147. Is Thorin Gold-Sick or Just Sick of the Elves – The Hobbit #32

Here’s another recording from the December 2, 2003 roundtable interviews I was invited to join with a few other journalists to speak to the actors and crew of The Lord of the Rings (our Peter Jackson episode is at https://youtu.be/JqhF91GJbGg). While the audio is terrible (we did what we could to make it listenable!), Peter Jackson’s Gandalf answered our questions earnestly and thoughtfully–particularly when discussing wisdom and fidelity to Tolkien’s books. I hope you enjoy this special interview! And make sure you become a member at https://theonering.com/members! In the extended episode I talk more in depth about: What that green “jade” necklace he wore was (and a photo). My thoughts on his portrayal of Gandalf (and whether even having a portrayal is good or bad). Outside of PJ’s films, what is the best adaptation of Lord of the Rings? 🎉 To get the extended episode, become a member at https://theonering.com/members ($4/mo and free for the 1st month)! BECOME A MEMBER! Get access to the extended edition of this podcast, our private Discord chat, and  live chats. Click here! 🔗 Episode Links Submit a LOTR Film Change 🎧 Subscribe to our Podcast Get the Extended Podcast Subscribe on Apple Subscribe on Google 🔍 If You Like Tolkien Make Tolkien Great Again – Tengwar Hat The Silmarillion The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien 🗣 Special Thanks to Austin Robertson for the use of his voice!

5 Syys 202328min

We’re wrapping up Tolkien’s seminal essay this week looking at Consolation–and with that–Tolkien’s well-known term, Eucatastrophe. With so much depth, this essay isn’t easy to consume, and we really hope reading it with us helped you come to understand why Tolkien wrote it and why he believes Fairy Stories are so important! This week we look at: Why Consolation/Eucatastrophe is required What is Lord of the Ring’s chief eucatastrophe? Is eucatastrophe deus ex machina? Why Eucatastrophe is glimpse of Truth (with a capital T!) How George RR Martin drags us into darkness Then in our members-only episode (https://theonering.com/members) we discuss: Should we try to avoid other artists visual interpretations of Tolkien since they affect our own subcreation? What did Peter Jackson do in his films to help in understanding Tolkien? Have we lost eucatastrophe as a glimpse of Truth in today’s stories? Do you have to experience True eucatastrophe (the resurrection of Christ) to effectively write eucatastrophe? Is there a modern story that resembles Tolkien’s notion of eucatastrophe? 🎉 To get the extended episode, become a member at https://theonering.com/members ($4/mo and free for the 1st month)! And here’s my final attempt at defining On Fairy Stories in 1 sentence: A Fairy Story is a peculiarly unique artistic experience, as the author speaks directly into the imagination of the reader to sub-create a magical new world that provides visceral glimpses of eternal Truth through Eucatastrophe. BECOME A MEMBER! Get access to the extended edition of this podcast, our private Discord chat, and  live chats. Click here! 🔗 Episode Links Tales from the Perilous Realm (has “On Fairy Stories” essay) Amon Rudh by Ted Nasmith 🎧 Subscribe to our Podcast Get the Extended Podcast Subscribe on Apple Subscribe on Google 🔍 If You Like Tolkien The Silmarillion The Fall of Númenor The Fall of Gondolin The Children of Hurin The Atlas of Middle-earth The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien Make Tolkien Great Again – Tengwar Hat 🗣 Special Thanks to Austin Robertson for the use of his voice!

29 Elo 202355min

What are we supposed to recover from?  And why do fairy stories provide it?  And why do we need to escape? And how do fairy stories break us out? As we get closer to finishing out “On Fairy Stories,” Michael Dan and I discuss how recovery and escape are 2 of the 3 things (consolation will be next week!) that these fantasy tales offer us.  We look at: Recovery from what? What is this “mooreeffoc” he wrote about? Has the world lost the ability to recover? Why modern stories don’t offer escape Star Trek vs Star Wars — as fairy stories And how Tolkien was wrong about science fiction! Then in our members-only episode (https://theonering.com/members) we discuss: How modern buildings reflect the loss of recovery. Does recovery/escape/consolution bleed over to other art forms? Do visual arts bring about escape? Does music bring about escape? 🎉 To get the extended episode, become a member at https://theonering.com/members ($4/mo and free for the 1st month)! BECOME A MEMBER! Get access to the extended edition of this podcast, our private Discord chat, and  live chats. Click here! 🔗 Episode Links Tales from the Perilous Realm (has “On Fairy Stories” essay) 🎧 Subscribe to our Podcast Get the Extended Podcast Subscribe on Apple Subscribe on Google 🔍 If You Like Tolkien The Silmarillion The Fall of Númenor The Fall of Gondolin The Children of Hurin The Atlas of Middle-earth The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien Make Tolkien Great Again – Tengwar Hat 🗣 Special Thanks to Austin Robertson for the use of his voice! 🖼 Special Thanks to Anna Grumbine for the artwork!

