board77

Everyone seemed okay with the schedule I proposed, so here it is. As each discussion comes around I will update the thread title and add links to this post that point to where the discussion begins.

Ladies and gentlemen, open your books!

Er... we're going to do this by topic rather than date. Current discussion topic is in red.


Discussion One
Ainulindalë (11 pages)
Valaquenta (10 pages)



Quenta Silmarillion:
1. Of the Beginning of Days (11 pages)
2. Of Aulë and Yavanna (6 pages)
3. Of the coming of the Elves and the Captivity of Melkor (11 pages)


Discussion beginning Sunday, March 13 (46 pages)
Quenta Silmarillion:
4. Of Thingol and Melian (2 pages)
5. Of Eldamar and the Princes of the Eldalië (8 pages)
6. Of Fëanor and the Unchaining of Melkor (5 pages)
7. Of the Silmarils and the Unrest of the Noldor (8 pages)
8. Of the Darkening of Valinor (6 pages)
9. Of the Flight of the Noldor (17 pages)

Discussion beginning Sunday, March 20 (53 pages)
Quenta Silmarillion:
10. Of the Sindar (9 pages)
11. Of the Sun and Moon and the Hiding of Valinor (7 pages)
12. Of Men (4 pages)
13. Of the Return of the Noldor (16 pages)
14. Of Beleriand and Its Realms (10 pages)
15. Of the Noldor in Beleriand (7 pages)Discussion beginning Sunday, March 27 (39 pages)
Quenta Silmarillion:
16. Of Maeglin (11 pages)
17. Of the Coming of Men into the West (13 pages)
18. Of the Ruin of Beleriand and the Fall of Fingolfin (15 pages)

Discussion beginning Sunday, April 3 (47 pages)
Quenta Silmarillion:
19. Of Beren and Lúthien (34 pages)
20. Of the Fifth Battle: Nirnaeth Arnoediad (13 pages)

Discussion beginning Sunday, April 10 (52 pages)
Quenta Silmarillion:
21. Of Túrin Turambar (38 pages)
22. Of the Ruin of Doriath (14 pages)

Discussion beginning Sunday, April 17 (54 pages)
Quenta Silmarillion:
23. Of Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin (10 pages)
24. Of the Voyage of Eärendil and the War of Wrath (13 pages)
Akallabeth (31 pages)

Discussion beginning Sunday, April 24 (26 pages plus "wrap up")
Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age (26 pages)
Overall discussion of the work


Oh, and just for fun, here is Christopher Tolkien's map of Beleriand:

Marvellous idea, Ethel.

<rubs hands together>

I must confess that I've found the Sil to be a hard slog ... but, even though I am already participating in the m00bie's Sil thread, there are lots of bright minds on this side of the fence. I would love to hear different views.

:cheers

I'd love to do it, too. I've read the Sil twice but it just never grabbed me and I have trouble remembering anything beyond the music of the Ainur.

Are we going to start, like, right now? If so, I'll be lagging behind until the middle of March.

Jn

I spent over a year studying the Silm on the VTSG...I honestly think I'd be plagiarising all my old threads if I did it here.

On the other hand - the insights on those threads were the products of some of the most creative and intelligent minds I've had the pleasure of 'meeting' so it might be a good thing for them to be brought to light rather than languishing in a forgotten forum collecting dust.

I'm up for it! I find the Sil hard work to read in one go, but I love the "vistas" and the history it reveals even more than LotR, and am constantly dipping in to re-read favourite bits.

Imp, it would be fantastic if you could offer insights from the VTSG. I was always intimidated by the place (not a criticism of the VTSG but of my own perceived intellectual inferiority), so I never felt like I could contribute anything of value. It would be great if you could re-post your reflections here, pasting or linking to the original threads, or adding new impressions if you have them... I'm always in awe of the books scholars.

I find it a hard slog too - that's why I wanted to read it with some other people. I am no scholar, of Tolkien or anything else. Just an ordinary reader. I fear I will not have particularly brilliant and creative insights to offer. But I have found that reading with a group like this focuses one's attention. I find myself marking passages that I want to discuss and so forth. Left to myself I tend to skip the dense bits.

