Not sure where to write about this.

Attended the NY Tolkien's Society Ringbearer's Day Celebration. It's a time to celebrate with Readings, Tributes and Events to honor the Valor of Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee of the Shire and the Victory over the Dark Lord and his Ruling Ring,
Lots of fun. Music, readings, a trailer for a movie called Anacar. (Must say the readings are still as exciting as the first time, I read them. Really enjoyed listening to Eowyn's confrontation with the Witch King again!)

Highlight of the day for me was Prof. Michael Drout's description of a class with J.R.R. Tolkien. On the first day of each new term, Prof. Tolkien would recite the first 50 lines of Beowulf in Old English. Prof. Drout demonstrated the effect with a stirring rendition of the first 12 lines. It was meant to frighten away new students so the Prof. wouldn't have to grade papers or so went the rumour. Drout told us that the poet W.H. Auden said he'd go to that first class just to be able to listen to the sound of the language.

Oh, I should say that Christopher Tolkien allowed Drout to edit a new book about an original manuscript written by his father called "Beowulf and the Critics" which he later shortened and modified to use as "The Monster and the Critics." Drout is an Associate Professor of English at Wheaton College in Massachusetts where he teaches Old and Middle English and fantasy and science fiction. (Gee, when I was a teenager, science and fiction and fantasy weren't considered subjects worthy of study. How times have changed.)

Other highlights were Drout's comments on the idea of leadership had changed from the time of Beowulf to the time of the Tolkien's Aragorn. He pointed out that Peter Jackson also made changes to Aragorn's character to suit modern tastes. Ancient kings had the idea they owned their people and they ruled with something we'd call arrogance. The movie Aragorn was tentative and humble. We like our leaders that way, he said.
Also, the closest thing to a hero in the ancient mold in LOTR was Eowyn. She was the only hero who fought a major enemy eye to eye. What do ye folks think?

Any Old English scholars out there? What does "Fer pu ha" mean? Prof. Drout wrote that to me. I bought his book.