XPost: rec.arts.sf.written, rec.arts.books.tolkien   
   From: psperson@old.netcom.invalid   
      
   On Thu, 17 Oct 2024 07:54:38 -0500, "Michael F. Stemper"   
    wrote:   
      
   >In LotR, Book V, Chapter 8, Aragorn says (in part) the following to   
   >Meriadoc:   
   >   
   >   [...] If your pack has not been found, then you must send for   
   >   the herb-master of this House. And he will tell you that he   
   >   did not know that the herb you desire had any virtues, but   
   >   that it is called _westmansweed_ by the vulgar, and _galenas_   
   >   by the noble, and other names in other tongues more learned,   
   >   and after adding a few half-forgotten rhymes that he does not   
   >   understand, he will regretfully inform you that there is none   
   >   in the House, and he will leave you to reflect on the history   
   >   of tongues. [...]   
   >   
   >Whew! That's quite a sentence.   
   >   
   >Is it possible that JRRT was indulging in a bit of self-mockery here,   
   >given his main area of study, as well as one of his reasons for writing   
   >LotR in the first place, was "the history of tongues"?   
      
   He would certainly have been familiar with the type.   
      
   But the stated reason for /LOTR/ is to follow up on the success of   
   /The Hobbit/. At his publisher's urging, IIRC.   
      
   And the purpose of the entire legendarium (of which the novels were   
   offshoots) was to provide England with a mythology. This was, of   
   course, when he was a young man and just starting out with /The Book   
   of Lost Tales/.   
   --    
   "Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,   
   Who evil spoke of everyone but God,   
   Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)