The White Council

Re: Why not??

Tolkien and Inklings Discussion

: : Why not consider Mein Kampf literature. Not that I agree at all with facism or a great deal of what Hitler did, but his Third Reich was quite powerful and efficient in its efforts to turn a war-torn Germany into a World power in a matter of a decade and a half. In addition, and definately apart from that aspect, the very words of Hitler let us in on a man who, for all intents and purposes, shaped our modern world. It can help us understand how he did what he did. It's a work that can be ranked with other such writings like Adam Smith's "Wealth of Nations" and Thomas Paine's "Common Sense." But please keep in mind that I am not condoning Hitler, just saying that Mein Kampf might be considered literature in this sense.

I think that texts such as Mein Kampf (as well as "Wealth of Nations" and the like) are significant works of writing and are important parts of our written history, however, by most standard definitions of literature they would not fit for the simple reason that they are not fictional. Technical writings, essays and journalism are excluded from the definition along with all other forms of non-fiction (note that this does not include historical fiction).

Writings that can be considered Literature are those fictional works valued for their beauty of form, creativity, and power as written art. Included are novels, short stories, poetry and plays. Screen writing for instance is not considered literature but a form of technical or directional writing.

And using the above defintion I find no way in which the LOTR could NOT be considered literature. It is highyl imaginative, Tolkien's writing is superb in form, and his work touches the hearts and minds of millions. The element of the fantastic and the "monsters" are what keeps such a great novel from being embraced by the canon, I believe. Just think, centuries passed before "Beowulf" was considered anything more than a philological text, and now, thanks in large part to the great Professor himself, Beowulf is listed in the literary canon. Give Tolkien a few centuries and he will be there as well! (But I hope it is sooner)