Date: Mon, 18 Aug 2003 16:42:28 -0700 (PDT)
From: Rich Lynch <rw_lynch at yahoo.com>
Subject: [WSFA] How was Tolkien perceived in the 1960s?
To: WSFA members <wsfalist at keithlynch.net>
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>

Forwarding an email I received from someone who is
doing research about how Tolkien was perceived in the
1960s.  I anyone here who were active in the  1960s to
respond directly to Dr. Barker.

Rich

--- Martin Barker <mib at aber.ac.uk> wrote:
> From: "Martin Barker" <mib at aber.ac.uk>
> To: <rw_lynch at yahoo.com>
> Subject: [WSFA]
> Date: Mon, 18 Aug 2003 11:29:15 +0100
>
> Dear Richard Lynch
>
> i hope you won't mind my writing to you about your
> web materials Preliminary Outline for a Proposed Fan
> History Book, whcih I found while looking round the
> Web for materials on J R R Tolkien in the 1960s.  As
> you will see from the weblink I give below, I am
> currently directing a major international research
> project into the launch and reception of the final
> part of the Lord of the Rings.  But as a
> side-development to that, I am trying to go back to
> look at the ways in which Tolkien's work was
> received in the 1960s.
>
> For two reasons, which lead to the questions I would
> hope you might be able to help me with.  First, I am
> interested in finding out **how** people read
> Tolkien in the '60s.  Though it is clear that there
> was a wide appreciation of his work throughout the
> student movements, the counter-culture, etc (I was
> one of them, though in the UK), it isn't so clear
> what they found so attractive and valuable in his
> work.  ON that we tend to have the views of critics
> - and I wondered if you had come across any writing
> by some of the people involved, where they set out
> why they valued Tolkien so much, and what it was
> they felt he offered them.
>
> The other thing is that I am curious to know what
> people **argued over** about Tolkien. Given that we
> know that the 'counter-culture' was in fact
> afantastically varied movement, ranging across very
> politicised groups and individuals, through music
> lovers, to drug cultures, it's very hard to believe
> that everyone saw Tolkien in the same way. So again,
> I wodnered if you had come across any places where
> people debate the meaning of Tolkien to them.
>
> Any help at all that you can give me will be greatly
> appreciated - and of course properly acknowledged
> when this comes out to publication.
>
> Best wishes
>
> Martin Barker
> Professor of film and television studies
>
> The weblink I promised is to a site where we explain
> the research we are going to be doing. It is:
>
http://users.aber.ac.uk/mib/lordoftheringsresearch.htm
>

=====
Rich Lynch
==========
MIMOSA web site: http://jophan.org/mimosa/
1960s Fan History Site: http://jophan.org/1960s/
http://www.livejournal.com/~rwl

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