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39f2840
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The excitement of creating is followed by desperate self-doubt. Courage and inspiration compete with discouragement and despair.
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Diana Pavlac Glyer |
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af200a2
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However, one of the reasons for their dissolution is that Hugo Dyson crossed this line. When he persisted in dismissing The Lord of the Rings, it changed the group. Dyson didn't critique the work: he rejected it altogether. That eroded the spirit of the Inklings. It was no longer safe to share rough drafts and far-fetched ideas. When creative people encounter thoughtful critique, they feel empowered. When they encounter dismissal, they stop..
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Diana Pavlac Glyer |
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dec0e69
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No Oxford don was forgiven for writing books outside his field of study--except for detective stories which dons, like everyone else, read when they are down with the 'flu. But it was considered unforgivable that Lewis wrote international best-sellers, and worse still that many were of a religious nature." Lewis"
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Diana Pavlac Glyer |
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947d502
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He captures something of C. S. Lewis in The Lord of the Rings. The character Treebeard makes an unusual "Hrum, Hroom" sound when he speaks. This was Tolkien's attempt to capture the "booming voice" of Lewis. The identification of Lewis with this wise and ancient tree-man should be seen as high praise, indeed, for Tolkien's love for trees is evident throughout his writing. More"
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Diana Pavlac Glyer |
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46fe055
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As Tolkien got older, he increasingly denied the participation of others in the creation of his work. Tolkien says this is one of the few places where Lewis's detailed criticisms were useful and just. It may be more accurate to say this is one of the few places where Tolkien specifically acknowledges the careful editing of his friend. Changes
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Diana Pavlac Glyer |
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013a701
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In attacking these readings, Dyson was attacking the very reason for the group; in limiting the participation of one of its members, Dyson eroded its spirit. It is one thing to criticize an author. It is another to shut him down. There is a difference between conflict and contempt. Dyson delivered an axe blow to the root of the tree. The Inklings were shaken, and they never quite recovered.
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Diana Pavlac Glyer |
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897b1be
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But it is far more important to see the difference between correction that is helpful and condemnation that is dismissive and, therefore, destroys.
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Diana Pavlac Glyer |
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dd2e07d
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You will not find the warrior, the poet, the philosopher or the Christian by staring in his eyes as if he were your mistress: better fight beside him, read with him, argue with him, pray with him.
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Diana Pavlac Glyer |
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4f96f03
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Tolkien imagined The Lord of the Rings as a book very much like The Hobbit: aimed at a young audience, built around humor and pranks, and modeled on the structure of a folktale or fairy story. He even called it "the Hobbit sequel" or "the new Hobbit." He"
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Diana Pavlac Glyer |
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57c91d8
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Mr Lewis says hobbits are only amusing when in unhobbitlike situations." It"
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Diana Pavlac Glyer |
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97f0b12
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Do not all the achievements of a poet's predecessors and contemporaries rightfully belong to him? Why should he shrink from picking flowers where he finds them? Only by making the riches of the others our own do we bring anything great into being.
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Diana Pavlac Glyer |
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f98e0e1
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Tolkien looked forward to sending new chapters to his son. In one letter, he expressed his appreciation to Christopher saying, "This book has come to be more and more addressed to you, so that your opinion matters more than any one else's." When"
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Diana Pavlac Glyer |
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3928373
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Without Christopher Tolkien, not only would The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings look very different, but so would the face of Tolkien scholarship.
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Diana Pavlac Glyer |