22 Elo 202359min

When Tolkien talks about Fantasy, he doesn’t simply mean fiction stories set in sword-and-sorcery worlds.  Fantasy is the highest form of sub-creation, the “most nearly pure form”–and the most potent. An art form that is “best left to words, to true literature.” Michael, Dan, and I discuss this idea of Fantasy as the one form of Art that comes closest to true Enchantment.  We look at: The difference between imagination and fantasy. The ideal of “Faërian Drama”. The problem with “modern” sensibilities in Fantasy–and how that ruins true sub-creation. Why films will never match the power of true sub-creation. Then in our members-only episode (https://theonering.com/members) we: Did Peter Jackson’s films destroy Tolkien’s sub-creative vision? Can Tolkien’s faith be separated from his sub-creation? Should it? Is there a difference between determinative and discovery sub-creation? “No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader.” 🎉 To get the extended episode, become a member at https://theonering.com/members ($4/mo and free for the 1st month)! BECOME A MEMBER! Get access to the extended edition of this podcast, our private Discord chat, and  live chats. Click here! 🔗 Episode Links Tales from the Perilous Realm (has “On Fairy Stories” essay) Make Tolkien Great Again – Tengwar Hat 🎧 Subscribe to our Podcast Get the Extended Podcast Subscribe on Apple Subscribe on Google 🔍 If You Like Tolkien The Silmarillion The Fall of Númenor The Fall of Gondolin The Children of Hurin The Atlas of Middle-earth The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien 🗣 Special Thanks to Austin Robertson for the use of his voice! 🖼 Special Thanks to Anna Grumbine for the artwork!

15 Elo 20231h 8min

This week we discussed “Children” from the “On Fairy Stories” by Tolkien.  He pushes back against the coupling of fairy-stories and children, making the point that, “If fairy-story as a kind is worth reading at all it is worthy to be written for and read by adults.” We talk about: Suspension of Disbelief vs Literary Belief How fairy-stories are not to be relegated to nurseries How children ruin everything (even fairy-stories) if we leave it alone with them The “covert sniggering” that happens when adults write stories FOR children Is the Hobbit too “silly” for Middle-earth Then in our members-only episode (https://theonering.com/members) we: Did Tolkien approve or enjoy tragedies? Discuss our interview with Nick Groom last week, and why we weren’t more confrontational. We did, in fact, react with quiet disbelief at some of Professor Groom’s answers to our Confessions from the Comfy Chair! 🎉 To get the extended episode, become a member at https://theonering.com/members ($4/mo and free for the 1st month)! BECOME A MEMBER! Get access to the extended edition of this podcast, our private Discord chat, and  live chats. Click here! 🔗 Episode Links Tales from the Perilous Realm (has “On Fairy Stories” essay) Make Tolkien Great Again – Tengwar Hat 🎧 Subscribe to our Podcast Get the Extended Podcast Subscribe on Apple Subscribe on Google 🔍 If You Like Tolkien The Silmarillion The Fall of Númenor The Fall of Gondolin The Children of Hurin The Atlas of Middle-earth The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien 🗣 Special Thanks to Austin Robertson for the use of his voice! 🖼 Special Thanks to Anna Grumbine for the artwork!

