Substituted Science - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Kin-strife · 06-14-2002, 01:29 PM

I made this point in a thread about animated nature a long time ago in this forum which I meant to use to start a new topic but never did. So I'm doing it now. Most of the original post is given below.

One thing I've always noted about Tolkien's myth is that it bears the mark of being written in a scientific age. It can't be said that anything can happen in Tolkien's myth in the same way as it can be said for other, more ancient, mythologies. The boundaries of science are eliminated but brand new ones are set in their place. You are very rarely left wondering where something came from; the answer is given to you. The origins of most everything, with the exception of Eru, are given in the books. Or at least the means of deducing the origins are given. I imagine that this attention to detail comes from the scientific time the books were written in. Perhaps it was Tolkien's realisation of this fact that caused him to include Tom Bombadil, the enigma, to salvage what he could of that feeling of boundlessness from the myths that inspired him. I think it is this "substituted science" that is the attraction to a lot of readers. I for one like the utterly fantastic, yet somehow strangely believable world Tolkien provided: a science like depth of explanation without the banality. It doesn't stretch science by creating some extraterrestrial world, which could exist, but I could never visit. It's our world through a sideways perspective. You can go to a nearby forest on a windy day and imagine nature being animated around you, the trees clawing at you in defence in case you should try to chop them down. I think beleivably animated nature is essential to the enjoyment of Tolkien's books, a way to escape from scientific law. Other peoples thoughts on this opinion would be very much appreciated.

06-14-2002, 01:29 PM	#1
Kin-strife Haunting Spirit Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Dublin, Ireland Posts: 58	Substituted Science I made this point in a thread about animated nature a long time ago in this forum which I meant to use to start a new topic but never did. So I'm doing it now. Most of the original post is given below. One thing I've always noted about Tolkien's myth is that it bears the mark of being written in a scientific age. It can't be said that anything can happen in Tolkien's myth in the same way as it can be said for other, more ancient, mythologies. The boundaries of science are eliminated but brand new ones are set in their place. You are very rarely left wondering where something came from; the answer is given to you. The origins of most everything, with the exception of Eru, are given in the books. Or at least the means of deducing the origins are given. I imagine that this attention to detail comes from the scientific time the books were written in. Perhaps it was Tolkien's realisation of this fact that caused him to include Tom Bombadil, the enigma, to salvage what he could of that feeling of boundlessness from the myths that inspired him. I think it is this "substituted science" that is the attraction to a lot of readers. I for one like the utterly fantastic, yet somehow strangely believable world Tolkien provided: a science like depth of explanation without the banality. It doesn't stretch science by creating some extraterrestrial world, which could exist, but I could never visit. It's our world through a sideways perspective. You can go to a nearby forest on a windy day and imagine nature being animated around you, the trees clawing at you in defence in case you should try to chop them down. I think beleivably animated nature is essential to the enjoyment of Tolkien's books, a way to escape from scientific law. Other peoples thoughts on this opinion would be very much appreciated. __________________ "Come away, O human child!/ To the waters and the wild/With a faery hand in hand,/ For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand."