Fantasy fiction has become a dominant force in modern society.
In a time of 15-second attention spans, the longevity of Lord of the Rings shows little sign of abating. And since bursting onto the silver screen in 1977, Star Wars has grabbed and held the imagination of generations of fans.
This weekend in Hall of Fire, we’ll be asking you what it is about these two tales that has created such an enduring passion amongst their devotees to the extent that each appears to have become a world-wide phenomenon.
Is it the themes they encapsulate? Good and evil? Respect for nature? Implicit religious aspects and pseudo-mysticism? Or is just because – at heart – they’re quintessential quest tales where you can tune in, watch the good guys beat up the bad guys, and witness the triumph of the little guy against seemingly insurmountable odds?
Do they have fundamentally different audiences, or is there an overlap?
And what sort of effect have they had on their fans and on popular culture in general? Are they truly universal in nature, or do we overestimate their impact on the collective consciousness?
And which will prove more enduring? Indeed, can we expect that in 50 or a hundred years people will still care about LoTR or Star Wars, or will they have faded from consciousness totally?
Join us on the TORn IRC server this Saturday June 4 in #thehalloffire as we discuss whether or not Lord of the Rings is really unfilmable.
Time and date:
Saturday June 4
America:
5.30pm EDT
4.30pm CDT
3.30pm MDT
2.30pm PDT
Europe:
10.30pm UK
11.30pm Central Europe
Asia-Pacific:
7.30am (Sunday) Brisbane
7.30am (Sunday) Sydney
9.30am (Sunday) Wellington
Chats usually last 45 mins to an hour, and are very newbie friendly. Simply drop in and join the conversation!
Where?
Chat happens on #thehalloffire on irc.theonering.net – the TORn IRC server. You can connect instantly via our java chat client that works inside your web browser (find it here! ) or choose to install a dedicated chat program such as mIRC on your computer.
To find out more about using mIRC to connect to TORn IRC server, check out these instructions.
Upcoming topics:
“LoTR and Star Wars”
– Saturday June 4
– Sunday June 12
Special guest – LoTR stunt and body double Kiran Shah
– Saturday June 18
“What if gollum lived?”
– Sunday June 26
– Saturday July 2
“Silmarillion Chapter 10 – Of the Sindar”
– Sunday July 10
– Saturday July 16
Got a topic? Let us know your idea!
If you have a burning desire to discuss something in Hall of Fire, drop us a line with your topic at halloffire@theonering.net. If we like it, we’ll probably give it a run in the coming weeks – you might even get to guest moderate the session!
Join HoF Announce!
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Hof-announce@theonering.net
http://www.theonering.net/mailman/listinfo/hof-announce
