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Amazon, which has paid only $ 250 million just to get the "Lord of the Rings" precedent, could spend $ 500 million or more for two seasons producing and marketing the show.
UNITED STATES TODAY & # 39; HUI
Fans of J.R.R. The rich mythological worlds of Tolkien do not hesitate to love the authors of the trilogy "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit".
At present, Marquette University – which has an extensive collection of Tolkien's notes, manuscripts, early drafts, maps and illustrations – would like to hear from fans for an oral history project that hopes to collect 6,000 records.
Why 6,000 oral histories? Tolkien fans already know this, but for those who have never heard of a hobbit, it's the number of Rohirrim riders.
The Tolkien Fandom oral history project was recently launched with fanfare, but now includes fans who can not come to Milwaukee to briefly explain why Tolkien is the greatest author of all time.
The Marquette University's archivist, Bill Fliss, reviews some of the books about J.R.R. Tolkien at the John P. Raynor Library. Fliss began collecting oral testimonies from Tolkien fans in the hope of getting 6,000 people – the same number as the Rohirrim Cavaliers in The Lord of the Rings. (Photo: Michael Sears / Sentinel Milwaukee Journal)
The official announcement is Monday, day of reading at Tolkien, an annual event intended to encourage reading of Tolkien's works. Why March 25? It's the day in Tolkien's chronology where the ring was destroyed.
Everyone is invited to participate in the oral history project, whether they are fans of books or fans of movies, or both; that they are elves, hobbits, humans, dwarves, wizards or orcs. In fact, probably not orcs, who were not fans of anything.
"Marquette is kind of a place of pilgrimage for Tolkien fans, and I thought we should get their voices," says William Fliss, curator of Tolkien's Marquette collection.
Fans only have three minutes to briefly explain why they like Tolkien. To help people distill their thoughts, Fliss asks them to answer three questions:
- When did you first meet the works of J.R.R. Tolkien?
- Why are you a fan of Tolkien?
- What has it meant for you?
Everyone must sign a donor agreement form, which makes the interview a gift for Marquette and is part of the Tolkien collection. Although oral stories have been made in person up to now – about 65 have been collected – Fliss has come up with a way for people who can not come to Milwaukee to record their oral history .
Rather than waiting to reach his goal of 6,000, Fliss will publish the oral histories and add them to the Tolkien collection in groups of 120. Because, in "The Lord of the Rings", a division of Rohirrim fighters, nicknamed "bored" ", counts 120.
Does he hope that famous Tolkien fans like "The Lord of the Rings" and Peter Jackson, the director of "The Hobbit", the host of "The Late Show", Stephen Colbert and the former President Barack Obama will volunteer to record their thoughts? "I would be delighted," says Fliss.
Tolkien's scholars and enthusiastic fans are familiar with Marquette's collection, but many wonder how a Jesuit university in Milwaukee has resulted in more than 11,000 pages that essentially represent the process of creating the "Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit," as well as lesser-known books "Farmer Giles of Ham" and "Mr. Bliss."
When Marquette built a new library, he hired librarian William Ready in 1956 to fill the book shelves. Catholic writers already contacted, including Tolkien, a linguist whose expertise in Anglo-Saxon and Middle English languages have been at the root of a rich imagination that has created the world of Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf, Aragorn and Gollum.
Through an agent, Ready was the first to ask Tolkien when he would sell his papers. Tolkien said yes in 1957. It was as simple as that.
Marquette purchased a treasure of papers including the hardcover final proof volume of "The Hobbit" containing a list of names that would get 10 free copies of Tolkien's publisher. At the top of the list, the initials "CSL" are barred, perhaps because his close friend, C.S. Lewis, received a free copy to allow him to write a review of a newspaper book.
The Marquette collection includes pages where Tolkien wrote his stories on essay books and student notes, as paper was scarce during the Second World War. On the back of the report of an air raid guard – Tolkien was a guardian during World War II – he noted moon observations to help him find a lunar calendar for "The Lord of the Rings" . There is also a menu used by Tolkien to note the foot size of a hobbit to determine how fast and how far a hobbit could travel.
In addition to Tolkien's papers, Marquette also collects Tolkien's fandom, including fanzines, books, calendars, toys, and movie memorabilia.
Each interview will be transcribed and available for a search by keywords. The names will remain confidential but ages and hometowns will be available.
Marquette student Caitlin Helmers, who recorded her oral history this month, became a 9-year-old fan when her mother read "The Hobbit" shortly before the release of the film. Part of Tolkien's appeal to Helmers, who is passionate about medieval history, is his living writing.
"I've always admired the way, as an author, he can create evocative scenes.All books have a very positive message about working together, not needing to be in the same place." to be an important person to accomplish something, "says Helmers. who studies international affairs.
Tolkien is the rare writer who attracts new readers in every generation, since "The Hobbit" was published in 1937, followed by "The Lord of the Rings" in 1954. Like Helmers, many people have given their oral history to them. Author by a parent.
What people have chosen to say about Tolkien is enlightening.
"Some people spend all their time talking about how they met with it, while others could talk about it very quickly, then what they think of it." represents for them or why they are fans, "explains Fliss.
"I'm struck by the number of people Tolkien has helped them cope with in their tough times."
Read or share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2019/03/24/jrr-tolkien-fans-heres-your-chance-add-to-oral-history/3263871002/
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