January 16, 2023

46. Bad Performance Review as an Actual Plot Point.

1 hour 2 minutes

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?

Show Notes.

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!

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By Jared Pechaček, Oriana Scwindt, and Ned Raggett

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