Tolkien survey

[Surveyor]

Okay, everyone. Here is the FULL survey questionnaire. It is very, very long. I’m posting it here because many of you seem to prefer answering it in the forum than on my blog.

But if you prefer the blog, the link again is Surveying Middle-earth.

SURVEY

Please answer the questions by either typing the answer after the question, or just the number or letter of the question followed by your answer.

I prefer anonymous participation. If I directly quote text from your answers, and you want credit in the articles and book, just write, "Yes, I give you permission to quote me." I will only use your username from this site. Please don’t give out your real names or e-mail addresses.

Answer all or just some of the questions. Answers can be any length. I will read and use every responses. Thank you for participating!

1) Gender

2) Country of residence

3) Language(s) spoken

4) Which of the following books have you read? Please list using the title abbreviations.

a. HOB: The Hobbit
b. LOTR: The Lord of the Rings
c. SIL: The Silmarillion
d. UT: Unfinished Tales
e. TOM: "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil," from The Tolkien Reader
f. RG: The Road Goes Ever On
g. BIL: Bilbo’s Last Song
h. BLT1: The Book of Lost Tales I (The History of Middle-earth, Vol. 1)
i. BLT2: The Book of Lost Tales II (HoME, Vol. 2)
j. LB: The Lays of Beleriand (HoME, Vol. 3)
k. SME: The Shaping of Middle-earth (HoME, Vol. 4)
l. LR: The Lost Road (HoME, Vol. 5)
m. RS: The Return of the Shadow (HoME, Vol. 6)
n. TI: The Treason of Isengard (HoME, Vol. 7)
o. WR: The War of the Ring (HoME, Vol. 8)
p. SD or ETA: Sauron Defeated (or the shorter version, The End of the Third Age) (HoME,
vol. 9)
q. MR: Morgoth’s Ring (HoME, Vol. 10)
r. WJ: The War of the Jewels (HoME, Vol. 11)
s. PME: The Peoples of Middle-earth (HoME, Vol. 12)

5) Which of the following movies have you seen? Please list using the title abbreviations.

a. HOBA: The Hobbit, animated television film, dir. by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin, Jr. (1978)
b. LTRA: The Lord of the Rings, animated theatrical film, dir. by Ralph Bakshi (1979)
c. RTKA: The Return of the King, animated televised film, dir. by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin, Jr. (1980)
d. FRM: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, dir. by Peter Jackson (2001)
e. TTM: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, dir. by Peter Jackson (2002)
f. RTKM: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, dir. by Peter Jackson (2003)

6) Which radio dramas or books on CD or tape have you listened to?

7) Which book, movie, or recording did you first read, watch, or listen to?

8) Were these works in English or in another language?

9)Do you prefer the books, movies, or audio recordings?

10)Which books do you like the most? Why? Which do you dislike the most? Why?

11)Which movies do you like the most? Why? Which do you dislike the most? Why?

12)Which audio recordings do you like the most? Why? Which do you dislike the most? Why?

13)What do you like or dislike most about Tolkien’s works?

14)Why do you like or dislike Tolkien’s works? What do they mean to you?

[durinsbane2244]

so, would you like us to just post answers or PM them? i'll just PM mine...ok, apparently you can't recieve PMs...well...TO THE BLOG!!

[Spock]

THIS SURVEY CONTAINS INFORMATION YOU MAY NOT WISH TO HAVE PUBLISHED ON THIS SITE.

IT IS ***SUGGESTED*** THAT YOU USE THE E-MAIL OPTION FOUND IN THE PROFILE OF THE SURVEYOR WITH YOUR ANSWERS, IF YOU WISH TO PARTICIPATE. AS THEY HAVE OPTED OUT OF USING PM.

[durinsbane2244]

oh. well. i just used the blog he set up. nothing in that you can't find in me profile already, eh? heh...i must say though, i like how you always use magenta for the important, eye-catching bits...[it works! ]

anyways, yes, i have answered the questions and posted it on ze blog.

[Surveyor]

Spock,

Are you refering to the questions about "age, gender, country of residence, and language(s) spoken?" I'll delete them from the post.

Folks, this is getting more and more complicated. I just want fans to answer my questions about Tolkien. I rarely use online forums and discussion groups, so I'm kind of ignorant of policy and etiquette. If I'm violating anything or stepping on anyone's toes, I'm happy to immediately correct the problem and apologize. I understand that this is the internet and things aren't safe here.

Okay. No age, no gender, no country. Is that cool?

[Surveyor]

Durin,

I deleted your answers to the initial 5 questions on my blog due to privacy concerns. Everything else is intact.

