Songs and Poems

[Zephon]

Embarrassingly, I recently began reading LOTR for the first time in my life. I enjoy the book immensely, I knew I would after reading the Hobbit, though I wish I didn't watch the movies first.

However, I don't like the songs. Honestly, there's been a few times I skipped over them, but then went back and reread them thinking Tolkien might have hidden important information among the verses. It's not that I believe they're poorly written, I just think they interrupt the narrative. It makes me feel sort of guilty because as a fan of fantasy, I feel like an art student looking upon Michelangelo's Madonna and the Child and saying, "I just don't like it." It's purely a matter of taste, but I'm wondering what others think.


Do you use songs in your work? If so, why?

Tolkien seems to use songs to tell great tales in a relativity short amount of words, and it also greatly contributes to the culture and atmosphere of the Middle-Earth. These are good reasons, perhaps even brilliant, except I still find the songs annoying!

 

[Ravana]

Some could have been shorter.

I like the flavor they bring to the world, and the ability to add background in condensed form—as well as in a form other than direct explication. I use songs and poems for this from time to time, though often they contain hints or clues for later on, rather than being completely transparent at the time they're presented, as many of Tolkien's are. On the other hand, I also love poetry in general, so my reactions may not be entirely typical.

 

[The Dark One]

Pretty sure we've discussed this before.

I always read the songs in LOTR, even the boring ones, and most of them are pretty boring. Don't know why I can't skip them, but I can't and I've read it 60 times.

I frequently use songs and poems in my work but if the lyrics are included they are always somehow relevant to the story. Not just garbled elvish. The book currently with my agent features a poem which is crucial to the resolution of the plot.

 

[gavintonks]

I normally skip the songs and poems but found I created mantras in my piece whether people will read or skip I am not sure but I had fun writing them

 

[Ireth]

I'm a huge poetry buff, and always have been, so my opinion is probably biased. I love the songs and poems in LOTR, but I don't often use them in my own work, since few of my characters are poets or lyricists.

 

[Zenke]

I enjoyed some of the songs. I've never tried using my own in stories but they do add character and add to the histories of books, which I liked.

 

[Myshkin]

Tolkien was intensely interested in the myths of England which in a lot of older texts those myths were solely told through songs, poetry, and rhyme. I know with LOTR he was trying to create more than just a story. He was trying to invent a mythos with a history and culture. Personally I've never had a story so grand and expansive to deserve such a treatment. Maybe one day. I've only found real use for poetry when writing riddles and prophecy and even then it's tricky.

I believe songs and poetry can add a lot of depth to a work. Though one thing I've always wished was that I could hit play next to a song in text so I can hear it. For me whenever I read songs they end up following the same lilting tone in my head. I unfortunately don't have a musical bone in my body.

Perhaps adding real music to a novel will be a technique that will evolve through e-books, where an audio version of a song can be added to text, or an image, at the touch of a button. If done well, it might be a great evolution of the modern novel. However, if done poorly, books will become an onslaught of bands trying to pimp themselves through the written word. Anyways I digress....

 

[The Dark One]

Perhaps adding real music to a novel will be a technique that will evolve through e-books, where an audio version of a song can be added to text, or an image, at the touch of a button. If done well, it might be a great evolution of the modern novel. However, if done poorly, books will become an onslaught of bands trying to pimp themselves through the written word. Anyways I digress....

I've done it, but you have to go back to the website from hard copy. There is an ebook version but the publisher arranged that without my input. I would've insisted on links from the text if that was possible.

 

[Myshkin]

I believe it will become more possible and easier to do as time goes on. It's possible now if you designed a book like an App though that takes a development team and not just an author. With the new Kindle and Nook pushing towards more complex interfaces trying to conform with ipads and tablets I don't think it will be long now. I feel like I should get my programmer friends on it. I like that you've already experimented with it, and you're right, it really should be links from text or maybe an unobtrusive bottom bar immediately available to the user. It would defiantly change the context of written songs inside works of fiction.

 

[The Dark One]

I also arranged for little bits of video. In the end there was only one but there should have been more. The way I did it without disrupting the flow of the narrative was this: a newspaper report in the story refers to a video released on the net and gives the URL. Most readers would assume it was just gibberish/fake, but if they took the trouble to point their browser there they would have got a pleasant surprise.