Tolkien survey

[Surveyor]

I’m conducting a survey of Tolkien readers. I’ll eventually publish the results in a journal and possibly as a book.

We “average” readers are the people who created the “Tolkien phenomenon,” earning book publishers and film producers billions of dollars in the last 70 years. We are not “just fans.” We are people whose lives have been significantly affected by encounters with Tolkien’s Middle-earth. Our opinions and experiences are more important than those of critics and scholars, and we should voice them as well as we can.

Basically, I just want individuals to explain why they like (or dislike) Tolkien’s books. Most of the questions in the survey are open-ended. For example, one (obvious) question is, “What are your favorite books and why are they your favorites?” Participants decide the length of their answers.

If administrators permit the survey, I'd like them to decide how I should distribute it. There are three different ways.

First, I can post the survey in the forum and ask people to post their answers here. Second, I can post it here and participants can send answers to my e-mail address. Third, people can request a copy of the survey by e-mail.

Thanks!

[Spock]

Insofar as this stated purpose is for Tolkein Readers, it goes into the Book Forum.

*moved*

[durinsbane2244]

soooo....as a "reader", i think that the emailed survey would be best to answers wouldn't get jumbled and such things...this sounds both interesting and fun, and i hope it's a success.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

I'm in. :)

[jammi567]

i'm definatly in.

[Sam]

count me in :cool:

[Surveyor]

Thanks to everyone for the positive responses.

I'm reconsidering how I'll conduct the survey.

I have to admit that I'm leery of using email for this. My concerns are for potential spam and about privacy. I want it to be completely anonymous (is that even possible on the internet?).

I think I'll start by posting a draft of the survey. If people want to answer the questions, that's great. I'll call it a beta-test and ask for input.

I'm also creating a web site. That will make it easier for me and for participants. I'll post the link as soon as it's done.

I'll get the questions up ASAP. Thanks again!

[Surveyor]

Please, everyone, DO NOT post your e-mail addresses in the thread. I don't want anyone worrying about getting spammed or privacy violations. Let's keep it all anonymous. Thanks.

[durinsbane2244]

maybe you should just do it with PMs than....

[Bombadillo]

Anonomous!? :eek: I want recognition in your journal!

;) :p

This is something I'd definately like to be a part of, Surveyor. Privacy doesn't concern me so much either, so whichever way is easiest for you, plus I think I'll make a post with my answers. It sounds like fun. :)

[Surveyor]

Hi. I have created a blog for this survey. The blog is Surveying Middle-earth (http://middleearthsurvey.blogspot.com). Thanks.

[durinsbane2244]

soooo...do you want us to PM you the answer....or...post it here...?

[Meriadoc Brandybuck]

I'm in if it doesn't require giving out my e-mail address. It looks like I won't have to, though. :)

[Surveyor]

Durinsbane,

I'm using the blog to post the questions. You can answer by using comments. You have the option of making it anonymous, but if you do want credit--or if you're willing to be quoted, just let me know and I'll keep your forum name with your answers. And if I do quote someone, I'll ask for their permission first (as long as I have their forum name, of course).

[durinsbane2244]

alright than. thanks. so....i'll put the forum name than...

[durinsbane2244]

aaaand, done. yay! i answered. :D

[jammi567]

don't think me thick, but i still don't get how to do it?

[durinsbane2244]

go to the bottom, where it says, "comments (0)" click that, and make a comment! (i.e. answers)...thickhead... :D

[jammi567]

go to the bottom, where it says, "comments (0)" click that, and make a comment! (i.e. answers)...thickhead... :D
oi! checky. :D

[durinsbane2244]

and don't you forget it, mate! ;)

[Surveyor]

Okay, everyone. Here is the FULL survey questionnaire. It is very, very long. I’m posting it here because many of you seem to prefer answering it in the forum than on my blog.

But if you prefer the blog, the link again is Surveying Middle-earth (http://middleearthsurvey.blogspot.com).

SURVEY

Please answer the questions by either typing the answer after the question, or just the number or letter of the question followed by your answer.

I prefer anonymous participation. If I directly quote text from your answers, and you want credit in the articles and book, just write, "Yes, I give you permission to quote me." I will only use your username from this site. Please don’t give out your real names or e-mail addresses.

Answer all or just some of the questions. Answers can be any length. I will read and use every responses. Thank you for participating!

1) Gender

2) Country of residence

3) Language(s) spoken

4) Which of the following books have you read? Please list using the title abbreviations.

a. HOB: The Hobbit
b. LOTR: The Lord of the Rings
c. SIL: The Silmarillion
d. UT: Unfinished Tales
e. TOM: "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil," from The Tolkien Reader
f. RG: The Road Goes Ever On
g. BIL: Bilbo’s Last Song
h. BLT1: The Book of Lost Tales I (The History of Middle-earth, Vol. 1)
i. BLT2: The Book of Lost Tales II (HoME, Vol. 2)
j. LB: The Lays of Beleriand (HoME, Vol. 3)
k. SME: The Shaping of Middle-earth (HoME, Vol. 4)
l. LR: The Lost Road (HoME, Vol. 5)
m. RS: The Return of the Shadow (HoME, Vol. 6)
n. TI: The Treason of Isengard (HoME, Vol. 7)
o. WR: The War of the Ring (HoME, Vol. 8)
p. SD or ETA: Sauron Defeated (or the shorter version, The End of the Third Age) (HoME,
vol. 9)
q. MR: Morgoth’s Ring (HoME, Vol. 10)
r. WJ: The War of the Jewels (HoME, Vol. 11)
s. PME: The Peoples of Middle-earth (HoME, Vol. 12)

