Ben Bassett

And (gasp) I think it's actually pretty bad as a "key" to a lot of Tolkiens intent etc.

...into exegeses on that one essay.

It's interesting that Mike Drout apparently had feedback on his book to the effect that he didn't cite "On Fairy Stories" enough. I actually think it's to the book's benefit. That essay gets cited so much and it makes a lot of Tolkien work...

It's bizarre to me that some in the "managerial class" think that their job title grants them special insight or even makes them better people.

I'm disgusted at how some "staff" are treated by management in various environments, even in very professional contexts.

A quote by Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings: "Other evils there are that may come; for Sauron is himself but a servant or emissary. Yet it is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till. What weather they shall have is not ours to rule."

It sometimes feels ludicrous to study literature when jackbooted thugs are murdering people in the streets and shipping innocent people to camps. But if I'm going to be an academic in such a moment, at least I get to study this.

"What can Democrats actually do?"

- Vote against funding for ICE and DHS

- State that any ICE officers who commit crimes under Trump will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law

- Encourage cities and states to refuse to cooperate with ICE

- Explain ICE is part of Trump's tyranny

whilst admitting, I spose, that Eliot is "better" at language in some sense (a better poet, yes of course).

Like, can Tolkien have his own qualities that are distinct from Eliot? Or must we genufect always to the standard canon in all instances

Giles Goat-Girl on X: "tolkien in the same sentence as shakespeare and eliot, you have to laugh" / X tolkien in the same sentence as shakespeare and eliot, you have to laugh

x.com/nadienadiana...

This one has a real anti-Tolkien thing going on.

The Reader's Companion is indispensable!

Sigh...are we still doing this? If you think Tolkien is all 'mythology' and ignores Shakespeare, you haven't read closely enough. From lareviewofbooks.org/article/titu...

I wish the LoTR films had been released in Australia (for the 25th) - but I can't seem to find any locations showing them.

My exact copy. Such a lovely edition.

Reading Tolkien and History | Benjamin Bassett | Substack Tolkien, writing and archaeology. Click to read Reading Tolkien and History, by Benjamin Bassett, a Substack publication with hundreds of subscribers.

open.substack.com/pub/benjamin...

See various interview with Tolkien scholars, and articles on Tolkien and his work on my Substack:

Professor Michael Drout: The Tower and the Ruin Podcast Episode · Reading Tolkien · 23/11/2025 · 1h 13m

I interviewed Michal Drout on his fabulous and deeply moving new book, The Tower and the Ruin:

podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/r...