Write a note to the person above you II

Dear Glenbearl of Sandwich,

that's the three brothers I meant: Feanor, Finarfin, and ??? *googles* Fingolfin! Not a good name for a human child, either. And where does Earendil figure in this? Wasn't he kind of important, too? Is he Feanor's son maybe?

No, I don't feel like I should just reread the Silmarillion. I'm quite content having you explain it to me in notes.

Sincerely
Freckles
 
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Dear Freckles,

I have stopped groaning long enough to say that Earendil, while he was one of the Half-Elven, was no relation to any of the three F brothers. He was a descendent of Beren and Luthien, as well as the father of Elrond. Through a long set of circumstances, during the course of which he saved Middle Earth, he ended up living in Valinor and sailing through the sky in his ship, which had a Silmaril on its prow. In Middle Earth the "star" was named Earendil, and its light was used to fill the phial of Galadriel.

Re-read the Silmarillion. It's beautiful, and you clearly have forgotten half the best parts. Probably from indulging in lax punctuation.

Pointedly,
Glen
 
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Dear Glenburne,

in the following, I shall list my excuses not to read the Silmarillion in some time because on my reading list are:
- Jules Verne Five Weeks in a Balloon
- Kathryn Spink Mother Teresa
- C. S. Lewis Miracles (I have owned this book since 2008 and haven't managed to get past the first 30 pages!!)
- something with a very long title by Francis Spufford that I'm supposed to read for work
- Poetic Edda
- the children's book my sister-in-law is having published in the summer
- Toulmin's Argumentation
- The Complete Illustrated Guide to Farming

Now you would probably tell me you'd read a book a day but my life doesn't work that way. (Quiet voice in back of head: "But it will, Freckles, it will. One day you'll have the time to read all the books you've ever wanted to read. And you'll own a library.")

Sincerely
Freckles
 
Dearest Freckles,

The Poetic Edda gets you off the hook. Have you read Tolkien's Lay of Sigurd and Gudrun, by the way? It's great. (And gory. Not that you'd expect anything less of Norse mythology.)

I am currently in the middle of four or five books at once, not counting the ones I started years ago and haven't yet made it back to, but fully intend to finish.... I am a deeply flawed reader.

Sincerely,
Glen
 
Dear Glenburne,

you are a deeply flawed reader. Well, I started on Miracles a couple times, too, but I always got stuck.

No, I haven't read Sigurd and Gudrun. Great, now I have to add that to my list! Is it possible you've read the Poetic Edda all the way through?

Respectfully
Freckles
 
Dear Freckles,

I haven't read the Poetic Edda, but I intend to. I keep asking for it as a birthday gift, but as the relatives don't seem interested, I suppose I'll have to try the library.... Currently I am in the middle of The Divine Comedy. One of those annoying things about being a history education major in undergrad rather than English, is that there are a lot of things I should have read, but didn't. And I suffer from literary guilt. Other people may be excused from looking at my Goodreads account and deciding that I have a problem.

Sincerely,
Glen
 
Dear Glenburne,

I got this edition: http://www.bookdepository.com/Elder-Edda/9780141393728
Normally I despise Penguin Classics but this actually had a decent cover and a nice layout - that and affordability are all it takes as far as I'm concerned.

Hehe, I incidentally just saw this: http://www.bookdepository.com/Poems-That-Make-Grown-Men-Cry-Anthony-Holden/9781471134890

You just reminded that I have a goodreads account, too. I think I logged in once... when I signed up for it... But your reading might require more, uh, organizing than mine. :p

Kind regards
Freckles

PS. Should we feel good or bad about taking over this thread?
 
Dear Freckles,

Ha! I might have seen that second book in a bookstore a month ago...I didn't pick it up. I should have.

I mostly got a Goodreads account because a friend of mine kept bugging me about it. Actually I was at college at the time, and the college had Goodreads blocked as an unnecessary social media site. She literally emailed the college to complain. She was not a student, and therefore her opinion mattered. They unblocked the site, and I got an account soon afterward.

That line from the Poetic Edda on that page you linked is simply wonderful. I'm now dying to read it...actually, on second thought, I should try to avoid dying.

Sincerely,
Glen
 
Dear Glenburne,

is there anything social about a website about books? Which brings me back to one of the big questions of my life: can reading and community really come together? Apparently for the Inklings, they could...

