Categories
Archives
-
-
-
-
Recent Posts
- “The only cause I espouse is man’s right to find his own centre, stand firm, speak out, then be kind.” — Michael Davitt, “Dissenter”
- “I do love Alice in Wonderland though. That’s something I think I could do very well.” — Edie Sedgwick
- 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Much Ado About Nothing
- “I don’t represent anything.” — Liz Phair
- “I don’t really know why, but danger has always been an important thing in my life – to see how far I could lean without falling, how fast I could go without cracking up.” — William Holden
- “Some syllables are swords.” — Metaphysical poet Henry Vaughan
- “To me, music is no joke and it’s not for sale.” — Ian MacKaye
- “All I need to make a comedy is a park, a policeman and a pretty girl.” — Charlie Chaplin
- “As a cinematographer, I was always attracted to stories that have the potential to be told with as few words as possible.” — Reed Morano
- “Even though I’m writing about very dark material, it still feels like an escape hatch.” — Olivia Laing
Recent Comments
- sheila on 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Much Ado About Nothing
- sheila on 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Much Ado About Nothing
- Mike Molloy on 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Much Ado About Nothing
- Scott Abraham on 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Much Ado About Nothing
- sheila on 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Much Ado About Nothing
- Scott Abraham on 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Much Ado About Nothing
- sheila on 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Much Ado About Nothing
- Mike Molloy on 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Much Ado About Nothing
- sheila on March 2026 Snapshots
- sheila on “I don’t really know why, but danger has always been an important thing in my life – to see how far I could lean without falling, how fast I could go without cracking up.” — William Holden
- Jessie on March 2026 Snapshots
- Helen Erwin Schinske on “To me, music is no joke and it’s not for sale.” — Ian MacKaye
- Maddy on “I don’t really know why, but danger has always been an important thing in my life – to see how far I could lean without falling, how fast I could go without cracking up.” — William Holden
- sheila on “To me, music is no joke and it’s not for sale.” — Ian MacKaye
- Helen Erwin Schinske on “To me, music is no joke and it’s not for sale.” — Ian MacKaye
- Joseph Pedulla on Susan Hayward Sleeps Raw
- sheila on “For I am of the seed of the WELCH WOMAN and speak the truth from my heart.” — Christopher Smart
- P Nickel on “The realization of ignorance is the first act of knowing.” — Jean Toomer
- Melissa Sutherland on “For I am of the seed of the WELCH WOMAN and speak the truth from my heart.” — Christopher Smart
- Bryce on The Books: “Nine Stories”- ‘The Laughing Man’ (J.D. Salinger)
-
Tag Archives: J.R.R. Tolkien
“I am not Gandalf…”
Tolkien wrote a draft to an unidentified reader, and in it he describes his affinity to Faramir. (Or should I say, his affinity “with” Faramir? Patrick, Grammar Guru, care to comment?)
Where Orcs Come From
In the film, we see Orcs being “born” out of the mud of the earth. It is as though Sauron is creating them, it seems as though the Orcs are being genetically engineered by the Dark Power, to be his … Continue reading
Tolkien, January 30, 1945: “But why gloat!”
The letters Tolkien wrote to his son Christopher during WWII, while Christopher was stationed in South Africa are amazing. He sent him chapters of LOTR for Christopher’s comments – It seems to me that Tolkien survived those very dark days … Continue reading
“That noble northern spirit”
This is from a letter JRR Tolkien wrote to his son, Michael, in June of 1941 “People in this land seem not even yet to realize that in the Germans we have enemies whose virtues (and they are virtues) of … Continue reading
Posted in writers
Tagged Germany, Hitler, J.R.R. Tolkien
Comments Off on “That noble northern spirit”
“The sequel to the Hobbit”
“I have begun again on the sequel to the ‘Hobbit’ – The Lord of the Ring. It is now flowing along, and getting quite out of hand. It has reached about Chapter VII and progresses towards quite unforeseen goals. I … Continue reading
“Impertinent and irrelevant inquiries”
The German publishing firm of Rutten & Loening contacted Allen & Unwin in 1938 (the publishers of The Hobbit) and wanted to negotiate with them for a German translation of the book. But first and foremost, they wanted to know … Continue reading
The Hobbit of Oxford
I have begun the letters of JRR Tolkien. I love reading letters of writers. To hear a writer discuss what will end up being a great or a classic work of literature – and the writer has no idea of … Continue reading
The Ring Trilogy: Eowyn
One brief comment: The character of Eowyn in the film is completely unrecognizable from the character that Tolkien wrote. So far as I can tell, this is the most extreme example, when comparing the movie and the book. I’m not … Continue reading
The Dwarf Family Tree
I am re-reading The Ring Trilogy at a feverish rate and today I found myself poring through all of the Appendices in the back of the book, where all the language information is, and the calendar information, and the lines … Continue reading
“… and that means comfort.”
I have picked up The Hobbit again after, it must be 25 years. I haven’t read it since I was a kid. I am having the time of my life. I found that I still had the first paragraph in … Continue reading