tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471028991399505320.post5241454941115038833..comments2023-04-16T03:51:17.530-07:00Comments on the middle page: "Down, Down to Goblin Town": George MacDonald and J.R.R. TolkienAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05536373669811879997noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471028991399505320.post-71219464278762722652013-01-15T22:57:14.834-08:002013-01-15T22:57:14.834-08:00Thanks Edward! And that's very interesting- I ...Thanks Edward! And that's very interesting- I think other fantastic or mythological creatures are part beast, part human and thus offer a different ideas towards humanity. But creatures like goblins or elves (being more humanlike in nature) are easier to use to portray the lowest and highest aspects of humanity. <br />I checked out your story, I'll have to start from the beginning soon; I'm very intrigued!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05536373669811879997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471028991399505320.post-43126245375871883102013-01-13T03:29:30.274-08:002013-01-13T03:29:30.274-08:00Great article - looking forward to reading Part 2....Great article - looking forward to reading Part 2. I think it's interesting how both Tolkien and MacDonald (and loads of other writers as well) have used goblins so explicitly to make social commentaries (or really just moral commentaries). Not every fairy race is used like this in literature, so there seems to be something special about goblins. By the way, I've been reading The Children's Book on and off ever since it came out. I find it enchanting (particularly when the fairy elements come to the forefront) but so rich in language and narrative environment that I never feel like reading much at one time and am always going back to re-read favorite passages. The book is not a fairy story, but it is a beautiful text.<br /><br />Also, I thought you might enjoy having a look at my blog, <a href="http://treeofwonders.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/chapter-1-monkey-in-attic.html" rel="nofollow"><i>The Black Dionysia</i></a>, which is a piece of imaginative fiction heavily influenced by classic fairy tale and mythology. I'd love to hear your thoughts on some of the fairy story elements.Edward Gardnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15200155509518659612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471028991399505320.post-80404579235570800712013-01-10T20:23:06.072-08:002013-01-10T20:23:06.072-08:00Huh. I'd never thought about Tolkien's gob...Huh. I'd never thought about Tolkien's goblins resembling MacDonald's, but that makes sense. That's especially interesting given MacDonald's treatment of humanity to goblinhood as a sort of continuum, which is--as you pointed out--shown in <i>The Princess and the Goblin.</i> It's further fleshed out in the sequel, <i>The Princess and Curdie,</i> which I especially liked for just that reason.<br /><br />And I've always loved that 'Cauldron of Story' analogy, too. :)Jenna St. Hilairehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04474588706124865006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471028991399505320.post-48305001385343819702013-01-10T13:27:49.064-08:002013-01-10T13:27:49.064-08:00That's funny, I just picked up The Children...That's funny, I just picked up The Children's Book at work the other day and thought about reading it. How do you like it? I haven't read any of Byatt's work yet, so I'm not sure if Princess and the Goblin is an influence, but it sounds very likely. <br />I love the Cauldron of Story idea too. 'On Fairy Stories' is chock full of really wonderful and insightful ideas about story writing and reading. There's so much to absorb. <br /><br />If you have the time, here's a link to the lecture: http://bjorn.kiev.ua/librae/Tolkien/Tolkien_On_Fairy_Stories.htm<br /><br />It's long but excellent if you're in the mood to read that sort of thing. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05536373669811879997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1471028991399505320.post-32698680660943245682013-01-10T06:26:25.134-08:002013-01-10T06:26:25.134-08:00Wow, I really must read PatG...your description of...Wow, I really must read PatG...your description of it has made me wonder whether it is the influence for 'Tom Underground' by A.S. Byatt's writer-mother character in 'The Children's Book'. There are lots of subtle references to writers and fairy tale works of the Victorian era in there, and I'm now thinking this was one reference I didn't pick up on!<br /><br />And I love this 'Cauldron of Story' idea! (Particularly the fact that he uses 'cauldron' rather than 'saucepan' or anything more mundane!) It's such a nice way of describing how current writers are influenced by past writers, particularly in the way it acknowledges putting into the cauldron and not just taking out. I much prefer to imagine writing is like this than simply rehashing one of the few archetypal stories~A.L. Lovedayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16205189160121469082noreply@blogger.com