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Tolkein (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter heather
- Start date
I'm not doing my major work on Tolkien, but I've been completely obsessed with Middle Earth and his books for several years now, so I know a lot about it, e-mail me at fruittoast@fastmail.fm if you want help.
Theres also thousands of Tolkien-related websites out there, I suggest you go to the messageboard at http://www.tolkienonline.com/thewhitecouncil/ , there are plenty of Tolkien fans there who should be able to answer specific questions.
What aspect of Tolkien's work are you focussing on? Are you doing a critical response?
Theres also thousands of Tolkien-related websites out there, I suggest you go to the messageboard at http://www.tolkienonline.com/thewhitecouncil/ , there are plenty of Tolkien fans there who should be able to answer specific questions.
What aspect of Tolkien's work are you focussing on? Are you doing a critical response?
!meeee!
Member
there are a lot of great periodicals featuring articles on literature and authors. you can access some pretty decent essays and authorities on your subject. go speak to your school or local council librarian
I personally think BOS (ie the the other Board of Studies!) should have their own EE2 Major Work site. That way, year 11 (now year 12 and including myself), can look at and consult the previous works of the masters before us. Furthermore, to access the site, your Student Number and PIN should be required, so that who plagiarised who should be a relatively simple matter to check.
During marking, the markers can access the site, view where a student has 'consulted' (*albeit civil libertarians might scream anti-privacy!*) and if need be, cross-reference to the student's journal (have you noted down that you copied Ms. X's idea or Mr. Y's research?). Also, a limit might be imposed on the amount of 'consultation', so if you go over, you will be punished (in terms of originality and such).
Consider!
During marking, the markers can access the site, view where a student has 'consulted' (*albeit civil libertarians might scream anti-privacy!*) and if need be, cross-reference to the student's journal (have you noted down that you copied Ms. X's idea or Mr. Y's research?). Also, a limit might be imposed on the amount of 'consultation', so if you go over, you will be punished (in terms of originality and such).
Consider!
I know Laz, but the last time I checked it was like 30 odd dollars or something, and the copy the school bought was like stolen, so...
I dunno, I still think previous Major Works ought to be available to the current EE2 students without any surcharges...
I dunno, I still think previous Major Works ought to be available to the current EE2 students without any surcharges...
Ideally, all the standards packages should be online, etc. Unfortunately, they're not (although we're trying to collect them).
The Board can be a bit pig-headed about some things. Well okay, about a lot of things. I doubt it will change anytime soon.
The Board can be a bit pig-headed about some things. Well okay, about a lot of things. I doubt it will change anytime soon.
tolkien
argh! just typed a hugely long post and it got eaten up somehow :mad1:
well in essence: heather - like leap, i'm a completely obsessed middle-earth nut and while i didn't do a tolkien study for my 4u work, i hope to work it into my uni course somehow (*cough*public communications*cough* - might be tenuous, but worth a try).
like leap said, there are literally tons of online (and offline, but don't think there's any in nsw) tolkien communities, and i'd be inclined to agree that the white council is probably the best of these - there are a lot of lengthy posts and well thought out opinions and very little crap to sort through if you're looking for something specific. sparknotes isn't bad either, but there are a lot of 'my dumb teacher is making me read this dumb book and i can't be bothered to so can someone please summarise it for me?'-type posts as well...
i think that what makes middle-earth so appealing to many people could be that fact that it seems so real and historical. tolkien's coupling of this tangibility with a concept that is obviously fantastical could be what makes his worlds so irresistable to ppl seeking escapism. you could look at escapist fiction and investigate whether it is on the verge of becoming a genre and if so look at the reasons for this. is it to satisfy the craving of a hectic, fast-paced society that is grounded in the present? you could look at the popularity of things like fanfiction and role-playing games, many of which use tolkien or middle-earth as their setting. (or maybe you could look at those things and see if they are creating a new genre themselves - the literature of the internet.)
you could also do a genre study with a focus on myths, assessing to what extent they blur the boundaries between history and fantasy. then you could examine how works such as tolkien's, (essentially works of fiction modelled on 'true myths' with the intention of mimicking them) fit into such a context.
