July 22, 2002

Evils of Tolkien Snobbery
Lady of Rohan

I suppose this essay is in response to Ray S.'s initial letter of complaint, altough it pertains to everyone else who has responded as well.

I consider myself to be an avid Tolkien fan. I have read TLOTR trilogy about 3 or 4 times tops. I have read The Hobbit may 2 times, and The Silmarillion but once. That's it. No histories, no lost tales, etc. (Not yet anyway.) I am the first to admit that I do not know half as much as many of you "Tolkien Scholars" out there. However, I still feel that I am knowledgable enough to fully value the myth, lore, and depth of the Professor's works.

On with my point. Ray S., I know how you feel about these movie-only fans, but your reaction is out of line. It is not our place to judge what makes a "true Tolkien fan." Considering the movie(s) did a commendable job capturing the spirit and essence of Middle Earth, I believe a person who had seen only the movie is perfectly entitled to call him or herself a fan of Tolkien.

I know many people who did not read the book before seeing FOTR, and afterwards raced to the nearest Barnes and Noble to buy the one-volume edition to read before the other two films come out.

Another thing, if a person has seen the beginning of something in one medium (i.e. the film of FOTR), chances are he or she will want to follow through with that medium. If you, Ray, or I had just begun reading LOTR, we would probably want to complete reading them before we saw the movies. It goes the same for people who first experienced the awe of Middle Earth on the big screen.

As for you folks who haven't read the books: that's okay, but you really are missing out on a lot of incredible detail and backstory. The books may be thick, but once you get into them, they go by fast!

Namarie.