And by the way, thank you for the excellent answers. They're just the kind I'm looking for.

[littleadanel]

Hey......chill. I think they're fine the way they are, because of this -

Originally Posted by Surveyor

Answer all or just some of the questions.

I understood that as 'if I don't want to tell where I'm from, or how old I am, I don't have to'. However, I think I will. This way, your survey can be wider and more accurate - how 'worldwide' Tolkien is, and that people of every age can enjoy his works... and so on. Count me in, full questionnaire.

That's everyone's own decision to make. I think it's ok if they stay.

[durinsbane2244]

well, you're decision to make, mate. i don't care if it's in there or not, myself.

[The Gaffer]

Posting answers here coz I think it would be interesting to see what others think. That way we don't have to buy your book. HA!
1) Male

2) UK

3) English, French, can order food and drink and swear in German, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese and Spanish.

4) HOB, LOTR, SIL, UT
Useful bibliography by the way.

5) Which of the following movies have you seen? Please list using the title abbreviations.

LTRA, FRM, TTM, RTKM

6) Which radio dramas or books on CD or tape have you listened to?

BBC Radio 4 version of LOTR, circa 1980
Vinyl LP version of The Hobbit, circa 1975

7) Which book, movie, or recording did you first read, watch, or listen to?
FOTR

8) Were these works in English or in another language?
English

9)Do you prefer the books, movies, or audio recordings?
Books

10)Which books do you like the most? Why? Which do you dislike the most? Why?
I think The Hobbit is the best book in a literary sense. However, I prefer LOTR for its unabashed grandeur, scale, heroism and multiple layers of themes.

11)Which movies do you like the most? Why? Which do you dislike the most? Why?
At the time, FOTR, because I couldn't believe they'd actually managed to make a film of it which wasn't pants. I later realised it was pants, apart from the design, art direction and some aspects of the production (e.g. the actor who played Sam was excellent). They should have made more changes to the story to make it work better as a film.

12)Which audio recordings do you like the most? Why? Which do you dislike the most? Why?
I fondly remember the BBC radio version. It emulated the way the book fires your imagination, realising these landscapes, characters and history in your mind. It also had a very tight narrative, and the luxury of umpteen episodes.

13)What do you like or dislike most about Tolkien’s works?
Like: characterisation (yes, that's right): how they are essentially immutable but they are defined by the course of events. Characters end up realising their essential natures, effectively. History, languages, and the connection between these and how we live now. Triumph of friendship; rejection of the material. At times, the storytelling has phenomenal pace and emotional power. Cool and groovy ideas brought to life and given a credible raison d'etre, e.g. Treebeard.

Dislike: anti-progress, "accept your lot", reactionary racial politics; some bits are tedious, it has to be said. After a while you get a bit fed up with eyes that smoulder with an inner fire, etc.

14)Why do you like or dislike Tolkien’s works? What do they mean to you?
It is simply the best entertainment of its kind, if you like that sort of thing. Some people don't, but when it comes to any kind of art, critics (or "wankers" as they are known colloquially in these parts) often disagree with punters.

My life would not be different it it hadn't been written, if that's what you mean.

[Surveyor]

Gaffer,

Thank you for answering my questions. I particularly agree with your view of critics--"wankers" is a good term. I have a lot to say about Tolkien's critics, both friendly and hostile. Thanks again.

[The Gaffer]

Yes, it seems pointless and rather timid to dismiss an entire genre, particularly when it is self-evidently more popular than whatever passes for "high culture". It would be interesting to read what people like Eco think about escapist fantasy-type literature.

It would be interesting to discuss criticisms of Tolkien, which haven't really been addressed in depth on this forum to my knowledge. Would you be willing to share those views?

[Butterbeer]

Originally Posted by littleadanel

Hey......chill. I think they're fine the way they are, because of this -



I understood that as 'if I don't want to tell where I'm from, or how old I am, I don't have to'. However, I think I will. This way, your survey can be wider and more accurate - how 'worldwide' Tolkien is, and that people of every age can enjoy his works... and so on. Count me in, full questionnaire.