I avoided the VTSG threads for the same reason as Berhael - didn't quite feel up to the standard. But I'd love you to share some thoughts from there, Imp. (Maybe you could summarize and put them in simple words for us! )

I'll spend some time with the book today and post a proposed schedule.

I can only say -

w00t!!!!1

Ahem.

I would love too, and perhaps it will bring back some of the magic for me

But how do we do this? I am being all innocent here and have never read and stuidied in a group online before

Is it like a chapter a week?

Din that is pretty much how it goes.
Although the pace depends on everyone involved.
You can check out the thread on TORC in the movie forum. Actually I think there are several. And of course you can check out the Virtual study group also on TORC. The benefit is getting different perspectives on the book.
Athrabeth is still awaiting her poll to run, but she is amazing at this sort of thing, as is Imp, Prim and Voronwe.

Dindraug wrote:

I would love too, and perhaps it will bring back some of the magic for me

But how do we do this? I am being all innocent here and have never read and stuidied in a group online before

Is it like a chapter a week?

Well, I like to do it on a schedule. I will devise one and post it soon. The idea is not to get ahead of the schedule (much!) - so we stay more or less in sync - but you can always talk about anything that has already been read.

We did this at TORC with The Iliad and some other books. I find it really helps with a difficult text, which I consider the Sil to be. Of course, the Movies folks are already doing this, but I didn't notice that thread in time to join in. Anyway, I'm sort of avoiding TORC at the moment.

I'm in!

But like Jny, I won't be able to participate until the middle of March.

I'm always up for discussing the Silmarillion.

Holby, don't put me in there with Ath and Imp and Voronwe. I have utterly neglected the TORC thread after promising to participate. I had a nightmare months-long editing project that eliminated all hope that I'd have the time and energy to read the Sil (and really reduced all my online participation to five-minute bursts of posting silliness in silly threads).

It's now over, and I think I've almost caught up on sleep, so maybe I can contribute something here (and eventually to the TORC thread).

But all the same.

I'm in, but with a preference for march also.

Would I be allowed to read in German if time lacks?

Nin wrote:

I'm in, but with a preference for march also.

Would I be allowed to read in German if time lacks?

How about if we set the first discussion for the weekend of March 5-6?

And, oh, Nin, your question made me smile. It reminded me of how infinitely grateful I am for the internet in general, and TORC in particular, for allowing me to befriend people of many nationalities and native languages. Gosh, would it be okay if you read the book in your native language? Well, I plan to. Why shouldn't you?

Because it's more beautiful in English.... I know it... I have read both versions already - but I have a life, a job, two kids, a house, a husband... so if time lacks in German I read quickly.

I like to take the time for beauty.

Only I don't want to be obliged to do so.

Besides that Ethel, I'm flattered and honored by your answer. Maybe one day I'll be courageous enough to add you to my IM list.

I only own one, no two (well, make it three) german copies.

If I buy a (fourth) english one, my hubby will kill me.

And I'd love to read it again - with enlightment.

I'm not sure how casually/formally this will be led. In the VTSG we took a section (constituted of one of more chapters) A MONTH! - and people volunteered to take on leadership of one section, posting a summary and questions that occurred to them as a kickstart to the discussion. Others then weighed in with their own questions and insights.

But that is VERY formal. I suspect you don't envision anything that structured?

(And I have to say, I've received a lot of credit for the VTSG - but it's all reflected glory! While I initially suggested the idea of the forum, ultimately I was swept up in a momentum created by many, many others - and once the forum was up and running all I ever did there was maintain the schedule and update the index. I get very embarrassed about the talking up of my reputation - it's quite false. I'm sure truehobbit will support me in this - she participated somewhat and knows the truth of it.)

Well you know Imp, I did read that forum, and I disagree with you.
I thought you contibuted at least your fair share of insight. And definitely more than your fair share of the work.

I'm game.