Tolkien and the Critics, Pt. 2: Epic Pooh (w/ GirlNextGondor)
In a followup to our previous collaboration (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZLce_96994) dealing with various literary criticisms of The Lord of the Rings, GirlNextGondor and I take on the Michael Moorcock essay “Epic Pooh.” If you want to read Epic Pooh for yourself, you can do so here: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/english/currentstudents/undergraduate/modules/en361fantastika/bibliography/2.7moorcock_m.1978epic_pooh.pdf For GirlNextGondor’s video on how the Shire is NOT an idyllic utopia, click here (but only if you promise not to take it personally!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jylGmnltxNQ And of course you should totally subscribe to her channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/GirlNextGondor Other Links: Rumble at https://rumble.com/c/c-355195 Odysee: https://odysee.com/@TolkienLore:f Twitter: https://twitter.com/jrrtlore Patreon: www.patreon.com/tolkiengeek
28 Helmi 20221h 19min
My Thoughts on the “Rings of Power” Controversy
There has been a huge amount of digital ink spilled since Amazon dropped the teaser trailer for The Rings of Power. I have thoughts that I need to unburden, which hopefully will help everyone to have a more civil discussion. Other Links: Rumble at https://rumble.com/c/c-355195 Odysee: https://odysee.com/@TolkienLore:f Twitter: https://twitter.com/jrrtlore Patreon: www.patreon.com/tolkiengeek
21 Helmi 202228min
Fate and Free Will in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings
The themes of fate and choice are heavy in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and they show us that while many things are outside of our control, our own decisions may have the greatest impact on our own story. For some background on the concepts of fate and free will, check this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIzDndXGRsY For an analysis of how these themes play out in the story of Turin Turambar, check this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lROuU1RPDpU For more detail on how Gollum came to destroy the Ring, I have a whole video on that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVSFfrQrFIc And if you’re interested in the luck/providence angle, check my video comparing Tolkien’s stories to the movie “Passengers”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UCmnGxJSfI Other Links: Rumble at https://rumble.com/c/c-355195 Odysee: https://odysee.com/@TolkienLore:f Twitter: https://twitter.com/jrrtlore Patreon: www.patreon.com/tolkiengeek
14 Helmi 202228min
What Do The Lord of the Rings Characters Really Look Like?
A viewer asked in the comments if I could do a video on how the book descriptions of characters compared to the movie portrayals, so here’s a video breaking down what the members of the Fellowship (plus Gollum!) should have looked like, and which movie did the best for each. Other Links: Rumble at https://rumble.com/c/c-355195 Odysee: https://odysee.com/@TolkienLore:f Twitter: https://twitter.com/jrrtlore Patreon: www.patreon.com/tolkiengeek
7 Helmi 202235min
Fate and Free Will in the Story of Turin Turambar
In my previous video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIzDndXGRsY) I discussed the general concept of fate vs. free will. Here I explore how those two factors (plus a third!) all shape the narrative of a particular story—that of Turin Turambar (“master of fate”). Apologies for the slightly sloppy execution; I was a bit rushed getting this one out, hence all the background noise! GirlNextGondor has done her own video on this topic too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7B_MQ3CBdS4 Other Links: Rumble at https://rumble.com/c/c-355195 Odysee: https://odysee.com/@TolkienLore:f Twitter: https://twitter.com/jrrtlore Patreon: www.patreon.com/tolkiengeek
31 Tammi 202239min
Fate and Free Will in Middle-Earth
The subject of fate is a common theme in Tolkien’s stories, and we can get a good idea of how he thought about its interaction with free will from the stories themselves, but also from an essay in the recently published “Nature of Middle-Earth.” Other Links: Rumble at https://rumble.com/c/c-355195 Odysee: https://odysee.com/@TolkienLore:f Twitter: https://twitter.com/jrrtlore Patreon: www.patreon.com/tolkiengeek
24 Tammi 202224min
Lord of the Rings Book vs. Movie: Gandalf Cures Theoden at Meduseld
Where Peter Jackson gave us a fairly flashy and bombastic scene with fist fights and exorcism, Tolkien weaves a much more subtle web of fear, hope, and drama. Also, Tolkien uses no magic in his version! This sort of follows my previous videos on tech vs. magic (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O44qroaf0Nw) and magic vs. art (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12MZ58_tmjg) in Middle-earth. Other Links: Rumble at https://rumble.com/c/c-355195 Odysee: https://odysee.com/@TolkienLore:f Twitter: https://twitter.com/jrrtlore Patreon: www.patreon.com/tolkiengeek
17 Tammi 202234min
Tolkien on Magic vs. Art in Middle-Earth
Tolkien’s view of “magic” (or machine) was that it was distinguished from “art” by the fact that it was the use of an external plan or apparatus to more efficiently impose the will of the user. In my previous video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O44qroaf0Nw) I discussed the more colloquial distinction between magic and technology, but here I dive into some examples that help us understand Tolkien’s unique take. Other Links: Rumble at https://rumble.com/c/c-355195 Odysee: https://odysee.com/@TolkienLore:f Twitter: https://twitter.com/jrrtlore Patreon: www.patreon.com/tolkiengeek
10 Tammi 202230min