That's everyone's own decision to make. I think it's ok if they stay.

that's alright - i'll tell you anyway all ABOUT Littleladanel - he's 32, 5'9" tall, has blond hair and green eyes - a littel dimple and he's from Antartica. his favourite food is Blubber soup and his real name is NOT Litteadanel ... it's Adrian ... Adrian one day dreams of becoming a Transvestite football playing Bishop and his ideal date would be a threesome of cardinals ...

yours THE WHISTLEBLOWER

[Butterbeer]

I am English AND British

i am a male

I can order beer and swear in more languages even than our Scots friend there but generally i speak English and the BBspuriousiranto of my web posts

i have read most of the above ... sorry those abbreviations look like too much work

i have seen all three "movies" and the animated LOTR first section


BBC Radio 4 version of LOTR, circa 1980

does this count the hobbit? I read - or was read to if you really wanna know, the Hobbit first, then read it myself, then FOTR ...etc


english


books of course!!!

er? Farmer giles of Ham ...is that allowed?
it makes me smile!

TTT (extended edition) - i think barring some silly crap with skateboards, i really liked the haka scene and the lightning as they approach Helms deep - it caught that sense of swaying ranks on ranks filling the valley as lightning caught on barbed ears ...

despite some seriously 'i wanna Zidane u!!' liberties with the screenplay that they really did not need to do .... there were some great moments in there

12) i was underwhelmed by the bbc version ..maybe i should have another butchers??

13) like: plenty - you wanna an essay here or what?

dislike: yeah like the gaffer all the blue blood lineage stuff- thankg Gopd for the black death say i! Down with serfdom!


14) it's just plain original and well done in the main - a depth previously never seen to the world and languages and history - not a bad story either, huh?


course The gaffer is talking **** (to use a local colloqualism) cus' his life would never have involved the moot or the people he has met ...so to a small minor degree it has effected him even as butterfly wings in the saharra are even now [potentially shaping our very lives!


hope that helps me mystery quiz blokey!
best, BB

[The Gaffer]

Nah, mate, if I wasn't wasting my time here it would just be somewhere else.

And yes, who IS this mystery quiz type person and what does S/HE think?

[Butterbeer]

its a mystery alrught ...

(but if it's any help i saw scooby doo legging off to the left not two minutes ago ... damn these pesky kids!)

ah, but Gaffer, tiny pebbles that fall to trouble even the lazy sleep of the wise (to artfully mangle a quote) ... its not that you waste your time here nor there ... but HOW ya does it ... that's what gets thing s done (or pratically the opposite of course!)


so - yes - reveal yourself mystery man or woman ...

[littleadanel]

Originally Posted by Butterbeer

that's alright - i'll tell you anyway all ABOUT Littleladanel - he's 32, 5'9" tall, has blond hair and green eyes - a littel dimple and he's from Antartica. his favourite food is Blubber soup and his real name is NOT Litteadanel ... it's Adrian ... Adrian one day dreams of becoming a Transvestite football playing Bishop and his ideal date would be a threesome of cardinals ...

yours THE WHISTLEBLOWER

And that was only a game of chess, mind you. I see that those transvestite bishops got stuck in your memory, BB... ::rofl::

And yes, I wonder what The Quizmaster is thinking?

[Grey_Wolf]

1) Gender - Male

2) Country of residence - Sweden

3) Language(s) spoken - Swedish

4) Which of the following books have you read? Please list using the title abbreviations.

a. HOB: The Hobbit - read
b. LOTR: The Lord of the Rings - read
c. SIL: The Silmarillion - read
d. UT: Unfinished Tales - read
e. TOM: "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil," from The Tolkien Reader
f. RG: The Road Goes Ever On
g. BIL: Bilbo’s Last Song
h. BLT1: The Book of Lost Tales I (The History of Middle-earth, Vol. 1)
i. BLT2: The Book of Lost Tales II (HoME, Vol. 2)
j. LB: The Lays of Beleriand (HoME, Vol. 3)
k. SME: The Shaping of Middle-earth (HoME, Vol. 4)
l. LR: The Lost Road (HoME, Vol. 5)
m. RS: The Return of the Shadow (HoME, Vol. 6)
n. TI: The Treason of Isengard (HoME, Vol. 7)
o. WR: The War of the Ring (HoME, Vol. 8)
p. SD or ETA: Sauron Defeated (or the shorter version, The End of the Third Age) (HoME,
vol. 9)
q. MR: Morgoth’s Ring (HoME, Vol. 10)
r. WJ: The War of the Jewels (HoME, Vol. 11)
s. PME: The Peoples of Middle-earth (HoME, Vol. 12)

5) Which of the following movies have you seen? Please list using the title abbreviations.

a. HOBA: The Hobbit, animated television film, dir. by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin, Jr. (1978)
b. LTRA: The Lord of the Rings, animated theatrical film, dir. by Ralph Bakshi (1979) - seen
c. RTKA: The Return of the King, animated televised film, dir. by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin, Jr. (1980)
d. FRM: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, dir. by Peter Jackson (2001) -seen
e. TTM: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, dir. by Peter Jackson (2002) - seen

f. RTKM: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, dir. by Peter Jackson (2003) - seen

6) Which radio dramas or books on CD or tape have you listened to? none

7) Which book, movie, or recording did you first read, watch, or listen to? LOTR

8) Were these works in English or in another language? English

9)Do you prefer the books, movies, or audio recordings? books

10)Which books do you like the most? Why? Which do you dislike the most? Why?
LOTR. Most exciting! None.

