB
The point about orality is an interesting one. I think it is still an open question: is The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings meant to be read out loud? Was it, like the Greek epics, spoken before it was written down? Obviously not in the same way. Would the claim that Tolkien spoke his languages and poetry out loud have some effect on how they translate onto the page? The idea that LoTR could be considered an epic comparable to The Iliad or The Aeneid is intriguing, but you have only just started to open up the topic. There remains an unbridged chasm between the styles, and I don’t see how the Greek epics similarly use high and low diction, or English and not English.
Also, I wonder if "Myth in its truest form" is really equivalent to “almost history”.
-LB
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