tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17038780.comments2024-02-22T07:38:38.799-05:00Lee's MythLeesMythhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07148809853650317019noreply@blogger.comBlogger486125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17038780.post-53679188488064438572024-02-22T07:19:55.354-05:002024-02-22T07:19:55.354-05:00The Englishman is named Fergusson and the Scotsman...The Englishman is named Fergusson and the Scotsman is named Kennedy. Sacré français!Joehttp://www.idiosophy.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17038780.post-23440277758532720252022-08-02T17:48:38.208-04:002022-08-02T17:48:38.208-04:00Did you get a new TV cable that day?Did you get a new TV cable that day?Joehttps://www.idiosophy.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17038780.post-14188978102502872022021-06-03T07:32:47.791-04:002021-06-03T07:32:47.791-04:00Thanks! That sounds exactly right, and I see now t...Thanks! That sounds exactly right, and I see now that another blogger has quoted it at http://fiddlrts.blogspot.com/2014/07/reading-with-my-kids-homer-price-and.htmlLeesMythhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07148809853650317019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17038780.post-4965552057850326972021-05-22T17:10:29.193-04:002021-05-22T17:10:29.193-04:00Sorry for posting this on a 10-year-old blog post,...Sorry for posting this on a 10-year-old blog post, but I was looking for that book with the donut song and found your blog. I think it's "Homer Price" by Robert McCloskey, if you're still looking.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17038780.post-89972200729405787572021-05-20T07:43:55.151-04:002021-05-20T07:43:55.151-04:00Elves hunted and killed the Petty-Dwarves in early...Elves hunted and killed the Petty-Dwarves in early Beleriand, not realizing that they were sentient until they met the other Dwarves. It appears Treebeard's belief that those early Elves wanted to talk to everything was overly optimistic.Thomas Hillmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11645380693097266173noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17038780.post-65484178445802116752021-01-02T15:40:22.046-05:002021-01-02T15:40:22.046-05:00I like to put the Gaffer and Farmer Maggot up agai...I like to put the Gaffer and Farmer Maggot up against two other quotations. "There is power, too, of another kind in the Shire," from Gandalf and "In dark and loneliness they are strongest," from Aragorn. Maybe hobbits in the Shire have power to resist a Black Rider because of the light, conviviality, and brutal blasts of etiquette.Joehttp://www.idiosophy.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17038780.post-34014515581458274942021-01-01T14:22:14.826-05:002021-01-01T14:22:14.826-05:00in this last reprise of the Road song, his feet to...in this last reprise of the Road song, his feet too are weary, as Frodo's were when he sang it in 1.iii.Thomas Hillmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11645380693097266173noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17038780.post-78659439146421108072020-08-09T13:27:37.364-04:002020-08-09T13:27:37.364-04:00Yes, it is.Yes, it is.LeesMythhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07148809853650317019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17038780.post-34398917287337164102020-08-09T13:16:35.923-04:002020-08-09T13:16:35.923-04:00"Embrasure" was the word that struck me ..."Embrasure" was the word that struck me as incongruous in that description. I guess it's hard to avoid french words when you're writing about military affairs. Is it the red dot at 1700?Joehttp://www.idiosophy.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17038780.post-30060537497534817392020-07-04T13:23:00.510-04:002020-07-04T13:23:00.510-04:00daffy duck on babylon 5. i knew there had to be a ...daffy duck on babylon 5. i knew there had to be a connectionAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02216948138695668665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17038780.post-48823360701756195072020-03-19T12:27:23.462-04:002020-03-19T12:27:23.462-04:00Thank you so much, I am reading Vinavers book righ...Thank you so much, I am reading Vinavers book right now and was wondering about the meaning of this phraseLisanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17038780.post-59496464048760631962020-01-25T19:20:47.373-05:002020-01-25T19:20:47.373-05:00Suitably dark humor for the occasion - I imagine i...Suitably dark humor for the occasion - I imagine it went over well in the armed forces!<br /><br />(Though if we take it seriously, I suppose that attitude would create an incentive for the men to borrow as heavily as possible from their superiors, wouldn't it?)LeesMythhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07148809853650317019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17038780.post-71518813260360247632020-01-25T18:16:24.349-05:002020-01-25T18:16:24.349-05:00For some reason, this reminded me of the WWII Bill...For some reason, this reminded me of the WWII <a href="https://i.pinimg.com/236x/f8/01/34/f8013404974507161d4f8e58aee5598f--military-humour-military-history.jpg" rel="nofollow">Bill Mauldin cartoon</a>, in which an infantry sergeant tells his men, "I need a couple guys what don't owe me no money for a little routine patrol."Joehttp://www.idiosophy.