(to say the least). Perhaps it will inspire some of us here at the Hobbit forum to continue in this vein.[b:3jbpssx8]Shadowlander's Post:[/b:3jbpssx8]
Ok folks...I'm not very good at this, and this required a little bit of improvisation on my part. Below I've transcribed a scene from LotR, specifically the infamous "Balrog Scene" from the chapter "The Bridge of Kazad-dum", one of the most tense scenes in the series. First is the portion written by Tolkien himself. Following that will be the scene written, as I would imagine, CS Lewis would have done if he was writing it with a Chronicles of Narnia mindset.
Please, don't stone me!
Tolkien wrote:
The Bridge of Kazad-dum
The dark figure streaming with fire raced towards them. The orcs yelled and poured over the stone gangways. Then Boromir raised his horn and blew. Loud the challenge rang and bellowed, like the shout of many throats under the cavernous roof. For a moment the orcs quailed and the fiery shadow halted. Then the echoes died as suddenly as a flame blown out by a dark wind, and the enemy advanced again.
"Over the bridge!" cried Gandalf, recalling his strength. "Fly! This is a foe beyond any of you. I must hold the narrow way. Fly!" Aragorn and Boromir did not heed the command, but still held their ground, side by side at the far end of the bridge. The others halted just within the doorway at the hall's end, and turned, unable to leave their leader to face the enemy alone.
The Balrog reached the bridge. Gandalf stood in the middle of the span, leaning on the staff in his left hand, but in his other hand Glamdring gleamed, cold and white. His enemy halted again, facing him, and the shadow about it reached out like two vast wings. It raised the whip, and the thongs whined and cracked. Fire came from its nostrils. But Gandalf stood firm.
"You cannot pass," he said. The orcs stood still, and a dead silence fell. "I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. You cannot pass. The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udun. Go back to the Shadow! You cannot pass."
CS Lewis wrote:
The same scene in a style Lewis may have written it in:
A swarm of orcs flew towards the Fellowship, of such kinds and descriptions that were I to describe even a few your parents would not let you read this book. Then, suddenly, one could see a large shadow, coming up through the orcs. And if you looked closely enough you could even see that the orcs themselves were a little frightened. Boromir blew his horn loud and true until the orcs stopped in their place and the Fellowship saw that even the large shadow hesitated.
"All of you must get over the bridge! Quickly, now", commanded Gandalf, lifting himself a little higher. "You must run, for only I can fight an enemy of this power!" Aragorn and Boromir didn't respond quite at first, still stubbornly standing next to Gandalf. The small Hobbits gathered in the doorway at the other end of the hallway to see what would happen next and what Gandalf would do.
The Balrog put one foot on the bridge while Gandalf stood in the centre, his staff helping him to keep his balance. In his hand the magic sword Glamdring glowed brightly. Then suddenly the Balrog stopped. All of the sudden the shadow unfolded even larger. Have you ever seen how an umbrella pops open on a rainy day? It was like this now, and the Balrog's shadow moved out from its sides and fell upon the walls. And there it was, larger than anything any of them had ever seen before. In it's hand it held a fiery whip, which it swung around menacingly while it looked at Gandalf.
"I will not let you pass!", Gandalf shouted. The orcs had stopped moving, watching what their massive leader's next move would be. Gandalf spoke again. "I will not let you pass! I am the holder of the knowledge of the Secret Fire, wielder of the magical fire of Anor. Your weapons cannot hurt me, monster of Udun. Go back from where you came, but you will not pass me here!"
[b:3jbpssx8]Gandalfs Beard's Post[/b:3jbpssx8]
Allrighty then Shadowlander,
I take your Lewisized Tolkien and in return have Tolkienized Lewis: From The Horse and His Boy
Lewis wrote:
"But Corin will be the King then, Father," said Cor.
"Nay, lad," said King Lune, "thou art my heir. The crown comes to thee."
"But I don't want it," said Cor. "I'd far rather---"
"'Tis no question what thou wantest, Cor, nor I either. Tis in course of law."
"But if we're twins we must be the same age."
"Nay," said the King with a laugh,"One must come first. Art Corin's elder by full twenty minutes. And his better too, let's hope, though that is no great mastery." And he looked at Corin with a twinkle in his eyes.
"But, Father, couldn't you make whichever you like to be the next King?"
"No. The King's under the law, for it's the law makes him King. Hast no more power to start away from thy crown than a sentry from his post."
"Oh dear," said Cor. "I don't want to at all. And Corin--I'm most dreadfully sorry. I never dreamed my turning up was going to chisel you out of your kingdom."
"Hurrah! Hurrah!" said Corin. "I shan't have to be King. I shan't have to be King. I'll always be a prince. It's princes have all the fun."
Tolkien wrote:
"But, shall not Corin be High Lord and King, Father?" asked Cor.
"Nay, my son," responded King Lune, " You are my heir, and the throne of Anvard and all the lands of Archen shall be your noble obligation."
"But I do not desire it, my Liege and Father. I would prefer--"
"'Tis no question of your desire, my son, nor of my own. It is a matter of law."
"Surely, Sire, we are twins. Do we not share the same number of years?"
"Nay," laughed the High Lord of Archenland, "One must be first-born. You are the elder son by twenty minutes. And the most worthy by all reckoning, though that is no great task." And King Lune cast his eyes upon Corin. The lines of the King's years softened and his eyes gleamed with mirth.
"Can nothing be done whatsoever? Can you not, as High King, choose your heir?"
"No. The heir is not chosen by whim, but by law. A King has no power, unless bestowed by law. And no right to refuse the duty of his station."
"If the law requires it, then, my Liege, I shall fulfill my birth-right." The new High Prince turned to his brother, his face anguished and stricken.
"Brother...Corin...I beg your forgiveness. In all my dreams, never did I believe I would upset your rightful position as heir to the throne of Anvard and the Lands of Archen."
An unexpected smile crossed Corin's lips.
"Do not fear my brother. I had no desire for the crown nor for the kingdom itself. I chafed under the burden that power thrust upon me. For a Prince Eternal now shall I be, with all the benefits of royal lineage and little of it's obligations."
I hope that wasn't too awful.
I enjoyed the challenge. Okay, have at it.Peace and Long Life
Gandalfs Beard
.)
Amazing! Such a clever idea. I'd try it myself, but I'm afraid my writing skills aren't worthy of imitating Tolkien or Lewis.
. But I need to dig up my other Narnia books and find another choice passage to Tolkienize.
. I'm glad you liked those passages.
). There is a lot of research involved, so it will take some time. I'm a bit too tired to give you a run-down tonight. But in short it will be focused on what I think of as Lewis's "pagan" side, and also Tolkien's and Rowling's a bit too. Like you (and Joseph Campbell) I see a lot of Universal themes that all three writers' works share to varying degrees.
, Wilson's bio was quite good. He touched on a number of things often glossed over in other bios, and garnered a bit of controversy in the process. I won't be able to have the book finished in a few days. but I do have a short essay/article that served as my starting point. And some extensive notes based on Wilson's book and some articles from a compilation book on the Philosophy of Narnia. 