ok i think this turned out even longer than my other post. i think i'll shut up now
but i'd be really interested to see what you end up doing and share ideas (coz like i said i'm hoping to do something similar) so plz email me (elvengurl33@hotmail.com) if there's anything you'd like to discuss
ok, i am really, REALLY gonna shut up now
edited to put a fullstop in and coz i forgot to say that the road to middle-earth by tom shippey is also an excellent resource about influences on tolkien's work. and if you want to look closely at the developmental process of creating middle-earth and the stories that infiltrate it you should probably check out the history of middle-earth series. (unfortunately, the series is 13 books long, it is possibly impossible to get all 13 books at sydney libraries and it costs $400 to buy )
edit: just one more thing if you don't already have a clear idea of what angle you wanna take with your study, figure it out quickly before you do too much research. read a bit (definitely read the silmarillion and unfinished tales if you haven't already) and get a general perspective but definitely figure out your question as quickly as possible and then ask ppl for advice about good info sources - it'll make the whole thing soooooo much easier
argh! just typed a hugely long post and it got eaten up somehow
:mad1: well in essence: heather - like leap, i'm a completely obsessed middle-earth nut and while i didn't do a tolkien study for my 4u work, i hope to work it into my uni course somehow (*cough*public communications*cough* - might be tenuous, but worth a try).
like leap said, there are literally tons of online (and offline, but don't think there's any in nsw) tolkien communities, and i'd be inclined to agree that the white council is probably the best of these - there are a lot of lengthy posts and well thought out opinions and very little crap to sort through if you're looking for something specific. sparknotes isn't bad either, but there are a lot of 'my dumb teacher is making me read this dumb book and i can't be bothered to so can someone please summarise it for me?'-type posts as well...
i think that what makes middle-earth so appealing to many people could be that fact that it seems so real and historical. tolkien's coupling of this tangibility with a concept that is obviously fantastical could be what makes his worlds so irresistable to ppl seeking escapism. you could look at escapist fiction and investigate whether it is on the verge of becoming a genre and if so look at the reasons for this. is it to satisfy the craving of a hectic, fast-paced society that is grounded in the present? you could look at the popularity of things like fanfiction and role-playing games, many of which use tolkien or middle-earth as their setting. (or maybe you could look at those things and see if they are creating a new genre themselves - the literature of the internet.)
you could also do a genre study with a focus on myths, assessing to what extent they blur the boundaries between history and fantasy. then you could examine how works such as tolkien's, (essentially works of fiction modelled on 'true myths' with the intention of mimicking them) fit into such a context.
ok i think this turned out even longer than my other post. i think i'll shut up now
but i'd be really interested to see what you end up doing and share ideas (coz like i said i'm hoping to do something similar) so plz email me (elvengurl33@hotmail.com) if there's anything you'd like to discuss
ok, i am really, REALLY gonna shut up now
edited to put a fullstop in
and coz i forgot to say that the road to middle-earth by tom shippey is also an excellent resource about influences on tolkien's work. and if you want to look closely at the developmental process of creating middle-earth and the stories that infiltrate it you should probably check out the history of middle-earth series. (unfortunately, the series is 13 books long, it is possibly impossible to get all 13 books at sydney libraries and it costs $400 to buy )edit: just one more thing
if you don't already have a clear idea of what angle you wanna take with your study, figure it out quickly before you do too much research. read a bit (definitely read the silmarillion and unfinished tales if you haven't already) and get a general perspective but definitely figure out your question as quickly as possible and then ask ppl for advice about good info sources - it'll make the whole thing soooooo much easier
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Well, I am doing a major work on Tolkien! Mae Govannen fellow Lord of the Rings freak!
(Yes, I have a major fascination with his works).
I've tried to tackle the History of Middle Earth series as part of my major work, which will probably take all of this term to finish.
I found that if you can get your hands on "Letters by JRR Tolkien" you can find a load of stuff about what he was on about, why he wrote certain things, etc.
Not sure what else to say. Mine is a critical review on his purposes, and themes that he explores, and its relevance to modern society (eg. role of women - eowyn, folly of pride, etc)
(Yes, I have a major fascination with his works).
I've tried to tackle the History of Middle Earth series as part of my major work, which will probably take all of this term to finish.
I found that if you can get your hands on "Letters by JRR Tolkien" you can find a load of stuff about what he was on about, why he wrote certain things, etc.
Not sure what else to say. Mine is a critical review on his purposes, and themes that he explores, and its relevance to modern society (eg. role of women - eowyn, folly of pride, etc)
bookboy18
Knight of the PIGhood
I'm basing some of the fantasy element of my major work on Tolkien Fantasy.
liliputian
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hey astron...do you have all of the history of middle earth? i've managed to get most of it, but i cant find a few...my tolkien collection is incomplete! no!
liliputian
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hey astron...do you have all of the history of middle earth? i've managed to get most of it, but i cant find a few...my tolkien collection is incomplete! no!
and bookboy, can you actually speak elvish, or just figure some out from the appendices?
and bookboy, can you actually speak elvish, or just figure some out from the appendices?
lol
Well, actually i cant speak elvish. I know a few phrases
But if you need to get the rest of the History of Middle Earth books, try an online bookstore.
http://www.seekbooks.com.au
isnt bad
though the dymocks website is probably easier to use, and accepts more payment options.
Alternatively, if you find the ISBN numbers of the books you are missing (just do a search on dymocks and take it down), you can order them into your bookstore.
Hope that helps
Well, actually i cant speak elvish. I know a few phrases
But if you need to get the rest of the History of Middle Earth books, try an online bookstore.
http://www.seekbooks.com.au
isnt bad
though the dymocks website is probably easier to use, and accepts more payment options.
Alternatively, if you find the ISBN numbers of the books you are missing (just do a search on dymocks and take it down), you can order them into your bookstore.
Hope that helps
liliputian
Boredom Magnet
- Joined
- Mar 20, 2003
- Messages
- 41
- Gender
- Male
- HSC
- 2003
sweet thanks..im just a tolkien buff, so i kinda want to learn - maybe ill find a club somewhere where people are pathetic enough to learn it
thansk
thansk
bookboy18
Knight of the PIGhood
If you look back a bit liliputian in the non-school section theres a whole thread on people talking elvish.
You should look into it.
You should look into it.
If you want to learn elvish, there is a website that has a Quenya Course:
http://www.uib.no/People/hnohf/qcourse.htm
http://www.uib.no/People/hnohf/qcourse.htm
Jacks
Member
If you're writing your major work on Tolkien what are you looking at exactly...I'm doing something related and I'm starting to think everyone is...but what angle are you taking?
Jacks
Member
hehe sounds like everyone is doing the same thing to do with tolkien from what I've noticed. It's not such a bad thing because I guess it proves our point We're each going to have to see what type of unique spin we can put on our work I guess. Would you mind sharing a few examples of your themes?? You don't have to, but if it is something similar to what I'm thinking, I'll have to think of adding something a little different...though it shows how Tolkien's works are valued...you're only looking at LOTR right??
We're each going to have to see what type of unique spin we can put on our work I guess. Would you mind sharing a few examples of your themes?? You don't have to, but if it is something similar to what I'm thinking, I'll have to think of adding something a little different...though it shows how Tolkien's works are valued...you're only looking at LOTR right??
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suilaid everybody mae govannen
you can also get these really straightforward, easy sindarin lessons at www.councilofelrond.com - look in the languages section.
they also have this study buddy thing where you can learn with other ppl...
liliputian, which home books don't you have? coz i know i've seen them all around, just not in the same place
astron - please don't tell me that you're gonna say that eowyn was his only well-developed female character. i read that in a study guide the other day and it drove me mad :mad1: lol
edit: ooh also there are a couple of serious academic study books on tolkien & his influences available. they're not very thick and they're ridiculously expensive (like $60ish each), but from what i've read they're good. i can't remember who wrote them or what they're called, but they're only available at the co-op bookshop, as far as i know, and they're pretty easy to find
and if anyone finds that club of elvish speaking nerds, plz let me know
mae govannenyou can also get these really straightforward, easy sindarin lessons at www.councilofelrond.com - look in the languages section.
they also have this study buddy thing where you can learn with other ppl...
liliputian, which home books don't you have? coz i know i've seen them all around, just not in the same place
astron - please don't tell me that you're gonna say that eowyn was his only well-developed female character. i read that in a study guide the other day and it drove me mad :mad1:
loledit: ooh also there are a couple of serious academic study books on tolkien & his influences available. they're not very thick and they're ridiculously expensive (like $60ish each), but from what i've read they're good. i can't remember who wrote them or what they're called, but they're only available at the co-op bookshop, as far as i know, and they're pretty easy to find
and if anyone finds that club of elvish speaking nerds, plz let me know
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