# what did tolkien say



## Majimaune (Dec 30, 2005)

what did tolkien say about other books
i know one thing so here it is
the chronicles of narnia the lion the witch and the wordrobe he said in short it was a bunch of twaddle


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## Thorondor_ (Dec 30, 2005)

You might be reffering to Letter #265 to David Kolb:


> It is sad that 'Narnia' and all that part of C.S.L.'s work should remain outside the range of my sympathy, as much of my work was outside his. Also, I personally found Letters to Malcolm a distressing and in parts horrifying work. I began a commentary on it, but if finished it would not be publishable


 although in Letter #26 he shows a much more favorable view on Lewis's work - mainly "Out of the silent planet":


> I read the story in the original MS. and was so enthralled that I could do nothing else until I had finished it. My first criticism was simply that it was too short


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## Majimaune (Jan 1, 2006)

no in the thing i read (it was in the newspaper) it said roughly: 'it is a load of nonsence full of reserection and witchery and talking animals'

majimaune leganimdok


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## HLGStrider (Feb 15, 2006)

I've never heard that quote before but in Carpenter's Bio it was said that Tolkien didn't approve of Narnia's style mainly because it mixed and matched from mythology, you had the fawns and nymphs and Father Christmas and everything rolled into one. Tolkien didn't find that mythologically logical. He liked _Out of the Silent Planet_ but not _That Hideous Strength _(I don't remember the opinion on _Perelandra_.). 

I remember the same bio saying that he was fond of American muckraker Sinclair Lewis's (or was it Lewis Sinclair? I always get that mussed up. . .the guy who wrote the book about slaughterhouses in Chicago that got Teddy Roosevelt up in arms about food quality. I read it several years ago) but it didn't say why. 

Basically, Tolkien was a man of temperment and what could set him off or turn him on could be very particular details. With Lewis he was always especially free with critisism due to their complex and sometimes strange friendship. From the biographies I read both of Tolkien and Lewis I get the feeling that Tolkien felt he should have more influence on Lewis than he actually did and at the same time Tolkien wasn't all that accepting of Lewis's input on his own works. I always saw him as a bit of a crotchety guy.

corrected irritating typo.


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## Annaheru (Feb 15, 2006)

that and, as general policy, Tolkien disliked allegory (he only wrote one: _Leaf by Niggle_) and Lewis' works have many more allegorical elements.


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## Hammersmith (Feb 16, 2006)

Majimaune said:


> no in the thing i read (it was in the newspaper) it said roughly: 'it is a load of nonsence full of reserection and witchery and talking animals'


 I wouldn't trust things you read in newspapers. I read one quote that informed me (quite straightfaced) that Lewis detested allegory and wanted nothing to do with it. Errr...? In my opinion, only trust what's in a newspaper if it is covered in batter, salt and vinegar.



HLGStrider said:


> I always saw him as a bit of a crotchy guy.



Do you mean crotchety?


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## HLGStrider (Feb 16, 2006)

umm. . .yeah. . .Crotchety. Silly typos. . .

Anyway, Tolkien was also fond of George MacDonalds "Curdie" books, _The Princess and the Goblin_ and _The Princess and Curdie_ but found most of MacDonald's other works "too allegorical" which seemed to be a running theme in his critisism of other authors.


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## kygreylady (Jul 23, 2006)

You might want to read Tolkien, The Man and The Myth by Joseph Pearce. Reading about Tolkien was fascinating. 
I also found several tapes on cassette of Tolkien himself reading some of his work, that was enchanting.


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## grendel (Jul 23, 2006)

HLGStrider said:


> I remember the same bio saying that he was fond of American muckraker Sinclair Lewis's (or was it Lewis Sinclair? I always get that mussed up. . .the guy who wrote the book about slaughterhouses in Chicago that got Teddy Roosevelt up in arms about food quality. I read it several years ago) but it didn't say why. corrected irritating typo.



Upton Sinclair wrote "The Jungle." Just FYI; I say this as a fellow who confuses Upton Sinclair and John Updyke.  

I believe Sinclair Lewis wrote "Elmer Gantry," among other things.


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