OT: Tolkien

In a message dated 03/13/02 1:51:06 PM, jcowan@REUTERSHEALTH.COM writes:

<< Shippey points out in _JRRT: Author of the Century_ that the split between
Tolkien-lovers and Tolkien-haters is basically not between the uneducated
and the educated, but between the generally and the specially educated.
Tolkien-despising has been a self-perpetuating passion among the
English professors (and the literati) for fifty years. >>

    Now, let's not overgeneralize.  There are plenty of us who hate all
science fiction and fantasy (including Tolkien) and who are not English
professors or literati (unless reading only, well, literary fiction
classifies me as "literati").  I mean, "author of the century"?  Give me a
break!
    I still think M. Poxon's point is relevant, and not only for the Tolkien
tie-in, but also the Esperanto and Klingon tie-in.  All of these pretty much
have a negative conotation for those who aren't specifically "into" them, or
knowledgeable about them.  Heck, as we've seen, there are droves and droves
who are knowledgeable about Esperanto and do create languages that can't
stand it.  This doesn't help things.  Not that we all *should* like all these
things, by any means; it's just a fact that there are these negative
conotations that will be hard to overcome, if language creation is to move up
in the world.

OT, and specifically to jraja:

<<Personally, I would think of constructed languages as
an art form, but for crying out loud most people I
know who are not part of my discipline think my music
composition, an accepted "serious" art form with a 500
year tradition and history, is a hobby and not worthy
of status as an art/career.  They don't see why I cant
just get a day job and do my music hobby on the side.>>

    What about film music?  Lots of people get paid to do that.  A buddy of
mine who writes his own music recently got to do some orchestration for The
Palace Thief (movie coming out), via...James Newton Howard?  I forget who's
doing the music.  He's also done the music for student films before.  And whil
e you may not like Philip Glass, I bet he's not starving.  Or do all these
guys have day jobs, too?  (By the by, I really am just curious.)

-David

"Zi hiwejnat zodZaraDatsi pat Zi mirejsat dZaCajani sUlo."
"The future's uncertain and the end is always near."
                --Jim Morrison