11)Which movies do you like the most? Why? Which do you dislike the most? Why? None.

12)Which audio recordings do you like the most? Why? Which do you dislike the most? Why? Havent heard any.

13)What do you like or dislike most about Tolkien’s works?
Nothing

[jammi567]

1) Gender = male

2) Country of residence = engaland, uk

3) Language(s) spoken = english

4) Which of the following books have you read? Please list using the title abbreviations.

a. HOB: The Hobbit
b. LOTR: The Lord of the Rings
c. SIL: The Silmarillion
d. UT: Unfinished Tales
h. BLT1:
i. BLT2:
j. LB:
k. SME:
l. LR:
m. RS:
n. TI:
o. WR:
p. SD or ETA
q. MR
r. WJ
s. PME

5) Which of the following movies have you seen? Please list using the title abbreviations.

b. LTRA
d. FRM
e. TTM
f. RTKM

6) Which radio dramas or books on CD or tape have you listened to? none

7) Which book, movie, or recording did you first read, watch, or listen to? hobbit book.

8) Were these works in English or in another language? English

9)Do you prefer the books, movies, or audio recordings? books

10)Which books do you like the most? Why? Which do you dislike the most? Why? lotr because of the depth of it. none

11)Which movies do you like the most? Why? Which do you dislike the most? Why? PJ movies because they stayed most faithful. Animated film because crap characters, no depth

12)Which audio recordings do you like the most? Why? Which do you dislike the most? Why? none because haven't listerened to any

13)What do you like or dislike most about Tolkien’s works? i like the races individulism, especially when there are extream differences between people within the same race eg. feanor and fingolfin. i dislike that fact that he didn't manage to explain everything within his world.

14)Why do you like or dislike Tolkien’s works? What do they mean to you? i like the depth and the thought that he put into his work to make it as complete as possible. they mean a lot to me because it showed me what people can do when they put their mind to it.

[Surveyor]

Gaffer,

Part of my book will discuss Tolkien critics and scholars. My main goals are:

1) Publish the views of as many fans of, and people with a casual interest in, Tolkien and his works. Why? Because no one has ever done this before in a comprehensive manner. Ambitious, to say the least.

2) Review books and articles by Tolkien critics. The easiest critics to deal with will be the hostile ones. I don't need to spend much time countering their arguments because plenty of friendly critics and scholars have already done so. In fact, I may just use quotes from the friendlies to attack the hostiles. Or use their arguments.
The friendly critics are more interesting, though. Tolkien critics write about fans in one of three ways: with contempt, with condescension, or indifference. Maybe a fourth: they just ignore us, consider us irrelevant.
The friendlies usually use condescension and indifference. What most of them fail to understand is that their works are mostly OPINION PIECES. They're forms of entertainment, not scholarship. Their arguments are often based upon speculation and assumption--or worse, literary "theory."
Now, I like reading a person's views and thoughts about Tolkien. Published opinions can be interesting and can offer insights I hadn't thought of. And gathering opinions about Tolkien, after all, is the point of my survey. I like reading people's answers.
But professional writers can be arrogant and sometimes self-deluded. They fail to see that their statements and conclusions are not objective truths. They are subjective (truths? That remains to be seen). They don't prove much; they just think they do. That would be okay if they understood and admitted this. They don't.

3) Yes, goal #3 of the book: compare the views of Tolkien critics with Tolkien fans--the people who answer the survey. Right now I don't know how this will play out. I haven't read enough critical works yet, and I only have 20 or so survey responses. It'll be an interesting to find out, though.

So, Gaffer, those are some of my views. Thank you for your interest. It's great to share ideas.

Originally Posted by The Gaffer

Yes, it seems pointless and rather timid to dismiss an entire genre, particularly when it is self-evidently more popular than whatever passes for "high culture". It would be interesting to read what people like Eco think about escapist fantasy-type literature.

It would be interesting to discuss criticisms of Tolkien, which haven't really been addressed in depth on this forum to my knowledge. Would you be willing to share those views?

[Surveyor]

Butterbeer, Grey Wolf, and Jammi,

Thank you for your answers.

Man, I really dig doing this. Let's keep going.