# A higher class of hobbit



## Barliman Butterbur (Oct 26, 2004)

By Mike Moore [No, that _that_ Moore!]

What do sports teams and hobbits have in common? They both have rabid fans.
Image
Image Image
Image
It made sense, then, for S. Gary Hunnewell to begin his session at the 50th anniversary conference for "Lord of the Rings" by placing his autographed Red Sox cap on the podium.

Yes, the devoted followers of author J.R.R. Tolkien and his most famous book came to our little corner of Middle-Earth over the weekend for the World Series of fantasy literature. And they skipped the violent celebration.

Nearly 300 people displayed their fandom by traveling to the conference at Marquette University. Since Marquette was one of the few places to see more in Tolkien's writing than a bunch of dragons and magic, it's got one of the hottest collections of the author's stuff.

Having read the books (in most versions, they're separated into three), grown up with the animated films and been blown away by the recent blockbuster movies, I have always considered myself a strong "Lord of the Rings" fan.

In this group, I'd have been first off the island.

That's why Hunnewell got a big laugh from the audience during his presentation on unlikeable characters, when he deadpanned that he was about to give away a plot twist.

"Some of you may not have read `Lord of the Rings.' You may want to plug your ears," he said.

No, considering most of the attendees coughed up around $95 plus travel costs to sit and listen to scholars scrutinize Tolkien's works, you can bet their copies back home are dog-eared at best.

"The Hobbit," Tolkien's more kid-friendly novel, was the first book Jason Fisher got. From there, he was off to create his own artificial languages with his buddies.

"Every year, I set aside about a month and re-read the principal works," he said.

The 33-year-old came from Texas to check out the sessions and meet some of the "veritable rock stars" in the Tolkien-studying community.

He envisions himself at that podium in a few years. For now, he's part of the second tier of fans, only faintly visible to wannabes like me. Suddenly it seemed appropriate that two of the four sessions I caught focused on class differences.

Roughly half academic types and half big fans, the "Ring" buffs left the hobbit costumes back in the hut, preferring to stroll around in sportcoats and pant suits.

It wasn't a stuffy atmosphere, just intellectual. Hobbit enthusiasts even have their own branch of Mensa, the club for those with off-the-chart IQs.

Kerry Olivetti, 23, came out of personal and academic interest. A graduate student studying English at Marquette, she dodged the conference fee when a limited number of tickets were offered to students.

"It's nice to see that Tolkien's starting to get more respect in professional circles," she said.

Yeah, it only took five decades. You thought Susan Lucci had to wait for validation.

Jane Chance, one of the conference presenters, said Tolkien has had critical support for a long time. She teaches a class on his writings at Rice University in Texas. It's only been recently, though, that his work has gotten such widespread praise. What took so long? "It took Peter Jackson and 400 million dollars," she said, referring to the director and his big-budget, Oscar-hogging film trilogy.

That trip into mass popularity can work against Tolkien, too. Some professors still toss him on a pile with "children's literature" writers, Chance said.

"I swear to God they haven't read him," she said. "They just assume that anything that's that popular can't be trusted."

In fact, that's how Chance felt in the 1970s, before she read "Lord of the Rings." At that time, Vietnam protesters dug Tolkien. Lately, with the war in Iraq dragging on and fears of a military draft hovering overhead, her students are drawn to it.

"Why is it that, when there's a war going on, Tolkien becomes popular?" she said.

Maybe it's to be reassured good can defeat evil. Dozens of conference attendees proudly wore buttons offering their endorsement for "Gandalf for President." Not a bad idea, actually. The wizard is powerful enough to defend us and good at building coalitions between peoples. Besides, he already has a staff.

Source: http://www.journaltimes.com/articles/2004/10/25/local/columns/iq_3176671.txt

Barley


----------



## Eledhwen (Oct 31, 2004)

Intellectual recognition?

Oxford has one, yes one pay and ride tourist attraction, built into an old building in the city centre. It is called "The Oxford Story". You sit in a carel (which is on rails), put on a headphone, and the ride takes you through tableaux depicting the history of Oxford, its university and its notable inhabitants and their works. GUESS WHO'S MISSING? Correct! When I was asked if I'd enjoyed my ride, and I pointed out my disapointment at the absence of Tolkien, the expression on the assistant's face told me it wasn't the first time he'd heard it. Puzzlingly, the attached gift shop had posters depicting the original 1st Edn. dust cover from The Hobbit.


----------

