Re: CHAT: fantasy (was: Re: history of conlanging)

Matt Pearson wrote:
>
> I guess the deal is that I like fantasy stories best when the 'supernatural'
> motifs (magic and monsters) are used extremely sparingly.  That's
> what's so great about the Lord of the Rings for me - there's very little
> "magic" in the book, in the sense of actions which blatantly defy natural
> laws, and what few examples there are are imbued with a proper sense
> of wonder and danger (e.g. the mirror of Galadriel, the palantiri), and are
> generally grounded in consistent metaphysical laws even when they defy
> physical laws (e.g. the invisibility and special sight conferred by
> the Ring).  There are a few exceptions (e.g. Gandalf lighting fires with
> his staff) but these are minor.  In general, magic is treated as something
> exceedingly rare and wonderful - more a matter of wisdom than of
> inherent 'super powers'.
>
        Funny, Didier Willis (a fellow conlanger, some may remember him, who
has no time to see us on the list) gave me once a booklet with a few
articles about LotR where one of them says exactly the thing you say. It
says most of all that the title of Gandalf "the Wizard" should be taken
etymologically ("the wiseman") more than as its modern meaning ("the
sorcerer") and complained that the magic of LotR which was more a kind
of poetry (like it was said about the Elves) had become so utilitarian
in other fantasy stories and in roleplaying games (it didn't say that
such kind of magic was wrong, it just complained that people made a
connection between it and the one in LotR, where there was none). There
was also a small article in this booklet that went against the belief
that the Elves of Tolkien had pointed ears (by the way, do anyone knows
what they are doing for the movie? Will the elves have pointed ears?). A
small article but a lot of fun (with though a serious background on folk
fairy tales and such).

> Matt.
--
        Christophe Grandsire

        Philips Research Laboratories --  Building WB 145
        Prof. Holstlaan 4
        5656 AA Eindhoven
        The Netherlands

        Phone:  +31-40-27-45006
        E-mail: grandsir@natlab.research.philips.com