tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5746173806126403959.post3451523872956359467..comments2023-11-07T06:20:12.181-08:00Comments on Tolkien: Medieval and Modern: The Unnecessity of an Anglo-Saxon National Epic"Tolkien: Medieval and Modern"http://www.blogger.com/profile/04348913969813157482noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5746173806126403959.post-2602889572847434352021-09-09T11:01:38.073-07:002021-09-09T11:01:38.073-07:00You must be fun at parties.You must be fun at parties.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00785047554220409391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5746173806126403959.post-6735098880051365962017-04-09T14:49:30.465-07:002017-04-09T14:49:30.465-07:00Very good point that England does not have a monol...Very good point that England does not have a monolithic culture, but nowhere does Tolkien say he meant to recover or invent an Anglo-Saxon epic per se. He says he wanted to dedicate his legendarium to "England." It is worth thinking a bit more about what he meant by "England." RLFB"Tolkien: Medieval and Modern"https://www.blogger.com/profile/04348913969813157482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5746173806126403959.post-52736076869859702442017-04-05T00:55:27.326-07:002017-04-05T00:55:27.326-07:00I believe that Tolkien wanted a epic reflective of...I believe that Tolkien wanted a epic reflective of the modern England he was familiar with. Similar to the war Tolkien pulls from Medieval sources as well as modern events, the Great War of which is present in the machines of Sauron. <br /><br />The gap that he speaks of is one rooted in morality and religious belief. Arthur is too Christian because he is derived from indigenous pagan mythologies (Joseph Cambell elloborates on this) and Christian archetypes i.e. The Holy Grail are taked onto the myth at a later date. The Arthur mythos is inconsistent as it becomes of congolermation of several other European mythologies with no core connective tissue. Unlike, say Perceval which has a definite arc and stagnant text so as to becomein it's own epic separate from the British Arthur. <br /><br />Similarly, Beowulf lacks a connection to a modern England. It ties the faerie elements and supernatural traits of a bygone Britain, but lacks the morals and religious connotations of the present England. <br /><br />Tolkien had no choice but to take the elements of Beowulf and a host of Germanic, Icelandic, and other sources to create a cohesive interconnected mythology with a Christian Mythology that fit with the pagan roots of England. In this way he succeeded where others failed. Middle Earth is complete. It is built off of pre-existing mythologies, but remains unique in itself. <br /><br />Furthmore, but giving the epic a historical connection (Red Book of Westmarch), Tolkien gave something of his own creation a life of its own, rooting it in a very real yet imaginary England. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05103056968915003101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5746173806126403959.post-29352833446740214572017-04-05T00:43:48.592-07:002017-04-05T00:43:48.592-07:00oh! :)oh! :)gwyddyon22https://www.blogger.com/profile/11055458340888054197noreply@blogger.com