tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5746173806126403959.post6937653573838422511..comments2023-11-07T06:20:12.181-08:00Comments on Tolkien: Medieval and Modern: Elf-friends and Subsets"Tolkien: Medieval and Modern"http://www.blogger.com/profile/04348913969813157482noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5746173806126403959.post-42866484476242915402011-04-23T08:48:05.465-07:002011-04-23T08:48:05.465-07:00I liked your thinking on the exact nature of this ...I liked your thinking on the exact nature of this ‘friend-ness;’ Tolkien always choose his words with such care and such attention to the original, literal meaning, I think it very appropriate (and wise!) to consider his words with equal care. But let me then ask you, why do you think Tolkien chose this term? You come to a good conclusion, that Elf-friends are, as much as anything else, Reader-friends, because such an important part of their function is to frame and transmit the story to the reader (or listener). But why ‘friend?’ Why not ‘helper,’ or ‘companion,’ or ‘partner?’<br /><br />You make a good point about Frodo’s comment that actors in stories come and go as their parts do, but the stories themselves continue, and that, likewise, Elf-friends come and go as their roles demand, but their roles have another dimension, as framers of the story itself. Bilbo, Frodo, and Sam are the best examples of this, but have you considered other examples mentioned in the article “The Footsteps of Aelfwine” (and discussed in class), like Beren, Hador, Hurin, and Turin, Eriol/Aelfwine, Elendil, etc. This question isn’t entirely fair because we haven’t read much about most of these characters yet, by they do make the definition of Elf-friend problematic. Not all of these characters functioned in the same way in the stories, not all of them framed the story, in addition to participating in it, and yet they are named Elf-friends. Does this mean the definition of ‘Elf-friend’ is more complex than we think? Or is there something else about these characters that make them Elf-friends?<br /><br />As for viewing the Elf-friends’ tales as windows from Faerie into Faerie, I think we do. In her article, Flieger points out that the transmission of a story is an intrinsic part of it, and so the Elf-friends’ telling of a story links the reader to it in such a way that the linking itself becomes part of the story. On this note, I loved your point about our parents being Elf-friends by passing these stories down to us! In that way, the stories become part of our own pasts, in the same way that the great stories Sam mentions were part of the Hobbits’ pasts!<br /><br />Courtney Jacobson"Tolkien: Medieval and Modern"https://www.blogger.com/profile/04348913969813157482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5746173806126403959.post-20731484120289867742011-04-09T11:24:51.294-07:002011-04-09T11:24:51.294-07:00I agree about Elves needing Men. After all, much i...I agree about Elves needing Men. After all, much is made of how the Elves are going away and won't be able to do much, so the Men must take over leadership of Middle-earth.<br /><br />--Luke Bretscher"Tolkien: Medieval and Modern"https://www.blogger.com/profile/04348913969813157482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5746173806126403959.post-18709055150467045392011-04-06T07:30:05.640-07:002011-04-06T07:30:05.640-07:00Readers and Elf-friends--very nicely interwoven! ...Readers and Elf-friends--very nicely interwoven! I particularly like the way you talk about following the Straight Path and ending up back where we started: a paradox or the proper working of Faery? Faery itself needs Elf-friends just as readers do. Well put! <br /><br />RLFB"Tolkien: Medieval and Modern"https://www.blogger.com/profile/04348913969813157482noreply@blogger.com