Is It Just Me

[OldHippie]

Or did anyone else have a hard time getting past the first 50 pages of this book. I loved the Hobbitt and the Trilogy, but I found the Silmarrillion to be slow and extremely boring at best.

[YayGollum]

It is merely you, at least in a room with only yourself and myself. The first fifty pages were all kinds of fun. But then, I am a large fan of reading up on all kinds of mythological type things. Gots to have origins and lists of gods and stuff.

[Lotesse]

Well, hey, I'm in the room now, and I'm with OldHippie on this one. Right around the time a few years ago when my renewed love-affair with Tolkien started, and I first registered here at ol' Entmoot, I special-ordered & bought the hardcover Silmarillion with all the beautiful Alan Lee paintings in it, and the huge maps, all the bells & whistles, and believe me it's one of the loveliest books in my book collection, but try as I did, and I tried, I could not get through it cover to cover. Still to this day I haven't read the whole thing.

I loved bits and snatches of chapters here and there, but - well, especially all the Feanor stuff of course, and the Maedhros stuff was interesting as all get-out, so bits and pieces of the book I picked out and enjoyed. But read the whole thing cover to cover like a real book? No, can't do it. I get way too bored and confused and annoyed. You know, Tolkien never finished Sil the way he wanted to; that was a work in progress 'til the day he died. His family & editors or whomever "finished" it for him, posthumously. I think if he'd gotten around to doing and finishing his book his way, it wouldn't have been so confusing, and in-places boring, that's what I think.

[YayGollum]

Eh. I would agree with the Yay Feanor sentiment, but why the Maedhros character? Boring. Sure, Yay for stubbornity and loyalty, but he wasn't given enough of a personality, for myself. oh well. I have noticed more than one mention that The Silmarillion was difficult, but I still don't understand why. Sure, I can understand some parts being boring. Different readers have different tastes. But then, what difficulties arise while attempting to read the thing from one cover to the next? It goes in chronological order, so it isn't too confusing. Sure, there are lots of names to remember, but you've always got the index, if it is required. The most boring part would have to be the bit all about the geography. I forget the name of the chapter. But then, I still have the ability to appreciate the details delved.

[OldHippie]

Aw yes Lotesse, I too have the Hard-Cover. You jogged my memory of the book. It's been a good 20 years or so since I've opened it but I did enjoy the maps and the family trees.

[Valandil]

I had that trouble with about ALL of Tolkien's books.

When I was much younger - about junior high - I started "The Hobbit" and didn't get very far. Later I tried again, and got through it. Soon after that I started LOTR and stalled out, but later went back and read that. A few years after that, my mom got me the hardcover of "The Silmarillion". I started that, didn't get very far - and then put it aside... for 20 years or so.

I finally just made the decision to read it. And... after adjusting to it, I really enjoyed it. For me it was motivation - I wanted to follow it by re-reading (so it was chronological that time) The Hobbit and LOTR - basically so I'd understand the historical references in the latter.

I tend to think that Tolkien takes some adjusting to. Especially in our own fast-paced world. I think we have to manage to slow ourselves down somehow, to really be able to get into his writing... to simply have the patience for it. Once we can do that - I think the very same quality of his writing can just really suck us in. In other words, once we can slow ourselves down enough to get through it, we find that the level of detail that was at first tedious, actually becomes enriching.

But that's just my pet theory...

PS: Lotesse - I agree that Tolkien never managed to finish The Sil his own way. But I think if he had, we would have a 12-volume, or 20-volume, or 50-volume tale! :p

[Earniel]

Or did anyone else have a hard time getting past the first 50 pages of this book. I loved the Hobbitt and the Trilogy, but I found the Silmarrillion to be slow and extremely boring at best.
It's a sentiment shared by a good number of people. I think I can dig up at least five threads in this forum that ask the same question. :D

Personally I didn't mind at all, but then I love mythological stuff and the first chapters of the Silmarillion fit right up that alley. I did kind of get lost when they started dividing all those realms in and around Beleriand. I had to reread and reread passages carefully until I understood.