8 Elo 202352min

This week Michael and I talked with Professor Nick Groom, author of Tolkien in the 21st Century: The Meaning of Middle-earth Today, releasing Sept. 5, 2023 (apologies for some some of the echo in the audio!). Professor Groom’s book is a detailed, in-depth, but very readable look into MIddle-earth, and how he perceives Tolkien as more relevant than ever before–particularly in a post-COVID culture. This was a refreshing discussion that dove deep into things including: Professor Groom’s thoughts on the ambiguity of evil in Middle-earth How Tolkien’s themes are vital in a post-lockdown era Why he believes The Rings of Power is a great story in the tradition of Middle-earth adaptations–but definitely isn’t Tolkien’s story. Then, join us in our extended episode (https://theonering.com/members) where we: Does The Rings of Power deserve the amount of criticism we give it? Who is his favorite character in all of Middle-earth? What should be done to encourage young artists to write great new stories again? 🎉 To get the extended episode, become a member at https://theonering.com/members ($4/mo and free for the 1st month)! Nick Groom is the Professor of Literature in English at the University of Macau, held positions at universities of Chicago, Stanford and Exeter where he holds an Honorary Professorship, and for many years taught the only UK undergraduate course in Tolkien. BECOME A MEMBER! Get access to the extended edition of this podcast, our private Discord chat, and  live chats. Click here! 🔗 Episode Links Tolkien in the 21st Century (US version) Twenty-First-Century Tolkien (UK version) The Last Ringbearer 🎧 Subscribe to our Podcast Get the Extended Podcast Subscribe on Apple Subscribe on Google 🔍 If You Like Tolkien The Silmarillion The Fall of Númenor The Fall of Gondolin The Children of Hurin The Atlas of Middle-earth The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien 🗣 Special Thanks to Austin Robertson for the use of his voice! 🖼 Special Thanks to Anna Grumbine for the artwork!

1 Elo 20230s

On December 2, 2003, I was invited to join a few other journalists to interview the actors and crew of The Lord of the Rings. For me (Jonathan), for a “kid” in his mid-20s who turned a website into one of the largest online destinations for Tolkien fans on the internet, it was the unexpected zenith of the previous 4 years running the TheOneRing.com. So, when listening, remember that no one had yet seen Return of the King, and PJ hadn’t yet done The Hobbit. We didn’t know that this film would garner 13 Academy Awards–or that it would cap what many argue is the greatest film trilogy of all time. We knew the expectations for this film were high, but it hadn’t yet met (or eclipsed) those. I recorded all the roundtable interviews on my 2000s-era iPod with a simple little microphone–which means the audio quality on this is a little rough. So, *HUGE* thanks to Lee Scrivner from the Speculative Tolkienism show on the Deep Guild YouTube channel. Check them out at YouTube! I hope you enjoy this detour down memory lane! And make sure you become a member at https://theonering.com/members! I talk more in depth about Who I liked best when interviewing them. Who was the most stand-offish star from the film. Reveal candid pictures from the red carpet premiere that day–I was also an interviewer of all the stars as they made their way on the carpet to the theatre! 🎉 To get the extended episode, become a member at https://theonering.com/members ($4/mo and free for the 1st month)! BECOME A MEMBER! Get access to the extended edition of this podcast, our private Discord chat, and  live chats. Click here! 🔗 Episode Links Deep Guild (thanks for editing the audio!) Make Tolkien Great Again – Tengwar Hat 🎧 Subscribe to our Podcast Get the Extended Podcast Subscribe on Apple Subscribe on Google 🔍 If You Like Tolkien The Silmarillion The Fall of Númenor The Fall of Gondolin The Children of Hurin The Atlas of Middle-earth The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien 🗣 Special Thanks to Austin Robertson for the use of his voice! 🖼 Special Thanks to Anna Grumbine for the artwork!

25 Heinä 202328min

Diving into what the origin of fairy stories is, we realize–once again–that Tolkien doesn’t give us an encyclopedic answer, but instead lays out some boundaries that help us better understand where fairy story comes from–and what it needs to have. It’s a thought-provoking episode this week as we continue to dissect this incredibly important essay Tolkien wrote! In our members-only episode (https://theonering.com/members) we: How the Rings of Power fails with incantational adjectives Why time and distance in fairy stories matters Why Peter Jackson had a better understanding of fairy story, and adhered better to the “soup” of fairy story than any other sub-created version of Middle-earth 🎉 To get the extended episode, become a member at https://theonering.com/members ($4/mo and free for the 1st month)! BECOME A MEMBER! Get access to the extended edition of this podcast, our private Discord chat, and  live chats. Click here! 🔗 Episode Links Beowulf Make Tolkien Great Again – Tengwar Hat 🎧 Subscribe to our Podcast Get the Extended Podcast Subscribe on Apple Subscribe on Google 🔍 If You Like Tolkien The Silmarillion The Fall of Númenor The Fall of Gondolin The Children of Hurin The Atlas of Middle-earth The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien 🗣 Special Thanks to Austin Robertson for the use of his voice! 🖼 Special Thanks to Anna Grumbine for the artwork!

18 Heinä 202346min