5) Which of the following movies have you seen? Please list using the title abbreviations.

a. HOBA: The Hobbit, animated television film, dir. by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin, Jr. (1978)
b. LTRA: The Lord of the Rings, animated theatrical film, dir. by Ralph Bakshi (1979)
c. RTKA: The Return of the King, animated televised film, dir. by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin, Jr. (1980)
d. FRM: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, dir. by Peter Jackson (2001)
e. TTM: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, dir. by Peter Jackson (2002)
f. RTKM: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, dir. by Peter Jackson (2003)

6) Which radio dramas or books on CD or tape have you listened to?

7) Which book, movie, or recording did you first read, watch, or listen to?

8) Were these works in English or in another language?

9)Do you prefer the books, movies, or audio recordings?

10)Which books do you like the most? Why? Which do you dislike the most? Why?

11)Which movies do you like the most? Why? Which do you dislike the most? Why?

12)Which audio recordings do you like the most? Why? Which do you dislike the most? Why?

13)What do you like or dislike most about Tolkien’s works?

14)Why do you like or dislike Tolkien’s works? What do they mean to you?

[durinsbane2244]

so, would you like us to just post answers or PM them? i'll just PM mine...ok, apparently you can't recieve PMs...well...TO THE BLOG!! :rolleyes:

[Spock]

THIS SURVEY CONTAINS INFORMATION YOU MAY NOT WISH TO HAVE PUBLISHED ON THIS SITE.

IT IS ***SUGGESTED*** THAT YOU USE THE E-MAIL OPTION FOUND IN THE PROFILE OF THE SURVEYOR WITH YOUR ANSWERS, IF YOU WISH TO PARTICIPATE. AS THEY HAVE OPTED OUT OF USING PM.

[durinsbane2244]

oh. well. i just used the blog he set up. nothing in that you can't find in me profile already, eh? heh...i must say though, i like how you always use magenta for the important, eye-catching bits...[it works! ;) ]

anyways, yes, i have answered the questions and posted it on ze blog. :D

[Surveyor]

Spock,

Are you refering to the questions about "age, gender, country of residence, and language(s) spoken?" I'll delete them from the post.

Folks, this is getting more and more complicated. I just want fans to answer my questions about Tolkien. I rarely use online forums and discussion groups, so I'm kind of ignorant of policy and etiquette. If I'm violating anything or stepping on anyone's toes, I'm happy to immediately correct the problem and apologize. I understand that this is the internet and things aren't safe here.

Okay. No age, no gender, no country. Is that cool?

[Surveyor]

Durin,

I deleted your answers to the initial 5 questions on my blog due to privacy concerns. Everything else is intact.

And by the way, thank you for the excellent answers. They're just the kind I'm looking for.

[littleadanel]

Hey......chill. I think they're fine the way they are, because of this -

Answer all or just some of the questions.

I understood that as 'if I don't want to tell where I'm from, or how old I am, I don't have to'. However, I think I will. This way, your survey can be wider and more accurate - how 'worldwide' Tolkien is, and that people of every age can enjoy his works... and so on. Count me in, full questionnaire. :)

That's everyone's own decision to make. I think it's ok if they stay.

;)

[durinsbane2244]

well, you're decision to make, mate. i don't care if it's in there or not, myself. ;)

[The Gaffer]

Posting answers here coz I think it would be interesting to see what others think. That way we don't have to buy your book. HA! :p
1) Male

2) UK

3) English, French, can order food and drink and swear in German, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese and Spanish.

4) HOB, LOTR, SIL, UT
Useful bibliography by the way. :)

5) Which of the following movies have you seen? Please list using the title abbreviations.

LTRA, FRM, TTM, RTKM

6) Which radio dramas or books on CD or tape have you listened to?

BBC Radio 4 version of LOTR, circa 1980
Vinyl LP version of The Hobbit, circa 1975

7) Which book, movie, or recording did you first read, watch, or listen to?
FOTR

8) Were these works in English or in another language?
English

9)Do you prefer the books, movies, or audio recordings?
Books

10)Which books do you like the most? Why? Which do you dislike the most? Why?
I think The Hobbit is the best book in a literary sense. However, I prefer LOTR for its unabashed grandeur, scale, heroism and multiple layers of themes.

11)Which movies do you like the most? Why? Which do you dislike the most? Why?
At the time, FOTR, because I couldn't believe they'd actually managed to make a film of it which wasn't pants. I later realised it was pants, apart from the design, art direction and some aspects of the production (e.g. the actor who played Sam was excellent). They should have made more changes to the story to make it work better as a film.

12)Which audio recordings do you like the most? Why? Which do you dislike the most? Why?
I fondly remember the BBC radio version. It emulated the way the book fires your imagination, realising these landscapes, characters and history in your mind. It also had a very tight narrative, and the luxury of umpteen episodes.

13)What do you like or dislike most about Tolkien’s works?
Like: characterisation (yes, that's right): how they are essentially immutable but they are defined by the course of events. Characters end up realising their essential natures, effectively. History, languages, and the connection between these and how we live now. Triumph of friendship; rejection of the material. At times, the storytelling has phenomenal pace and emotional power. Cool and groovy ideas brought to life and given a credible raison d'etre, e.g. Treebeard.

