Illustrated by Pauline Baynes
Editorial material by Christina Scull & Wayne G. Hammond
290 pages
Published 1962; expanded version with commentary published 2014
Read from August 25 to August 27
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
After reading The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarilion, this is my first foray into the dregs of Middle-earth material, the real cash-in type shit that fills whole shelves of the fantasy section to this day. The third and final Middle-earth book published in Tolkien’s lifetime, Adventures scrapes together the titular poem (originally published in 1934), some poems pulled from Lord of the Rings, and some more or less random material the Professor had lying around. This edition bundles the rather slim text with a much longer body of commentary to make it seem like a real book worth buying.
Tolkien studies are a big and profitable line — perhaps less so now than in their 1970s-2000s heyday, but they still drain so much oxygen from the contemporary fantasy scene and its innovative but impoverished authors. I almost hate to admit that it’s kinda interesting to read the commentary, which traces the origins of texts and cross-references the legendarium. No way in hell I’ll ever be famous enough that anyone would give a shit about my notes and scraps of manuscripts, but it’s fascinating to see the creative process from the outside like this.
I also enjoyed the poems more than I expected to. The way Tolkien plays with rhythm and assonance is like a polished, Oxfordian elevation of my own poetic aspirations. Tolkien’s signature tone of whimsy underlain with deep sadness is one that would suit the collection I’m supposed to be working on. I’m honestly glad I purchased a copy so that I’m able to highlight and dog-ear it (should I ever bring myself to do that to a book).
No comments:
Post a Comment