Too funny!

[dreamflower]

Mark Reads is up to Chapter 10 and his take on the hobbits encounter with Strider is hilarious! Check it out!

Also, I came across the following quote in Arda Reconstructed by Charles Douglas Kane, which recounts the creation of The Silmarillion in its published form. It was taken from one of JRRT's diaries: he said Christopher "had grown into a nervy, irritable, cross-grained, self-tormenting, cheeky person. Yet there is something intensely lovable about him, to me at any rate, from the very similarity between us."

Happy Birthday, Professor!

Comments

[cairistiona7.livejournal.com]

Heh... I've been waiting for him to get to this chapter and he did not disappoint!

[dreamflower]

I know! I had wondered what he'd think of Strider!

[mrowe.livejournal.com]

Yes, that was hilarious *g* It's really great to vicariously read LotR for the first time again.

[dreamflower]

I know! It really is so much fun to see someone's first reactions! There are a few commenters who are ALSO reading along with Mark for the first time, and they have some interesting reactions, too!

[addie71.livejournal.com]

Yay! I've been waiting for Chapter 10.

Happy Birthday, Professor! *raises glass*

[julchen11.livejournal.com]

Wonderful! *giggles*

Happy Birthday, Professor!

[dreamflower]

Very giggle-worthy, I thought! Especially his version of Gandalf's letter!

[lbilover.livejournal.com]

Oh, that was his best chapter yet! I'm so enjoying his blog posts!!

[dreamflower]

I can't wait till he gets to Weathertop! And Rivendell! Not to mention all the rest!!!

[drummerwench.livejournal.com]

Have been following his posts eagerly--it's so much fun and he's so enthusiastic! Also, not prepared!

[dreamflower]

He's VERY enthusiastic. And also NOT PREPARED! LOL!

[pandemonium-213.livejournal.com]

That is an especially funny blog entry in the "Mark Reads" series! I made the terrible mistake of drinking the last of my Diet Mountain Dew whilst reading "the play." I have since cleaned my monitor.

Re: the quote about Christopher Tolkien. I got a chuckle out of that when I read it in the Humphrey Carpenter bio of JRRT this weekend. That bio is a very good read!

[dreamflower]

I haven't read the Humphrey's bio in about 15 years or so. But I got Arda Reconstructed for Christmas-- haven't got very far yet, but that quote was just too delicious. Have you read it yet?

I know there are a lot of criticisms of Christopher, but I can't help but recall those Letters from JRRT when his son was in WWII-- he clearly thought the two of them were kindred spirits, and that's why he trusted him with his work.

(Also, I had a beta once criticize *me* for having Frodo call Pippin "dearest". She said that it made Frodo seem girly, and that Brits wouldn't be so demonstrative. I was able to point out Tolkien's own practice to her...)

[pandemonium-213.livejournal.com]

Yes! I have Arda Reconstructed on my bookshelf. It's a great resource for comparisons between the earlier texts (especially for us HoMe aficionados) and The Silmarillion. Dawn wrote an interesting review of Arda Reconstructed on the Heretic Loremaster, to which Doug Kane responded. At the time, I had read excerpts, but now that I have read the whole thing, I firmly stand by my opinions: it's a great resource, but I wish Mr. Kane had taken a more objective tone. Some of the text approaches blog-screed territory.

According to the biography, JRRT was very demonstrative when it came to showing affection for his children, even when they were adults. JRRT and Christopher must have been peas-in-a-pod.

[lavendertook.livejournal.com]

Mark Reads is so great at writing reader response. It's a lot of fun--thank you for pointing him out.

I'm so grateful to CT for all the loving work he's done with his father's writings. I didn't know he had put out the HoME until after I saw the first film. Finding the epilogues delighted me even more than the films.

[etharei.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad I saw your post, I didn't know Mark Reads was tackling LOTR! I followed his progress through Harry Potter and His Dark Materials, it was hilarious :D Going back on his reading of The Hobbit now!

[fantasy-fan.livejournal.com]

I'm enjoying Mark's read as well. I'm perversely sort of pleased that he isn't as suspicious of Strider at first sight as he was of Tom Bombadil. And vicariously proud that he admires Tolkien's writing style so much. I'm sure he'll be freaked out by Weathertop, and I hope he's sufficiently hooked to make it through the Council of Elrond without losing too much enthusiasm.

He's actually doing a ten-city tour in February, and coming to where I live. I've signed up to attend! It will be hard to not accidentally drop any spoilers.