Dislike: anti-progress, "accept your lot", reactionary racial politics; some bits are tedious, it has to be said. After a while you get a bit fed up with eyes that smoulder with an inner fire, etc.

14)Why do you like or dislike Tolkien’s works? What do they mean to you?
It is simply the best entertainment of its kind, if you like that sort of thing. Some people don't, but when it comes to any kind of art, critics (or "wankers" as they are known colloquially in these parts) often disagree with punters.

My life would not be different it it hadn't been written, if that's what you mean.

[Surveyor]

Gaffer,

Thank you for answering my questions. I particularly agree with your view of critics--"wankers" is a good term. I have a lot to say about Tolkien's critics, both friendly and hostile. Thanks again.

[The Gaffer]

Yes, it seems pointless and rather timid to dismiss an entire genre, particularly when it is self-evidently more popular than whatever passes for "high culture". It would be interesting to read what people like Eco think about escapist fantasy-type literature.

It would be interesting to discuss criticisms of Tolkien, which haven't really been addressed in depth on this forum to my knowledge. Would you be willing to share those views?

[Butterbeer]

Hey......chill. I think they're fine the way they are, because of this -



I understood that as 'if I don't want to tell where I'm from, or how old I am, I don't have to'. However, I think I will. This way, your survey can be wider and more accurate - how 'worldwide' Tolkien is, and that people of every age can enjoy his works... and so on. Count me in, full questionnaire. :)

That's everyone's own decision to make. I think it's ok if they stay.

;)


that's alright - i'll tell you anyway all ABOUT Littleladanel - he's 32, 5'9" tall, has blond hair and green eyes - a littel dimple and he's from Antartica. his favourite food is Blubber soup and his real name is NOT Litteadanel ... it's Adrian ... Adrian one day dreams of becoming a Transvestite football playing Bishop and his ideal date would be a threesome of cardinals ...

yours THE WHISTLEBLOWER

[Butterbeer]

I am English AND British :p

i am a male

I can order beer and swear in more languages even than our Scots friend there but generally i speak English and the BBspuriousiranto of my web posts :p

i have read most of the above ... sorry those abbreviations look like too much work

i have seen all three "movies" and the animated LOTR first section


BBC Radio 4 version of LOTR, circa 1980

does this count the hobbit? I read - or was read to if you really wanna know, the Hobbit first, then read it myself, then FOTR ...etc


english


books of course!!! :p :rolleyes: :D

er? Farmer giles of Ham ...is that allowed?
it makes me smile!

TTT (extended edition) - i think barring some silly crap with skateboards, i really liked the haka scene and the lightning as they approach Helms deep - it caught that sense of swaying ranks on ranks filling the valley as lightning caught on barbed ears ...

despite some seriously 'i wanna Zidane u!!' liberties with the screenplay that they really did not need to do .... there were some great moments in there

12) i was underwhelmed by the bbc version ..maybe i should have another butchers??

13) like: plenty - you wanna an essay here or what? :p

dislike: yeah like the gaffer all the blue blood lineage stuff- thankg Gopd for the black death say i! Down with serfdom!


14) it's just plain original and well done in the main - a depth previously never seen to the world and languages and history - not a bad story either, huh? ;)


course The gaffer is talking **** (to use a local colloqualism) cus' his life would never have involved the moot or the people he has met ...so to a small minor degree it has effected him even as butterfly wings in the saharra are even now [potentially shaping our very lives! :p


hope that helps me mystery quiz blokey!
best, BB :)

[The Gaffer]

Nah, mate, if I wasn't wasting my time here it would just be somewhere else.

And yes, who IS this mystery quiz type person and what does S/HE think?

[Butterbeer]

its a mystery alrught ...

(but if it's any help i saw scooby doo legging off to the left not two minutes ago ... damn these pesky kids!)

ah, but Gaffer, tiny pebbles that fall to trouble even the lazy sleep of the wise (to artfully mangle a quote) ... its not that you waste your time here nor there ... but HOW ya does it ... that's what gets thing s done (or pratically the opposite of course!)


so - yes - reveal yourself mystery man or woman ...

[littleadanel]

that's alright - i'll tell you anyway all ABOUT Littleladanel - he's 32, 5'9" tall, has blond hair and green eyes - a littel dimple and he's from Antartica. his favourite food is Blubber soup and his real name is NOT Litteadanel ... it's Adrian ... Adrian one day dreams of becoming a Transvestite football playing Bishop and his ideal date would be a threesome of cardinals ...

yours THE WHISTLEBLOWER

And that was only a game of chess, mind you. :D I see that those transvestite bishops got stuck in your memory, BB... ::rofl::

And yes, I wonder what The Quizmaster is thinking? ;)

[Grey_Wolf]

1) Gender - Male

2) Country of residence - Sweden

3) Language(s) spoken - Swedish

4) Which of the following books have you read? Please list using the title abbreviations.