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17038780.post-5803891266373590142019-10-07T22:27:52.261-04:002019-10-07T22:27:52.261-04:00P.S. While I don't plan to undertake the propo...P.S. While I don't plan to undertake the proposed study, I'll report back on <i>LotR</i> III.11, "The Palantír." <br /><br />Excluding the dialogue, I spotted two two-word sentences and five three-word sentences in the chapter:<br />p. 588: Gandalf laughed.<br />p. 590: Merry yawned.<br />p. 592: The hobbit shuddered. His eyes closed. [this is Pippin, obviously]<br />p. 595: It was gone. [Nazgûl]<br />p. 596: Aragorn followed him. [Gandalf]<br />p. 596: Pippin was recovering.<br /><br />There are also quite a few four-word sentences. At one point, I even found myself trying to fit the text to "California Dreamin'"....LeesMythhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07148809853650317019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17038780.post-69667044304878973702019-10-07T20:33:57.372-04:002019-10-07T20:33:57.372-04:00Ooh, that *does* sound cool. Ooh, that *does* sound cool. LeesMythhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07148809853650317019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17038780.post-13857568681490379122019-10-07T09:54:10.250-04:002019-10-07T09:54:10.250-04:00Nice, Lee. I suddenly realized that 'Then Gand...Nice, Lee. I suddenly realized that 'Then Gandalf laughed' is one of those three word sentences Tolkien punctuates things with, like 'And Morgoth came', or, and perhaps more to the point in this context, 'Then he came'.<br /><br />Someone needs to do a study of these phrases. <br />Thomas Hillmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11645380693097266173noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17038780.post-8180798349921221942019-09-20T07:55:56.028-04:002019-09-20T07:55:56.028-04:00Those are some wonderful connections! And I love ...Those are some wonderful connections! And I love that speech (indeed that entire scene) in <i>The Silver Chair</i>. <br /><br />Yes, I agree Lewis is setting up dismissiveness of imagination for criticism, both here and elsewhere. To me, he seems to be suggesting quite strongly that imagination is necessary to cope properly with reality -- a sentiment I also associate with Chesterton and Tolkien, among others. Eustace is criticized for reading the wrong books -- i.e., books of information, rather than imaginative works, which leave him entirely unprepared for his dragon-encounter. And I think Susan's long-standing penchant for being "grown-up" makes her quick to dismiss Lucy's initial report of a country in the wardrobe as mere imaginative play in <i>LWW</i>, and contributes to her pooh-poohing Lucy's report of seeing Aslan in <i>Prince Caspian</i> -- even though she later basically admits she knew in her heart he must be there ("But I've been far worse than you know. I really believed it was him -- he, I mean -- yesterday. When he warned us not to go down to the fir wood. And I really believed it was him tonight, when you woke us up. I mean, deep down inside. Or I could have, if I'd let myself.") So Susan's resistance to imagination (which I'd argue is the flip side of her desire to be, or seem to be, grown-up) seems to interfere with her reception of truth. <br /><br />I'm now about 75% of the way through Hugh Aplin's translation of <i>We</i> - that was the version they had at my library. I might check out the youtube audiobook as well - thanks! And no, I'm not familiar with Johan Huizinga's <i>Homo Ludens</i>. That sounds intriguing too. <br /><br />Laura Lee SmithLeesMythhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07148809853650317019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17038780.post-54320970031755760192019-09-19T22:29:39.969-04:002019-09-19T22:29:39.969-04:00It never struck me before - but there is a paralle...It never struck me before - but there is a parallel (as well as contrast) between Gandalf's magical apparent white horses bashing the Nazgul and their mis-trained black horses and Merlin adopting the form of white wolf to bash the lycanthropic Lancelot in Williams's 'Son of Lancelot' poem (the big contrast being this is intended to be therapeutic for Lancelot and succeeds). <br /><br />David Llewellyn Dodds Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17038780.post-30077821617667317182019-09-16T08:12:27.180-04:002019-09-16T08:12:27.180-04:00I hope you get around to what sounds so interestin...I hope you get around to what sounds so interesting an analysis! Will you also be attending to 'Numinor' in the (at least three) different versions of his poem, 'The End [later 'Last'] of the Wine'?<br /><br />I his 1973 University of Toronto dissertation, Charles Williams, C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien: Three Approaches to Religion in Modern Fiction, Colman O'Hare pays interesting attention to the removal of Williams references by Lewis for his abridged version of the novel.<br /><br />David Llewellyn DoddsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17038780.post-55527996171785419632019-09-16T07:47:17.883-04:002019-09-16T07:47:17.883-04:00Belated thanks for your thoughtful, and further th...Belated thanks for your thoughtful, and further thought-provoking, reply! Those are interesting elements to ponder - family, being in Narnia together at the same time, and having been in Narnia at all. It gets me wanting to compare and contrast Narnia-travellers and the members of the company at St. Anne's in detail.