Let me know how you're succeeding with not dying.

Sincerely
Freckles
 
Dear Freckles,

You just ruined my day by asking that question. Never, never ponder the relationship between reading and community. It is sort of like cuddling a firebomb.

Of course, granted your...proclivities, you may do that, too.

I, however, am not yet dead, and would prefer to stay that way.

Sincerely,
Glen
 
Dear Glenburne,

you know what's a firebomb? Your name. Burrrnnnnn! :D

I sort of expected an appreciative nod for asking such a deep question. Oh well, at least I learned a new word. Proclivities. Sounds like something a dentist would accuse you of. Wait, no, those are cavities.

Monologically
Freckles
 
Dearest Freckles,

You should have put a comma after the closing in your previous note. The Spelling Police, at your service.

The problem is that a friend of mine--she went by VictorianLady when she was active here--is a philosophy major, and asks questions like that all the time, because they genuinely worry her. Then they end up worrying me against my better judgment. C.S. Lewis seemed to think that reading provided a sort of community with past generations, however, so maybe I should try to be more positive about the whole thing. As opposed to feeling vaguely guilty.

Defenestrating guilt,
Glen
 
Dearest Glen,

Why is the Spelling Police nitpicking items of punctuation? Isn't that the responsibility of the Punctuation Police?

Ah, yes, I do miss the deep conversations one could have with VL. Hope she's doing well.

Regards,

Soapyspain
 
Dear Soapy,

VL is killing herself writing final papers at the moment, but is quite well otherwise. She graduates this spring and plans to work for a year while applying to Ph.D. programs in philosophy. One thing no one will ever call her is unmotivated.

The Spelling Police also polices punctuation, because their full name is the Cair Investigators of Spelling, Grammar, Punctuation, Capitalization, and Associated Writing Offenses, Limited (CISGPCAWOL, for short). Clearly, "Spelling Police" simplifies things. As does the Spill Chick.

Sincerely,
Glen
 
Dear Glenburne,

Maybe the two are separate institutions in Telmar. I would be interested to know what some of those "Associated Writing Offenses" might be.

I'm afraid I never met VictorianLady - a shame. I feel like we would have got on well together. But then, sometimes I don't get on well at all with people who are too much like me (a bad sign! A Very Bad Sign!!).

You know, I used to be worried by all the questions in my mind, too, but I realized that I like worrying about them better than the alternative: worrying about things like, "Did I turn off the stove before I left?" and, "The coffee stain is clearly visible - what will people think?" and, "Will I be the DLR's next hostage?"

Correctly,
Freckles
 
Dear Freckles,

In Telmar, they probably execute people for certain types of writing offenses. Or just force them to serve great Telmarine lords. :rolleyes:

I don't know any philosophy majors other than VL, but I would be tempted right now to split them into two categories--the ones who like to ask questions because they like to argue about the answers, and the ones who can't help asking questions and hope that if they ask the right ones, they will finally have some mental relief. Personally, I fit into the category of people who plan to deal with the coffee stains eventually but are more busy thinking about how irritating Eve is in Paradise Lost. My mother finds this very concerning.

Sincerely,
Glen
 
Glenburne said:
Dear Freckles,

In Telmar, they probably execute people for certain types of writing offenses. Or just force them to serve great Telmarine lords. :rolleyes:

Sincerely,
Glen
Click to expand...

Dearest Glen,

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa... no, that would never happen. NEVER. Obviously. Psh. Silly notions.

Sincerely,

A Telmarine who totally doesn't kill and certainly doesn't enslave
 
Dear Freckles,

With their thessalophobia, it's a wonder that Telmarines bathe at all. Sopes at least seems to think that he's hygienic, but for all I know, he could be washing his face in sand every morning. And as for violence...

Sopespian said:
In other words, it's curtains for you. Unless you seek amnesty with the Telmarines. If you bribe, er, tip well we might let you be a servant instead of a slave.
Click to expand...

That's only one example.

Sincerely,
Glen
 
Glen,

I was enjoying this deep conversation and looking forward to contributing. Then my computer took ten minutes to scroll down the page and let me post and all my thoughts went out the proverbial window. So that tells you what kind of philosopher I am.

GG
 
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