a. HOB: The Hobbit - read
b. LOTR: The Lord of the Rings - read
c. SIL: The Silmarillion - read
d. UT: Unfinished Tales - read
e. TOM: "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil," from The Tolkien Reader
f. RG: The Road Goes Ever On
g. BIL: Bilbo’s Last Song
h. BLT1: The Book of Lost Tales I (The History of Middle-earth, Vol. 1)
i. BLT2: The Book of Lost Tales II (HoME, Vol. 2)
j. LB: The Lays of Beleriand (HoME, Vol. 3)
k. SME: The Shaping of Middle-earth (HoME, Vol. 4)
l. LR: The Lost Road (HoME, Vol. 5)
m. RS: The Return of the Shadow (HoME, Vol. 6)
n. TI: The Treason of Isengard (HoME, Vol. 7)
o. WR: The War of the Ring (HoME, Vol. 8)
p. SD or ETA: Sauron Defeated (or the shorter version, The End of the Third Age) (HoME,
vol. 9)
q. MR: Morgoth’s Ring (HoME, Vol. 10)
r. WJ: The War of the Jewels (HoME, Vol. 11)
s. PME: The Peoples of Middle-earth (HoME, Vol. 12)

5) Which of the following movies have you seen? Please list using the title abbreviations.

a. HOBA: The Hobbit, animated television film, dir. by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin, Jr. (1978)
b. LTRA: The Lord of the Rings, animated theatrical film, dir. by Ralph Bakshi (1979) - seen
c. RTKA: The Return of the King, animated televised film, dir. by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin, Jr. (1980)
d. FRM: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, dir. by Peter Jackson (2001) -seen
e. TTM: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, dir. by Peter Jackson (2002) - seen

f. RTKM: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, dir. by Peter Jackson (2003) - seen

6) Which radio dramas or books on CD or tape have you listened to? none

7) Which book, movie, or recording did you first read, watch, or listen to? LOTR

8) Were these works in English or in another language? English

9)Do you prefer the books, movies, or audio recordings? books

10)Which books do you like the most? Why? Which do you dislike the most? Why?
LOTR. Most exciting! None.

11)Which movies do you like the most? Why? Which do you dislike the most? Why? None.

12)Which audio recordings do you like the most? Why? Which do you dislike the most? Why? Havent heard any.

13)What do you like or dislike most about Tolkien’s works?
Nothing

[jammi567]

1) Gender = male

2) Country of residence = engaland, uk

3) Language(s) spoken = english

4) Which of the following books have you read? Please list using the title abbreviations.

a. HOB: The Hobbit
b. LOTR: The Lord of the Rings
c. SIL: The Silmarillion
d. UT: Unfinished Tales
h. BLT1:
i. BLT2:
j. LB:
k. SME:
l. LR:
m. RS:
n. TI:
o. WR:
p. SD or ETA
q. MR
r. WJ
s. PME

5) Which of the following movies have you seen? Please list using the title abbreviations.

b. LTRA
d. FRM
e. TTM
f. RTKM

6) Which radio dramas or books on CD or tape have you listened to? none

7) Which book, movie, or recording did you first read, watch, or listen to? hobbit book.

8) Were these works in English or in another language? English

9)Do you prefer the books, movies, or audio recordings? books

10)Which books do you like the most? Why? Which do you dislike the most? Why? lotr because of the depth of it. none

11)Which movies do you like the most? Why? Which do you dislike the most? Why? PJ movies because they stayed most faithful. Animated film because crap characters, no depth

12)Which audio recordings do you like the most? Why? Which do you dislike the most? Why? none because haven't listerened to any

13)What do you like or dislike most about Tolkien’s works? i like the races individulism, especially when there are extream differences between people within the same race eg. feanor and fingolfin. i dislike that fact that he didn't manage to explain everything within his world.

14)Why do you like or dislike Tolkien’s works? What do they mean to you? i like the depth and the thought that he put into his work to make it as complete as possible. they mean a lot to me because it showed me what people can do when they put their mind to it.

[Surveyor]

Gaffer,

Part of my book will discuss Tolkien critics and scholars. My main goals are:

1) Publish the views of as many fans of, and people with a casual interest in, Tolkien and his works. Why? Because no one has ever done this before in a comprehensive manner. Ambitious, to say the least.

2) Review books and articles by Tolkien critics. The easiest critics to deal with will be the hostile ones. I don't need to spend much time countering their arguments because plenty of friendly critics and scholars have already done so. In fact, I may just use quotes from the friendlies to attack the hostiles. Or use their arguments.
The friendly critics are more interesting, though. Tolkien critics write about fans in one of three ways: with contempt, with condescension, or indifference. Maybe a fourth: they just ignore us, consider us irrelevant.
The friendlies usually use condescension and indifference. What most of them fail to understand is that their works are mostly OPINION PIECES. They're forms of entertainment, not scholarship. Their arguments are often based upon speculation and assumption--or worse, literary "theory."
Now, I like reading a person's views and thoughts about Tolkien. Published opinions can be interesting and can offer insights I hadn't thought of. And gathering opinions about Tolkien, after all, is the point of my survey. I like reading people's answers.
But professional writers can be arrogant and sometimes self-deluded. They fail to see that their statements and conclusions are not objective truths. They are subjective (truths? That remains to be seen). They don't prove much; they just think they do. That would be okay if they understood and admitted this. They don't.

3) Yes, goal #3 of the book: compare the views of Tolkien critics with Tolkien fans--the people who answer the survey. Right now I don't know how this will play out. I haven't read enough critical works yet, and I only have 20 or so survey responses. It'll be an interesting to find out, though.

So, Gaffer, those are some of my views. Thank you for your interest. It's great to share ideas.


