ot-my mini review of Children of Hurin

Daniel D Jones · 16 Apr 2007, 21:58 · from 2007-April.txt.gz

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From: ddjones at riddlemaster.org (Daniel D Jones)
Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2007 16:58:27 -0500
Subject: (urth) ot-my mini review of Children of Hurin
In-Reply-To: <1f7617370704160911i2f60f5d5mb45829f89718369 at mail.gmail.com>
References: <786216.63953.qm at web32407.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
	<12947.67.142.130.28.1176733629.squirrel at brunians.org>
	<1f7617370704160911i2f60f5d5mb45829f89718369 at mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <200704161758.27589.ddjones at riddlemaster.org>

On Monday 16 April 2007 12:11, Dan'l Danehy-Oakes wrote:
> On 4/16/07, brunians at brunians.org <brunians at brunians.org> wrote:
> > > Well, I haven't read the book, but from what I'v read of it there seems
> > > to be elves, evil overlords, dragons and orcs in it, so I don't think
> > > that's what he meant.
> >
> > Well, no, it wouldn't be, and I'd have to say I'm as puzzled as you are.
> >
> > Perhaps Don shall enlighten us at some point.
>
> I would make a guess (and I'm fairly confident of it, though I too hope
> Don will step forth and say in his own words what he meant) that the
> estimable Mr Doggett was suggesting that, though it contains elements
> of the fantastic, Tolkien's work was not created in the context of the
> commercial genre of "fantasy," as we know it today, and in fact could
> not be because that commercial genre came to be in response to JRRT's
> work.

"Created in the context of..."  What, precisely, does that mean?

The only reason I can think of to make the claim that _Children_ is not 
fantasy is if one considers fantasy an inferior genre, one incapable of 
encompassing "real" literature or works of art.  It seems to me to be a claim 
that the book exceeds the base or mundane genre of mere fantasy.  Since I 
don't hold the genre of fantasy in contempt, I don't find it a particularly 
appealing characterization.

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