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>One of the reviewers argued that it was the hardest book to read because 'and' was the most used word in the book. I think the author took this way to literal
by jmilloy 14y ago
>One of the reviewers argued that it was the hardest book to read because 'and' was the most used word in the book.
I think the author took this way to literally. Granted, it inspired some fun (albeit odd and basic) data analysis. But the point of the reviewer isn't about word counts but about style and pace. That, narratively, the Silmarillion just felt like it continued on and on without clear sections of rising and falling action or significant breaks. Sentences were long and atmospheric, rather than short, quick and active.
- danielbarla 14y agoI haven't gotten through the whole book, but it's also written in a style which makes it hard to immerse yourself in it. Characters aren't described in detail, major events are described in a few words, and entire lifetimes are glossed over... Certainly epic and at times quite beautiful, but completely different to LoTR.
- ajuc 14y agoSillmarillion is just meant to be read in pieces, I think. It's very similiar to the Old Testament, and I don't know a single person that read the Old Testament in one sitting.
- saraid216 14y ago> Sentences were long and atmospheric, rather than short, quick and active. Interestingly, I think the larger frequency of 'of' actually suggests this. I suspect the Silmarillion (I haven't read it in ... a decade maybe?) has a far more complicated web of relationships–not just between characters, but between places; at the very least, it concerns itself with genealogies more.