Season 3 is here, and we begin by welcoming Tom Shippey to The Prancing Pony Podcast! We discuss his classic works The Road to Middle-earth and J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of the Century, and the remarkable story of his personal meeting with Professor Tolkien in 1972. We also talk about his new book Laughing Shall I Die, an exploration of the Viking heroic mindset and their grim (often inappropriate) sense of humor. Plus, the shocking link between Beowulf and a young woman searching for the perfect bowl of porridge.
In this episode, Tom Shippey briefly mentions a response he wrote to a New York Times Review of Books article by an author he said got Tolkien “R-O-N-G wrong”. The original article requires a paid subscription, but fortunately you can read Professor Shippey’s delightful response “The Wrong Sow” here: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2006/05/25/the-wrong-sow/
For streaming audio and a transcript of the Tom Shippey lecture “Tolkien Book to Jackson Script: The Medium and the Message”, see the Swarthmore College website at http://www.swarthmore.edu/news-events/tolkien-book-to-jackson-script-medium-and-message. (Audio highly recommended!)
Recommended Reading:
Shippey, Tom. J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century (Mariner Books, paperback)
I read the linked article you put here. Being so used to listening to people describing LOTR as “has happy ending”, it is easy to forget heavy details such as how troubled and even “alienated” Frodo feels afterward, and how the smallest gestures such as “I’m home” remark by Sam can be heavily laden with meaning. Paired with discussion about inappropriate sense of humor like in this episode (and how humor or laughter often appears in the unlikeliest situations, including in Tolkien’s works), I’d say they point at one thing to be understood by readers: the more nuanced way to see the world, even its most tragic and horrible aspects. This is something I always try to explain to people who said to me that Tolkien’s works are “black and white”.
There’s a short but popular Javanese advice that I love: “Ojo gumunan” (the last part is read “goo-moo-nan’). It literally means “Don’t get surprised easily”, but the deeper meaning is, “you should have more nuanced way to see the world, because it is not as black and white as you think”. The more I read about Tolkien, the more often that phrase keeps coming back. This discussion about inappropriate sense of humor cannot be more appropriate.
(and my sister promised to buy me the ebook version of Laughing Shall I Die for early birthday present, so I will soon join the fun 🙂 ).
You’re going to love it! And we couldn’t agree with you more about the silly accusation of “black and white” in Tolkien’s writings. There is so much nuance there. Thank you, Putri!
[…] mention of Lovecraft, but readers of this blog will likely be interested in a new and excellent 90 minute interview with Tom Shippey, leading Tolkien scholar. Shippey is on top form. As well as various acutely perceptive Tolkien […]