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Elfeawen Lomiondil
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Post Tolkien’s Likes/Dislikes
on: March 17, 2024 03:47
As a fan artist, I take note of things that Tolkien liked and what he did not. Sometimes I wish to make something that is as is close as possible to something he would like. I am aware that it is not possible to actually predict whether he would like a piece of art or music or anything else, but as long as it amuses me to try, and I do not make any claims that cannot be supported, I do not see anything wrong with the attempt.

That is why I started compiling this information, and I thought it may interest others.

For example, Tolkien liked the illustrations Pauline Baynes made for his stories. He did not like the Disney animation at the time. He disliked “intensely” the fairy tales of Hans Christian Anderson. Source: Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter 234.
"There shall be war between the Children of Iluvatar and the Ainu Melko. What if we perish in our quest? The dark halls of Vê be little worse than this bright prison" ~ Fëanor
Elfeawen Lomiondil
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on: March 28, 2024 09:56
Tolkien had some opinions on how to make a good film adaptation of LOTR. He thought “abridgment” was better than “compression” if the story needed to be shortened. Compression would lead to “over-crowding and confusion, blurring of climaxes, and general degradation: a pull-back towards more conventional ‘fairy-stories’.” He did not want Lorien to become “a fairy-castle with ‘delicate minarets’. He said “abridgment by selection with some good picture-work would be pleasant”. (Letter 201, Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien)

I wish I knew what the thought “good picture work” looked like!

Tolkien met with representatives from a film company in 1957 who showed him some “really astonishing good pictures (Rackham rather than Disney) and some remarkable color photographs.” (Letter 202, Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien)

I wish I could see these pictures that he liked. What does Rackham’s art look like?
"There shall be war between the Children of Iluvatar and the Ainu Melko. What if we perish in our quest? The dark halls of Vê be little worse than this bright prison" ~ Fëanor
Elfeawen Lomiondil
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on: March 31, 2024 11:42
Tolkien did not like the cover for the Ballantine revised The Hobbit. He said it had “horrible colours and foul lettering - but I must ask this about the vignette: what has it got to do with the story? Where is this place? Why a lion and emus? And what is the thing in the foreground with pink bulbs? I do not understand how anybody who had read the tale . . .could think such a picture would please the author.” (Letter 277, Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien)

I am pleased to say that this was the edition that my mother first read to me. I also thought the cover was ugly (still do). Although I have learned not to judge a book by its cover, I think it likely I would have avoided it thanks to that cover if my mother had not decided to read it aloud to the family. Fortunately!

Tolkien liked The Golden Key, an early fantasy novel by George MacDonald. Also, The Princess and the Goblin by the same author. I read it after LOTR because of that. I don’t remember much about it now, but I think that I found it not bad.

Tolkien was pleased that his stories inspired musicians. He wrote in 1964, “You certainly have my permission to compose any work that you wished based on The Hobbit” (because Carey Blyton asked for permission to write a Hobbit Overture) and continued, “As an author I am honoured to hear that I have inspired a composer. I have long hoped to do so, and hoped also that I might find the result intelligible to me, or feel that it was akin to my own inspiration - as much as are, say, some (but not all) of Pauline Baynes’ illustrations”. (Letter 260, Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien)

I was happy to hear that he felt that way. There are such a great many fan written or arranged songs and soundtracks for Middle Earth at this point that I feel certain he would like some of them. I would not presume to know which ones, but it is a happy thought nonetheless.



[Edited on 04/01/2024 by Elfeawen Lomiondil]
"There shall be war between the Children of Iluvatar and the Ainu Melko. What if we perish in our quest? The dark halls of Vê be little worse than this bright prison" ~ Fëanor
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