This essay on Tolkien and technology raises the relationship between magic and machines but somehow manages to avoiding citing Clarke's famous line ("Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic"). Hobbits are happy enough to have their bucolic lifestyle protected by the magic/technology of others.
Any reminder of the I Love Lucy scene from American Gods is welcome.
Not sure how the nonexistent can be hostile to anything.
When I read thise kinds of articles about Tolkien, et al, I'm never sure if they're talking within a literary framework or actually measuring the real against the nonexistent.
Posted by: justcorbly | Jul 30, 2012 at 10:36 AM
Happy Hobbit Lover here--agreeing with justcorbly. Tolkien could be enigmatic--at the
least. "The Hobbit" began as bedtime stories for his children. "The Lord of the Rings" maybe dark--but still magical.
Posted by: Shirlee Murphy | Jul 30, 2012 at 11:01 AM
People talk about books within the framework of their fictional worlds, and also in relation to the real world.
Technology vs nature goes back at least to Frankenstein, and it's a clear theme in LOTR. The magic/technology stuff seems a bit fresher to me.
I'm not the first person to notice the underbelly of hobbinomics.
Posted by: Ed Cone | Jul 30, 2012 at 11:20 AM
This is wonderful--thanks Ed. Chomsky and Zinn--two of my favorite people. I think I will start again a summer with the Hobbits, etc.--now that I know about the pipe-weed:)
Posted by: Shirlee Murphy | Jul 30, 2012 at 03:03 PM