Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

drmirage809 t1_iu97dpi wrote

My main take away from this is that I really need to sit down and read The Silmarilion. I've picked up little bits and pieces of the book over the years through people who are way deeper into Tolkien than me and from my understanding it's both his hardest to read and his most awesome work. Like, every little bit I hear about it sounds like it was downright inspired.

It never ceases to amaze me how complete and consistent of a work Tolkien produced in his lifetime. Has one wonder just how much more awesome he could've added to it if he got around to finishing some of it.

5

flash-tractor t1_iu97y0j wrote

The number of characters and locations is hard to keep up with, but if you take some time to become familiar with the family lineages and map it's a lot easier IMO. Good luck, and happy reading.

6

LaughingLafayette t1_iu9bfel wrote

People over hype how hard it is, IMO. Just don’t go in expecting a traditional novel, it’s much more like a history book or chronicle. There’s very little dialogue in it. I feel like a lot of people get turned away because they’ve heard that it’s a very difficult read, but as long as you come at it with the right expectations, I don’t think it’s hard to get through.

Maybe just be prepared to keep a genealogy chart handy, there’s a lot of very similar names that you’ll want to keep straight.

2

drmirage809 t1_iu9ca8x wrote

I'm a history student, you're doing a great job selling me on the book. If it's a bit like The Illiad and Odyssey then I should be able to handle it.

2

LaughingLafayette t1_iu9h3qg wrote

I wouldn’t really compare it to them so much, it’s more of a historical overview of the story with several more focused stories peppered throughout, more in the vein of Livy’s work I’d say.

If you do like epic poetry though, Tolkien actually wrote different versions of some of those stories in the Silmarillion as epic poems, though unfortunately I don’t think he ever finished any of them. They are all collected in one book, the Lays of Beleriand, and they tell slightly different versions of the complete stories told in the Silmarillion. If you like seeing the development of his work through its early stages, I’d recommend picking that up (and the other books in the 12 volume series!) after reading the Silmarillion.

EDIT: Didn’t realize autocorrect didn’t recognize Livy.

1

N0V0S t1_iu993lw wrote

It was a difficult read for me but worth it. I don't have a background education in literature beyond a couple 101 courses I took for credit in uni. If you're in the same boat I reccomend reading alongside a podcast that breaks it down.

For me this broke the book down into manageable chunks, helped link larger ideas and themes together, and provided some context from the world of literature that Tolkien came up in.

1

drmirage809 t1_iu9c4d2 wrote

I did read Lord of the Rings when I was 15 and Dune last year (another series I need to read more of). Got sucked into The Odyssey and Illiad a bit in the meantime. Those last two are something alright. I think I should be able to handle it if I put my mind to it.

1