Yes, it seems pointless and rather timid to dismiss an entire genre, particularly when it is self-evidently more popular than whatever passes for "high culture". It would be interesting to read what people like Eco think about escapist fantasy-type literature.

It would be interesting to discuss criticisms of Tolkien, which haven't really been addressed in depth on this forum to my knowledge. Would you be willing to share those views?

[Surveyor]

Butterbeer, Grey Wolf, and Jammi,

Thank you for your answers.

Man, I really dig doing this. Let's keep going.

[Surveyor]

And yes, who IS this mystery quiz type person and what does S/HE think?

Well, kids, what do you want to know? You want I should answer my own survey? Yikes. I'll answer some of it, as I'd ramble on ad nauseam with the "Why do you like this book or that movie and what does Tolkien mean to you" questions.

1) Male
2) USA
3) English

4) Books: HOB, LOTR, SIL, UT, TOM, RG, MR, WJ, PME, Farmer Giles of Ham, Smith of Wootton Major, Leaf by Niggle, The Letters of JRR Tolkien (what--you haven't read ALL of his books?)

5) Movies: HOBA, LTRA, FRM, TTM, RTKM

6) No recordings

7) I saw the animated Hobbit when I was 14. Then I read HOB and LOTR after that. I wish I hadn't seen the film because until I saw PJ's films I imagined hobbits as fat little curly-headed goofballs--kind of like the "It's Pat" character on Saturday Night Live. And orcs were all fat bipedal pigs with horns.

8) Everything in English

9) I like the books the most. PJ's films annoyed me more than they enthralled me. So it goes.

I'm going to hold off on why I like the books, Tolkien, etc. I'm still working that out. I know, I know--the surveyor won't/can't fully answer his own survey.

[Surveyor]

By the way, I keep revising the survey as I get more responses. I'm making it easier for people to read and to answer and trying to get them to answer certain questions more fully.

So I want to post a new version. Is that cool with everyone, or should I just stick with the old survey?

[durinsbane2244]

i think you should do whatever you think would be best, mate. you know better than us... :rolleyes:

[GreyMouser]

Hmmm, should I wait for the new one?

No, got time (typhoon day)

1) M

2) Taiwan

3) English, Chinese (Mandarin ), Amis (Taiwan Aboriginal language)

4) HOB
LOTR
SIL
TOM
RG

5)LTRA
FRM
TTM
RTKM

6) None

7) HOB (age 12)

8)English

9)Books

10)Like- HOB- charming children's tale, with enough hints of deeper things to keep it interesting.
LOTR- The story; the world- great adventure, plus the background is
so well developed you can feel the reality of a different world.

Dislike-RG- Tolkien is an atrociously bad poet.

11)FRM- closest to the book
TTM- furthest from the book

12) NA

13) In both HOB and LOTR I like the plots- wonderfully told stories- and the background . One of the reasons I'm not fond of the SIL is that for me it reveals too much- I like the idea of the "hidden city of Gondolin" more than I liked having its history revealed.

Some of the descriptive passages are very good- the Withywindle, Bree, Edoras, Mordor in Frodo and Sam's journey- a lot, not so good.

14) I first read them in early adolesence, and that's the age I would recommend for anyone else - of course, better late than never. They present a vision of courage, honour, and sacrifice that should be inspirational, while-very importantly- stressing plain decency and restraint that is often missing in other books that appeal to that age group.

Dislike? too conservative for my tastes- I'm not fond of bloodlines or deference- but will accept it in its place in Middle-Earth.

To be fair, I can see why many people dislike the books, especially given the hoopla- "Author of the Century" is absurd. The writing is often banal, the poetry is bad, the characters cliched, and it is definitely not an adult book.

It is a boys/girls book; the best one ever written, probably, and I love it dearly- I've lost track of how many times I've read it over the last forty years; I keep it handy on a shelf and often pick it up and start reading at random- but the critcs have a point- to a point.

[Surveyor]

By the way, thanks GreyMouser for the answers.

All right--here is what I hope will be my final version of this survey. I moved some questions around. I added more books to the list. I also listed as many of the audiobooks as I could find. God, I'm exhausted.

If anyone who's already taken the survey wants to add anything to their answers, go ahead and post it and I'll copy it into your previous response.

I think the last question needs a little work. Feel free to comment. Thanks.

INSTRUCTIONS

Either type your answers after the questions, or type the number of the question and your answers after it.

QUESTIONS

1) What is your gender?

2) What country do you live in?

3) What languages do you speak or are able to read?

4) Which of the following books have you read? What languages were they in? Please use the abbreviations.

