Re: Are conlangs fictional? - Brian Aldiss

Tim May scripsit:

> "Anything sound philologically is owed to Professor Tom Shippey; his
> lively enthusiasm has been of great help all along."
Note that this is the author of the JRRT book I mentioned a while back.
BTW, the term "author of the century" should not only be understood
as referring to Tolkien's prominence (several "greatest book" surveys
among bookstore patrons, etc., have turned up LotR on top repeatedly),
but also as meaning that JRRT, despite his "mediaeval" subject matter,
was most distinctively a _20th century_ author, and not merely an
archaizer.  Specifically, the notion that "absolute power corrupts
absolutely" dates only to about 1885.

--
John Cowan <jcowan@...>     http://www.reutershealth.com
I amar prestar aen, han mathon ne nen,    http://www.ccil.org/~cowan
han mathon ne chae, a han noston ne 'wilith.  --Galadriel, _LOTR:FOTR_