Welcome to our collection of TORn’s hottest topics for the past week.
If you’ve fallen behind on what’s happening on the Message Boards, here’s a great way to catch the highlights. Or if you’re new to TORn and want to enjoy some great conversations, just follow the links to some of our most popular discussions. Watch this space as every weekend we will spotlight the most popular buzz on TORn’s Message Boards. Everyone is welcome, so come on in and join in the fun! MINOR SPOILERS FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN’T READ THE HOBBIT
Continue reading “TORn Message Boards Weekly Roundup – January 23, 2012”
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Chemical Engineering student Emil Johansson has an amazing passion project he developed mapping out the genealogy of everybody in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth. Called the LOTR project, it provides a great big family tree for Tolkiendom. Its scope is amazing as is the effort and organization, although it is still a work in progress. We asked Johansson to tell us more about his project and this is what he had to say:
“I first read the Lord of the Rings when I was eleven years old, just in time for the first movie to come out. At that point it’s not fair to say I was passionate about it but rather that I found it a good way of escaping reality for a while. I was the kind of kid who lived a lot in my imagination.
The first family tree I made was probably six years ago and consisted of two huge papers, 1 by 1 meters. I quickly realized this was something I wanted to share, but my knowledge of the web was too poor to allow it. I was not until November last year that I decided to give it a try. Even though much of the research already had been done, programming the site and adding the characters into the database have taken a lot of time. Too much for me to want to think about it.
I still have a massive amount of work left before I’m finished and I will not give up until it is perfect.”
The site is a MUST VISIT.
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Why did Bloomsbury U.K. eventually decide to offer “Harry Potter” books in disguised covers? Because people were ashamed to be seen reading about witches and wizards on the train. Fantasy had been made into a guilty pleasure, like pornography. It was immature, juvenile, escapist. As for all those Tolkien fans who liked to dress up as elves and orcs, the only explanation, spluttered Edmund Wilson in 1956, was that “Certain people . . . have a lifelong appetite for juvenile trash.” This, Michael Saler remarks, “from a man who liked to be called ‘Bunny.’ ”
In “As If: Modern Enchantment and the Literary Prehistory of Virtual Reality,” a historical and cultural study of fiction fandom, Mr. Saler counterpunches vigorously against the whole edifice of literary snobbery. What he has to say is so self-evidently right that the fact he has to say it makes one wonder how the critical profession has managed, for so long, to cultivate such a large blind spot. His book should be essential reading in every graduate school of the humanities. But it’s much more fun than that recommendation suggests. More..
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An international co-operation between the German and Dutch Tolkien Societies (DTG & Unquendor) has started 3 January 2012.
On the occasion of J.R.R. Tolkien’s 120th birthday, members of both Societies, met for a joint dinner. The celebration marked the start of a whole host of share events taking place in the Hobbit Year 2012.
The year will be dominated by the Hobbit: the 75-year anniversary of the children’s book’s first publication date will receive even more publicity through the release of Peter Jackson’s “Hobbit” film at the end of the year. The literary societies will accompany this exciting year with a whole host of exceptional events. Continue reading “Fantastic Tolkien Event: THE HOBBIT YEAR 2012”
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Silly. Amusing. Clever. The mashup work of some group known as TheTrailerCats, it’s the Hobbit teaser… except with cats. I could write more, but really it speaks for itself. Just go watch it. You know you can’t resist…
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Join us today for Live chatting and mischief with Quickbeam! We have a very interesting subject today: DEBUNKING GANDALF / GALADRIEL ROMANCE RUMORS, among other things, illuminated by host Clifford Broadway on our streaming video show — You can also join the broadcast via our BARLIMAN’S CHAT built right into our Live Event Area — showtime today at approx. 5:00pm Pacific Standard Time!
[LIVE Event Area] (See All Times)
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