HOB -- (The Hobbit)
LOTR -- (The Lord of the Rings: FR, TT, RTK)
SIL -- (The Silmarillion)
UT -- (Unfinished Tales)
TOM -- (The Adventures of Tom Bombadil)
BIL -- (Bilbo's Last Song)
BLT1 -- (The Book of Lost Tales I, The History of Middle-earth, Vol. 1)
BLT2 -- (The Book of Lost Tales II, HOME, Vol. 2)
LB -- (The Lays of Beleriand, HOME, Vol. 3)
SME -- (The Shaping of Middle-earth, HOME, Vol. 4)
LR -- (The Lost Road, HOME, Vol. 5)
RS -- (The Return of the Shadow, HOME, Vol. 6)
TI -- (The Treason of Isengard, HOME, Vol. 7)
WR -- (The War of the Ring, HOME, Vol. 8)
SD/ETA -- (Sauron Defeated or The End of the Third Age, short version), HOME, vol. 9)
MR -- (Morgoth's Ring, HOME, Vol. 10)
WJ -- (The War of the Jewels, HOME, Vol. 11)
PME -- (The Peoples of Middle-earth, HOME, Vol. 12)
GILES -- (Farmer Giles of Ham)
SMITH -- (Smith of Wootton Major)
LEAF -- (Leaf by Niggle)
ROVER -- (Roverandom)
FTH -- (Letters from Father Christmas)
GAW -- (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, translation)
PRL -- (Pearl, translation)
ORF -- (Sir Orfeo, translation)
ART -- (J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist and Illustrator)
LTRS -- (The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien)
BMC -- (Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics, and Other Essays)
OTHER -- (If you've read any others, go ahead and list them)

5) Which books do you like the most and which the least? Why? Do you dislike any? Why?

6) Which of the following films have you seen? What languages were they in? Please use the abbreviations.

HOBA -- (The Hobbit, animated TV film, dir. by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin, Jr., 1978)
LTRA -- (The Lord of the Rings, animated theatrical film, dir. by Ralph Bakshi, 1979)
RTKA -- (The Return of the King, animated TV film, dir. by Bass and Rankin, Jr., 1980)
FRM -- (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, dir. by Peter Jackson, 2001)
TTM -- (The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, dir. by Peter Jackson, 2002)
RTKM -- (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, dir. by Peter Jackson, 2003)

7) Which films do you like the most and which the least? Why? Do you dislike any? Why?

8) Which of the following audio works have you listened to? What languages were they in? Please use the abbreviations

ROAD -- (The Road Goes Ever On: A Song Cycle, words by JRRT, music by Donald Swann; HarperCollins)
TAC1 -- (The J.R.R. Tolkien Audio Collection; book excerpts read by JRRT and Christopher Tolkien; Caedmon)
TAC2 -- (Same as the Caedmon edition, but issued by HarperCollins)
MEL -- (LOTR, 1979 abridged radio dramatization by Mind’s Eye; HighBridge Audio)
BBCL -- (LOTR, 1981 abridged radio dramatization by BBC; Random House)
INGL -- (LOTR, unabridged, read by Rob Inglis; HarperCollins)
BBCH -- (HOB, 1968 abridged BBC radio dramatization; Random House)
MEH -- (HOB, 1979 abridged radio dramatization by Mind’s Eye; HighBridge Audio)
INGH -- (HOB, unabridged, read by Rob Inglis; HarperCollins)
SILA -- (SIL, unabridged, read by Martin Shaw; Random House)
GILA -- (GILES, SMITH, LEAF, unabridged, read by Derek Jacobi; HarperCollins)
TTA -- (The Tolkien Treasury Boxed Set; same as GILA, but includes ROVER and FATH; HarperCollins, 2005)
TPR -- (Tales from the Perilous Realm, BBC radio dramatizations of GILES, SMITH, LEAF, ROVER; BBC Audiobooks, 2002)
GAWA -- (GAW, PRL, ORF, unabridged, read by Terry Jones, HarperCollins, 2006)
PORT -- (J.R.R. Tolkien: An Audio Portrait, BBC AudioBooks, 2001)

9) Which audio works do you like the most and which the least? Why? Do you dislike any? Why?

10) Which books, films, or audio recordings did you first read, watch, or listen to?

11) Do you prefer certain media (books, films, and audio recordings) over others? Why?

12) What aspects of Tolkien’s works mean the most to you?

[durinsbane2244]

soooo...should i take this one now? :confused:

[Butterbeer]

dunno ..but unless your name is gaffer don't expect a reply from the mystery man ...

[Surveyor]

dunno ..but unless your name is gaffer don't expect a reply from the mystery man ...

Hey man, didn't I answer the general question, "Who is this guy?" Or are you joking? ;)

[Butterbeer]

nope.

[Surveyor]

soooo...should i take this one now? :confused:

You can take this survey again, if you want to. There are more books listed and I've added a list of audio recordings. The rest of it is pretty much the same. I'm happy to get more answers from you, or you can even expand on what you've already written. I'll just add them into what I already have from you. Is that cool? :)

[Surveyor]

nope.

Nope? Nope to which question? :confused:

[Butterbeer]

:p

the joking bit.

in terms of feedback, the current question format rather bunches what you appear to be aiming for in terms of likes /dislikes and whys from Toliken into overly complex yes/no short answers... now that is fine if that is what you are after ??

why not just have mooters say what they have read/seen etc and then go to the main questions ... as seperate distinct and clear questions?

all this LOTREETRDW£X or whatever stuff is just confusing and too much like eh what??? to my mind.

what is is you are after, articulate response or a bunch of unimformative letters in the shape of wierd acronyms?

[Surveyor]

:p

the joking bit.

in terms of feedback, the current question format rather bunches what you appear to be aiming for in terms of likes /dislikes and whys from Toliken into overly complex yes/no short answers... now that is fine iof that is what you are after ??

why not just have mooters say what they have read/seen etc and then go to the main questions as seperate questions?

all this LOTREETRDW£X or wahetever stuff is just confusing and too much like eh what??? to my mind.

what is is you are after, articulate response or a bunch of unimformative letters in the shape of wierd acronyms?