PS: Lotesse - I agree that Tolkien never managed to finish The Sil his own way. But I think if he had, we would have a 12-volume, or 20-volume, or 50-volume tale! :p
But then again, some of us wouldn't mind at all. :p

[Tessar]

But then again, some of us wouldn't mind at all. :p

Nerd. :p


I've never really read the whole thing, myself. I skipped around and read bits here and there :D.

[Earniel]

Nerd. :p
Aye, sir! Proud too! :D

[BeardofPants]

Y'all are a buncha heathens. Mistress Pants will now lock yas in a room, and beat yer silly until ye read AND ENJOY every single blessed word. Or else.

Nerd. :p


I've never really read the whole thing, myself. I skipped around and read bits here and there :D.

Perhaps if ye stopped fondling yerself in Celine Dion's dress, ye'd make a wee bit more progress? :p

[OldHippie]

It's a sentiment shared by a good number of people. I think I can dig up at least five threads in this forum that ask the same question. :D


Ya know us damn newbies can be a real pain sometimes.

[Tessar]

Oh please. Newbies aren't the problem :D.


Also this thread reminds me: I wonder... how much extra stuff did Tolkien write that has never been published about Middle Earth?

[OldHippie]

I shoulda added a ;) smilie to my previous post.

[Earniel]

Ya know us damn newbies can be a real pain sometimes.
A pain? Naaah... we were all newbies onces. But one could say... predictably repetitive at times. ;)

Also this thread reminds me: I wonder... how much extra stuff did Tolkien write that has never been published about Middle Earth?
I don't think there's very much left of that now. Christopher Tolkien most likely used up everything he could find in his History of Middle Earth series.

[brownjenkins]

I loved it, but I was also a big reader of mythology in my younger years (norse, greek, judeo/christian, hindu, etc.), which all have that kind of "collection of bits and pieces" format.

It's definitely not your standard "novel", and not for everyone.

[OldHippie]

. But one could say... predictably repetitive at times. ;)


.

I did look for a thread about this but didn't see one.

[Rían]

It definitely takes some work getting thru, but it's WELL worth it. Also, it's nice in that you can pick and choose things, because there are different stories in it. So if Beren starts to get Boring, then drop the twit and go visit Fingon (my personal favorite Elf cutie) or Tuor (my personal favorite human cutie)

*swats Earniel away from Tuor*

It's a good car book - just keep it in the car and you'll have it handy for those unexpected waits and appointments and things.

Anyway, many of us have had trouble getting thru it at first, but absolutely LOVE it now. Keep at it! And one day, we'll have you reading the entire HoME (History of Middle Earth series ... *evil laugh*

[Earniel]

I did look for a thread about this but didn't see one.
Oh don't get me wrong, I wasn't saying that you should have looked up and posted in those threads instead of here. The other threads are probably way down in the pages. No use in digging them up unless you're interested in reading them.

All I was trying to say is that there are more people than just you who find the Silmarillion difficult to get through because I have seen several threads in which the same sentiment was expressed.

*swats Earniel away from Tuor*
Ri-aaan! Quit hogging the men! :mad:

[Rían]

Rats! I can't sneak ANYTHING by you! :p ;)

[Mark of Cenla]

I find it is about the same as reading the Old Testament. The style is similar. I am planning to read The Silmarillion again sometime in the next few months when I read the other books I have waiting. Peace.

[GrayMouser]

Put me down in the ... well, not anti-Sil, let's say, not too enthusiastic party.

The opening parts, I thought, "Ha, read this before in a better-written version."

Liked the First Age for the history, but even then felt something of a loss. The scattered references and hints in LoTR lost something of their magic after having the events laid out in black and white.

[Peter_20]

Personally, I think the Ainulindalë and the Valaquenta get very boring once you know them by heart, and then the book picks up a lot from "Of the Coming of the Elves and the Captivity of Melkor", and then it becomes extremely boring at "Of Beleriand and its Realms", and then it becomes very enjoyable once again.