4 ms·

"The Fellowship of the Ring is at least as good as The Thirty-Nine Steps." For anybody else wondering what The Thirty-Nine Steps is: https://en.wikipedia.org/w

"The Fellowship of the Ring is at least as good as The Thirty-Nine Steps." For anybody else wondering what The Thirty-Nine Steps is: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thirty-Nine_Steps https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thirty-Nine_Steps

gumby 3y ago
I took that as sarcasm when I saw that but by the end I felt he was earnest.
msla 3y ago
In more context: > on the primitive level of wanting to know what happens next, The Fellowship of the Ring is at least as good as The Thirty-Nine Steps. That is, it's an engaging narrative up there with a book that's been adapted into four films, a stage play, and enough radio dramas it would be tiresome to count them all. So, yes, high praise for Tolkien's ability to tell a story people want to continue reading.
- adrian_b 3y ago
  I certainly agree that it is an engaging narrative. When I was a teenager long ago and I have seen for the first time this book when I have borrowed it from a library, during a couple of days I did almost nothing else until I have finished reading the entire trilogy. For me this has happened very seldom with other books, and with none of this size.
raffraffraff 3y ago
That's not really a fair quote. Having first read your quote, then read the actual piece, I feel duty bound to put your quote in it's full context, which changes it's meaning considerably: > The first thing that one asks is that the adventure should be various and exciting; in this respect Mr. Tolkien’s invention is unflagging, and, on the primitive level of wanting to know what happens next, The Fellowship of the Ring is at least as good as The Thirty-Nine Steps He's clearly suggesting that in one very particular respect, he values the 39 Steps so very highly that it can be used as a kind of measuring stick. It may not seem like such a big deal, but partial quotations of this nature are the source of so much internet misunderstanding and drama these days.

gumby 3y ago

I took that as sarcasm when I saw that but by the end I felt he was earnest.

msla 3y ago

In more context: > on the primitive level of wanting to know what happens next, The Fellowship of the Ring is at least as good as The Thirty-Nine Steps. That is, it's an engaging narrative up there with a book that's been adapted into four films, a stage play, and enough radio dramas it would be tiresome to count them all. So, yes, high praise for Tolkien's ability to tell a story people want to continue reading.

adrian_b 3y ago
I certainly agree that it is an engaging narrative. When I was a teenager long ago and I have seen for the first time this book when I have borrowed it from a library, during a couple of days I did almost nothing else until I have finished reading the entire trilogy. For me this has happened very seldom with other books, and with none of this size.

raffraffraff 3y ago

That's not really a fair quote. Having first read your quote, then read the actual piece, I feel duty bound to put your quote in it's full context, which changes it's meaning considerably: > The first thing that one asks is that the adventure should be various and exciting; in this respect Mr. Tolkien’s invention is unflagging, and, on the primitive level of wanting to know what happens next, The Fellowship of the Ring is at least as good as The Thirty-Nine Steps He's clearly suggesting that in one very particular respect, he values the 39 Steps so very highly that it can be used as a kind of measuring stick. It may not seem like such a big deal, but partial quotations of this nature are the source of so much internet misunderstanding and drama these days.