1) Regarding the book, movie, and CD lists and the acronyms, I have the abbreviations in case people don't want to type out each title. I think you're right about it being kind of confusing. I should tell them they can either type out the title or just use the abbreviations. I can change. But I list all of the books and movies because it's helped some folks on my blog and elsewhere recall what they've read or seen.

2) After I ask somebody which books and movies they like and dislike, I also ask "why?" That invites them to expand upon their answers, which many people have done. Answers can be as long or as short as people want. If somebody wants to post additional answers, they're free to do so. I'll add them to their other answers.

3) I don't get the part about "having people tell me what they've read and seen and then going to the main questions as separate questions." I think that's the way the survey is set up. You list the books, movies, and recordings, then you write about why you like or dislike them.

And if someone doesn't want to answer a question, they can skip it. No one has to complete the entire thing. People can do what they want.

Thanks for the comments.

[durinsbane2244]

You can take this survey again, if you want to. There are more books listed and I've added a list of audio recordings. The rest of it is pretty much the same. I'm happy to get more answers from you, or you can even expand on what you've already written. I'll just add them into what I already have from you. Is that cool? :)

sure thing mate.

[Butterbeer]

1) Regarding the book, movie, and CD lists and the acronyms, I have the abbreviations in case people don't want to type out each title. I think you're right about it being kind of confusing. I should tell them they can either type out the title or just use the abbreviations. I can change. But I list all of the books and movies because it's helped some folks on my blog and elsewhere recall what they've read or seen.

2) After I ask somebody which books and movies they like and dislike, I also ask "why?" That invites them to expand upon their answers, which many people have done. Answers can be as long or as short as people want. If somebody wants to post additional answers, they're free to do so. I'll add them to their other answers.

3) I don't get the part about "having people tell me what they've read and seen and then going to the main questions as separate questions." I think that's the way the survey is set up. You list the books, movies, and recordings, then you write about why you like or dislike them.

And if someone doesn't want to answer a question, they can skip it. No one has to complete the entire thing. People can do what they want.

Thanks for the comments.


no problem.

er... with some skill in this area, i just thought it may be better laid out for this here forum to get the better resonse, is all. :)

But as i am not entirely sure what is important to you and your survey even now and what isn't i am hardly placed to say ...

but that very fact suggests to me it may be an idea to to format it in a slightly clearer and friendlier way ....


(plus we get the chance to make the balrog take it a THIRD TIME! :D :D )

Best, BB

[Butterbeer]

'ere' DB ... you ain't posted your second lucky dip yet!!! :p

best, BB

[durinsbane2244]

i'm going to soon...tad busy...might do the blog again. :D

[Surveyor]

no problem.

er... with some skill in this area, i just thought it may be better laid out for this here forum to get the better resonse, is all. :)

But as i am not entirely sure what is important to you and your survey even now and what isn't i am hardly placed to say ...

but that very fact suggests to me it may be an idea to to format it in a slightly clearer and friendlier way ....

BB,

I'm open to suggestions about re-formatting. Whatever makes it easier to read. I'm learning as I go along. (Can you tell? ;) ) And you said that you have some experience in this area?

Question 12 is the most important because it asks people to share whatever profound influence Tolkien has had in their lives. Maybe his books aren't that important to them. Maybe they're just fun to read. But if the books do mean more than that to them, I want to know. Something along those lines.

Questions 5, 7, and 9 are next in importance because they ask for insights into the books, movies, and CDs. I want people to tell me why they like a certain book or character, for example. What parts did they like the most? Insights into plots, themes, the different races, the myths, and so forth.

Does any of that help? Maybe I should put all of this before the questions themselves.

Thanks!

[Earniel]

Surveyor, I noticed you pay some attention to languages in which people read/hear Tolkien's work in your survey. Just as a suggestion, perhaps it might be interesting to expand a little more into that?

In a way Tolkien treated LoTR as a translation of his own from the Red Book. It might be interesting to see how people perceived the translation of Tolkien's books into other languages? I'm thinking particularly of the names of characters and places, as I recall we had one or two threads on that in the past and there was a significant number of languages mentioned.

Of course, this would be somewhat more difficult to survey, because the number of people having read Tolkien in more language than one would no doubt be a much smaller part. But I think it may be an angle which is little discussed in previous Tolkien surveys and may yield some unexpected results.

[Surveyor]

Surveyor, I noticed you pay some attention to languages in which people read/hear Tolkien's work in your survey. Just as a suggestion, perhaps it might be interesting to expand a little more into that?

In a way Tolkien treated LoTR as a translation of his own from the Red Book. It might be interesting to see how people perceived the translation of Tolkien's books into other languages? I'm thinking particularly of the names of characters and places, as I recall we had one or two threads on that in the past and there was a significant number of languages mentioned.

Of course, this would be somewhat more difficult to survey, because the number of people having read Tolkien in more language than one would no doubt be a much smaller part. But I think it may be an angle which is little discussed in previous Tolkien surveys and may yield some unexpected results.

Earniel,

Thank you for the interesting post. I agree that this is something worth pursuing. There have been several respondents who've read Tolkien in languages other than English. If they have, they've also read the same books in English.

I think that what I can do is contact those people (if they left a way to do so) and ask them to elaborate, if they can.

Very interesting. Thanks again.

