Quote:
Originally Posted by Cactus Chef
He was famously dismissive of Tolkien, particularly in his essay likening LOTR to Winnie the Pooh, " Epic Pooh". |
Thanks for that. I fail to appreciate the point of Moorcock's criticism. It seems to me that inspired fantasy depends on a connection to our childish selves, to wonder. On recently reading Frodo's leavinv the Shire I agree it reads very much like a classic child's story. And so what? Doesn't that give it it's power?
Without wishing to offend others, I do not tbink Moorcock is in the same league as Howard or Burroughs. I suspect his prolific writing was fueled by amphetimine use, and he knocked it out en masse, and it shows. I'm also surprised to read how high-brow and snobbish he seems in that article. An elevated tone for someone who banged out poor quality pulp.
Returning the fairt tale (or mythic), I was reading Peter Pan and I was struck that Pan might well be the model for Tolkien's elves.
I'm reading Hoffman's the Sandman and I'm struck how similar its style is to The Nightland.
So I agree with Moorcock's insight, but not his ctiticism. Fueling a powerful fantasy work on a child's fairy story is not a failing. It may be a necessity. And those old fairy stories, unlike the sanitized works of today, contained much that was dark...