A snippy parody

So, while I was massively disappointed in THE WOBBIT, Harvard Lampoon's recent companion volume to BORED OF THE RINGS, there were two bits of interest within it that I thought I'd share.

The first is the passage, near the end of the book, where parody versions of J. R. R. Tolkien ("J. R. R. Toking"), George R. R. Martin ("G. R. R. Marauding"), J. K. Rowling ("J. K. Rousing"), and C. S. Lewis ("C. S. Losing") all show up to try to re-assert control over their creations. The odd thing about this section is that they only bring up Lewis to bash him. When first introduced along with the others we're told he's "the one with no business here" (p. 135). Later, "feeling al little left out of the fun", he jumps into the conversation with a complete non-sequetor ("Did you know I'm a devout Catholic?" asked C. S. Losing"; a footnote to this comment opines "Getting left out of the fun is, debatably, the whole point of Catholicism" (p. 136). His final comment comes immediately after Rowling reveals that she is a woman, and thus has introduced an actual female person into the all-male world of THE WOBBIT; to the cry "She's a woman!" the Lewis-character responds " 'This might go against my Catholic faith,' C. S. Losing let it be known, as if anyone cared what he had to say." (p. 137).

So, all I can conclude is (a) that the Harvard Lampoonians really don't like C. S. Lewis, and (b) that they know next to nothing about him, not even enough to parody him properly -- i.e., such as the fact that he's NOT CATHOLIC.

The second, and far superior, passage comes v. near the end (and yet not near enough), where they re-write Bilbo's first song, "Roads Go Ever Ever On", into an indictment of the modern commercialism of fantasy:

Franchises go ever ever on,

Over-budget and under-seen,

Through sequels that are quickly gone,

And prequels that never should have been . . .

(p. 146)

--And there it is; even a dud can include a passage worth sharing.

--John R.
current audiobook: none
current dvd: DESOLATION OF SMAUG 'Appendix IX' documentaries
current reading: THE SUMMER TREE (GGKay), AS CHIMNEY SWEEPERS COME TO DUST (Flavia de Luce), THE CIVIL WAR (Foote).