46. Bad Performance Review as an Actual Plot Point.

Tolkien’s short children’s works, Roverandom and Mr. Bliss.

Jared, Oriana and Ned start the new year with Ned’s choice of topic: the
short children’s works Roverandom and Mr. Bliss. Tolkien has been described
as a children’s author both with praise and disparagement over time, but a
more accurate way to put it is that while he was busy working on his cycle of
early Middle-earth stories with its high drama and tragedy in the 1920s and
1930s, he was also a loving father to four young children who often made up
many stories and tales for them. The Hobbit itself has strong roots in this
activity but whether it’s the Father Christmas letters, the original Tom
Bombadil stories, the early versions of Farmer Giles of Ham or more besides,
it’s a large creative part of his work in those decades. After The Hobbit was
accepted for publication, Tolkien provided the manuscripts for, among other
submissions, the stories Roverandom and Mr. Bliss for consideration, though
the success of The Hobbit and the request for a sequel led him down other
paths, with the two stories receiving separate posthumous publication instead.
Is there ultimately anything more to Mr. Bliss than a series of random
happenings that the titular character barely seems to be at the center of a
lot of the time? How does Roverandom work in notable contrast to Mr. Bliss,
with its deeper emotions as much as it has a sense of playful satire? How well
does Tolkien’s art for both stories achieve a distinct resonance and beauty?
And who wouldn’t want to get a newspaper called Ocean Notions, perhaps most
applicable these days if you live in a pineapple under the sea?

Jared’s
doodle – a
beautiful and striking moment from an equally striking story.

Join the Megaphonic Patreon! And yes,
The Greatest Story Ever
Told…isn’t. At
least not in that form.

As before, support the HarperCollins union.

A Silmarillion opera cycle
exists! And has for years, who knew – not us! More
about it, including a
link to a fuller interview, via TheOneRing.net.

The Russian Silmarillion musical, whatever it is? There
are
clips.

Yep, pushing ahead with The Rings of
Power. We’ll see…

Roverandom! Mr.
Bliss! Very different to be sure.

Earlier episodes on Smith of Wootton
Major and Tree and Leaf (with “On
Fairy-Stories”)

The Wind In The
Willows remains top
flight.

“Goblin Feet”…does not.

Marcel The Shell With Shoes On was indeed a good movie.

We all know The Velveteen
Rabbit. Surely.

Well we all DEFINITELY know Toy Story.

The Man in the Moon is
everywhere!

News of the World was a
thing. (They shut
down
because they were completely horrible. Of course Rupert Murdoch was involved.)

The tales of Baron
Munchausen are wonderful
things. (Gilliam’s movie is remarkable…but read this
first.)

Tolkien’s illustration of Roverandom and the White
Dragon, with Scull and Hammond’s commentary.

Our early episode on magic.

Oh man do we love Ursula K. Le Guin’s
Earthsea. (The
Folio
Society
editions are
remarkable.)

Uin the whale. (He’s in this
reproduction
of Tolkien’s original 1917 Middle-earth map on the left in the layer of water
below the main continents.)

Tolkien’s illustration “The Garden of the Merking’s
Palace”
is a great riot of color in the best way.

Support By-The-Bywater on Patreon and you
can hang out with us in a Discord AND hear Ned and Jared talk about Charleton
Heston!