Viva Las Conference

[eldritchhobbit]

I'm off to Las Vegas to deliver a paper at my last academic conference of the spring semester (and, yes, I intend to work in some quality time at Star Trek: The Experience as well!). I look forward to catching up with everyone when I return on Wednesday!

"There's coffee in that nebula!"
Captain Janeway, "The Cloud," Star Trek: Voyager

Comments

[agentxpndble.livejournal.com]

D'oh! Are we *ever* going to be in town the same day(s) again?!? Have a safe trip - I may just be caught up myself by the time you get back. ;-) Post pics of the ST Experience!!!

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Hey there! I'm here - are you there? Are we both at home at the same time? :) I've missed you.

[vonjunzt.livejournal.com]

I just have to say, holy crap! You're one busy lady! I don't think I've ever known an academic to publish as much as you, let alone speak at so many conferences!

The magazine came the other day; thanks! I love the inscription! :)

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Aw, shucks. :) It's been a busier than usual semester, but I do enjoy it all.

Perhaps I should've warned you that the Lovecraft-Tolkien article was rather general in its background on HPL. My main interest was introducing him to the audience and trying to make this connection between the questions they asked. If you have any advice or feedback, especially on the connection aspect, I'd welcome your thoughts! And I'm glad you liked the tongue-in-cheek inscription. ;)

[vonjunzt.livejournal.com]

I actually like the article a lot -- oddly enough, I'd never stopped to consider why Tolkien and Lovecraft seem to have been surging to an even more popular status of late, not only in this country but across the Western world, and the idea that they're both against the modern world in different ways explains a lot, I think. Your concept of Tolkien's Christianity vs. Lovecraft's atheism I think does a good job in explaining why the former's characters triumph over the forces they combat, while the latter's are so often crushed.

I'm not sure of much connection between the authors. Lovecraft isn't known to have had any Tolkien in his library, though of course The Hobbit wasn't published until the year HPL died. I'm certain they read the same authors -- besides Dunsany, Lovecraft also liked George MacDonald, and one of his favorite books was S. Baring-Gould's Curious Myths of the Middle Ages, which I'm sure Tolkien probably also read. I really don't know Tolkien's background that well, though, and I've only read The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy, so I'm not very versed in his works. It seems like you probably already know all I know about the connection.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

This is incredibly helpful - thanks a million for taking the time to give me this feedback.

and the idea that they're both against the modern world in different ways explains a lot, I think. Your concept of Tolkien's Christianity vs. Lovecraft's atheism I think does a good job in explaining why the former's characters triumph over the forces they combat, while the latter's are so often crushed.


Oh, good! I was hoping this didn't sound too tenuous.

I'm certain they read the same authors -- besides Dunsany, Lovecraft also liked George MacDonald, and one of his favorite books was S. Baring-Gould's Curious Myths of the Middle Ages, which I'm sure Tolkien probably also read.

Excellent points! MacDonald in particular is a connection I will need to flesh out more fully.

Again, many thanks!