Xenite.Org News

Suite101 Tolkien column: Beware, loose canon on deck... - Lord of the Rings news - J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings

August 11, 2000 at 03:15:30

This week's Suite101 article tackles the sticky issues of how to define a Tolkien canon and how one might go about redefining J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Silmarillion'.

"Is your canon on the loose?" begins with a brief review of what might be called the Tolkien Canon Project sponsored by The Barrowdowns. Tolkien fans have come together to try and decide what sections of the published texts they can agree upon as the most canonical, or authoritative representations of J.R.R. Tolkien's vision of Middle-earth.

That vision changed through the years of the author's life, and each subsequent project added to or detracted from the pool of stories, characters, and settings he created for what has ultimately become the definitive fantasy world for millions of people.

Although the Tolkien Canon cannot be defined authoritatively by any group of commentators, future discussions might be founded upon an agreement to use a fan-defined canon as the common ground for reference. More than one canon could be defined by different groups. It is not necessary to envisualize or promote a single canon definition.