wallonica.org

wallonica

THONART : Tolkien or the Fictitious Compiler (ULiège, 1984) – 02 – The Lord of the Rings as more than a Romance

The Lord of the Rings is not a romance ! It seems almost scandalous to make such a declaration after having read the captivating pieces of criticism written by Derek S. Brewer in Symbolic Stories and the Lord of the Rings as a Romance (BSS & BLRR). It is not less daring to open a chapter with what could be considered as an accusation of critical incapacity. It is in fact not at all the case here and these two opening sentences are written without any vindictiveness – I have not the least chance to compete with Mr Brewer’s deep knowledge of the romantic matter and I therefore only propose a small adjustment of one of his analyses. He was moreover clever enough no to lay his work open to sharp criticism and this thanks to one letter ! The title The Lord of the Rings as a romance involves a mere approach of Tolkien’s tale in comparison with romantic literature and its characteristics whereas a title as The Lord of the Rings is a romance would have implied a firm statement leaving no place for doubts or nuances. Dr Brewer was not that naïve, he was self-disciplined enough -though one is delighted with the enthusiasm underlying his analysis of Symbolic Stories – to dodge the problem. What is less prudent is his comment in the epilogue of Symbolic Stories : « The Lord of the Rings is a romance of adolescence… »

Lire la suite dans l’encyclopédie…