(By the way, have you taken the survey? The blog link is Surveying Middle-earth (http://middleearthsurvey.blogspot.com))

[Butterbeer]

eh up, it's the masked questioner!

welcome! :)

i'd be interested to know if there is a gender bias on favourite characters, and on the role of Eowyn...

ideally with a generation breakdown from different generations of readers

best, BB (and goodluck!)

[Earniel]

(By the way, have you taken the survey? The blog link is Surveying Middle-earth (http://middleearthsurvey.blogspot.com))
I have not yet, but I intend to as soon as I have some time. There is no dead line to it, is there?

[Surveyor]

I have not yet, but I intend to as soon as I have some time. There is no dead line to it, is there?

No, there's no deadline. Well, depending upon how many responses I get, maybe in a year. It's been slow so far. Thanks.

[Surveyor]

eh up, it's the masked questioner!

welcome! :)

i'd be interested to know if there is a gender bias on favourite characters, and on the role of Eowyn...

ideally with a generation breakdown from different generations of readers

best, BB (and goodluck!)

BB,

Thanks for the welcome. :)

It's going to take a while before I can group the answers, and longer until I can start writing about them. I have had a little over 50 responses in three weeks, so things are pretty slow.

It's not really a statistical survey where I breakdown how many people prefer one character to another and what their genders are, etc. I'm more interested in reflective answers, if that makes any sense.

Thanks.

S

[Surveyor]

Has anyone here been inspired to start writing or otherwise creating art because of Tolkien? I've been getting a lot of responses to the survey by people who've said as much. I think that's pretty cool.

[Earniel]

More or less. While it took years before I drew anything remotely Tolkien, reading LoTR is largely responsible for getting me to continue drawing after finishing saturday art school. I now have a few Silmarillion pieces.

And now that you mention writing, my first finished piece was an -admittedly very bad- LoTR fanfic, before I started on original short stories.

[Surveyor]

More or less. While it took years before I drew anything remotely Tolkien, reading LoTR is largely responsible for getting me to continue drawing after finishing saturday art school. I now have a few Silmarillion pieces.

And now that you mention writing, my first finished piece was an -admittedly very bad- LoTR fanfic, before I started on original short stories.

You ought to post your drawings here (can we do that? :confused: ). I'd like to see them.

[Earniel]

They're not that great compared to other artists out there, mind you. I had entered two of my first in the art contest the TolkienTrail held years ago. It takes a bit of searching to find them as they weren't added to the general fan art section. You can find them here (http://www.tolkientrail.com/contest/), the Entwife and the Uinen in the wave are mine.

[Serenoli]

1) Female

2) Bangladesh

3) Bangla, English, Hindi

4) HOB, LOTR, SIL... also Farmer Giles of Ham.

5) FRM, TTM, RTKM

6) None

7) LotR

8) English

9) Books

10) LotR, probably because its the first I read; also of the three I read, the most exciting one, and the most detailed. I really dont dislike any of them, although I prefer the Silmarilion to the Hobbit.

11) TTM - Its my favourite part of LotR, full of hope, and not too close to the ending; also I really loved the helm's Deep battle.

13) Likes - Oh dear, its hard to put it into words; esp as the three books I read were quite different from each other. Middle-earth itself I liked because of the feeling of history everywhere; everything had a story with it, there were no boundaries. Hobbit was the most light-hearted, and I really loved the
characters. Sil was not cheerful, but on the other hand, it was grand... rather like the night sky. LotR was the best story. And... twenty pages more of things I liked. I'm a fan, all right. Oh, I like how most of the participants are middle-aged or old... a 57 year old Frodo is much more likeable, somehow, than a 20 year old.

Dislikes - Same as BB. Also, very diappointed that we never see Sauron, or any of the really evil doers face-to-face (well, except Saruman). Sauron is shockingly underdeveloped as a character, more so than Morgoth.

14) Well, its one of the reasons I'm writing my own book; I found entmoot through it, and new friends and new hobbies; that was great.
They also represent the perfect antidotes to boring days... :)

Yes, I give you permission to quote me. Although its your wish whether you want to do so or not, getting credit as Serenoli seems pointless... :D

[Surveyor]

There's been no activity in this thread for 3 1/2 months, so this is probably the final message.

I'm still conducting a survey of Tolkien fans, but now I have a web site. Please visit Surveying Middle-earth (http://www.surveyingmiddleearth.com) if you want to check it out.

No more cut-and-paste like here in the thread or on my blog. It's totally state-of-the-art.

Thanks to everyone who's already taken the survey and to everyone who's going to take the survey.

Cheers!

[elven dragonrider]

Hey, I took the survey. Great setup! Works well and you don't ask for to much personal info. (I'm not into that, It took me 2 years to decide to give Entmoot a try because you had to give your e-mail adress.)
random note:have you ever tried to scoop ice cream with the back of a spoon?
:D

[elven dragonrider]

Sorry if this one is not active any more. I did not read the last post until I had already submitted.

[Surveyor]

Dragonrider: I got your survey response, which I really appreciated.

Are you interested in answering more questions? Your post here implies you wouldn't want any e-mail. Just let me know. Thanks again.

[elven dragonrider]

Sorry, but I don't really want any e-mail. I would be willing to answer questions thru Entmoot though, if that is alright. sorry I didn't respond sooner, I haven't been on Entmoot in a while.
Thanks