<br /><br />I was also, pondering further, struck by Susan's (reported) contrast of "you" and "we" - for one thing, in the context of Lewis's March 1940 discussion of the use of "we" as "a dangerous figure of speech" in his 'Dangers of National Repentance' article. That, in turn, gets me thinking I should carefully reread the Lady of the Green Kirtle's speech to persuade Eustace, Jill, and Puddleglum of the irreality of the surface in The Silver Chair, with which Susan's (reported) remark seems to have an alarming similarity (which is not to say Susan has anything like her libido dominandi). Within the story, their shared experiences of Narnia are historical. For us, they and their experiences are fictional. But I wonder if another dimension of Susan's (reported) reference to "all those funny games we used to play" includes a critique by Lewis of dismissiveness of imaginative writing, story-telling, 'play', etc. By the way, do you know Johan Huizinga's Homo Ludens? I don't know if any of the Inklings did, but it seems very Inklings-compatible to me.<br /><br />With reference to Zamyatin's We, there are a number of English translations - Orwell read Gregory Zilboorg's (a later edition of which is scanned in the Internet Archive), I read and thoroughly enjoyed Mirra Ginsburg's translation, I know someone who enjoyed Clarence Brown's translation as an audiobook (on YouTube!), and its Wikipedia article lists yet another five (and, if you have other favorite languages for reading Russian in translation, there is lots more choice). I enjoyed spot-checking differences in Ginsburg and Zilboorg, too. <br /><br />David Llewellyn DoddsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17038780.post-259021517155472082019-09-03T07:13:06.076-04:002019-09-03T07:13:06.076-04:00On the other hand, it turns hoes into shoes, which...On the other hand, it turns hoes into shoes, which can be useful as the weather turns colder.Joehttp://www.idiosophy.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17038780.post-39163434550983911262019-08-15T11:38:33.669-04:002019-08-15T11:38:33.669-04:00Thanks for the comments! In context, I'm thin...Thanks for the comments! In context, I'm thinking the "you" might refer to Peter <i>along with</i> Lucy and/or Edmund, since they've all been together with Susan in Narnia. Any one or more of the siblings could have "tried to get her to come and talk about Narnia or do anything about Narnia," quite possibly (although not necessarily) in Eustace's presence.* To me, it'd be less natural for Eustace or others to try to persuade her, since they'd not been in Narnia together as children, and I think she'd be less likely to respond to them as Eustace reports. So I'm a little reluctant to read "you" as "one" here. <br /><br />Interesting connection between Susan and Eustace - perhaps one might also compare Edmund as well. (Unlike Eustace, Edmund seems to have read the right books - though that clearly does not prevent him from engaging in cruelty, selfishness, and outright treachery.)<br /><br />Please let me know if the comparisons with <i>Brave New World</i>, <i>1984</i>, and <i>We</i> bear fruit! I'm not familiar with Zamyatin, so clearly that's a good one to include in my next round of library requests...<br /><br />Laura Lee Smith<br /><br /><br />FN* I suppose Eustace might just as easily be repeating hearsay from his old Pevensie friends to his newer comrade Tirian. LeesMythhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07148809853650317019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17038780.post-141810082291300812019-08-11T23:29:14.117-04:002019-08-11T23:29:14.117-04:00Thank you for this, with all its detailed thoughtf...Thank you for this, with all its detailed thoughtful attention!<br /><br />A couple of your details have got me started trying to think further about them - who is Eustace's "you" in "you've"? Peter? Or 'one' (including himself as an example)? As you suggest, Susan's quoted plural "memories" seems to address more than one person (one way or another) - soon underlined by the first-person plural "we" and the plural "children". They have not been in Narnia together, but they share the experience of having been to Narnia - when, in his case, (might one put it?) Eustace went from being 'current-Susan-like' to (so far) enduringly unlike.<br /><br />Filostrato's "When man has thrown it away, then he will become finally governable" gets me wanting to think comparatively about him and Huxley's Brave New World (which, as I racall, Lewis knew), Orwell's soon-to-follow 1984, and Zamyatin's We (which Orwell knew - I'm not sure 'we' know if Lewis did) and their considerations of "sex" and governability.<br /><br />David Llewellyn Dodds<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17038780.post-42973205516044624942019-08-06T01:42:40.635-04:002019-08-06T01:42:40.635-04:00Yes. In each instance, we, the reader, are in a po...Yes. In each instance, we, the reader, are in a position to see how foolish the sexist comments truly are. Jeremiahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02622893684488275484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17038780.post-12931883775403780022019-07-13T09:40:08.714-04:002019-07-13T09:40:08.714-04:00I like to think of these in terms of the textual h...I like to think of these in terms of the textual history of the manuscript. The version we have is apparently the work of a 4th-Age scribe in Ithilien who's responsible for the pomposity of the later books. His audience was probably the young nobility, who needed clear class markers in order to know what to think.Joehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04572777569221103038noreply@blogger.com