A Boy, A Girl, & A Dog: The Lay of Leithian Dramatic Script Project
| Fanfiction | |
|---|---|
| Title: | A Boy, A Girl, & A Dog: The Lay of Leithian Dramatic Script Project |
| Author(s): | Philosopher At Large |
| Date(s): | May 2002 - June 2004 |
| Length: | ~400,000 words |
| Genre: | drama, romance, verse |
| Fandom: | The Silmarillion |
| External Links: | The Leithian Script Project |
Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
A massive, vernacular retelling of J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lay of Leithian", the tale of the lovers Beren and Luthien, in dramatic script form. Started as a single cartoon panel, and got out of hand. Abandoned near to completion in 2004, when the author turned her attention to political blogging.
Philosopher At Large describes the work:
Yes, this is the infamous dark-humorous "screenplay" version of the story of Beren and Luthien — and Huan — and pretty much everyone else in First Age Middle-earth, too, either directly or by inference, as paths cross calamitously. It was supposed to be a one-off cartoon, then became a single scene, then a one-act play — and then popular demand, well, demanded more. It is canon-based, as the Notes will show: I've been very careful to explain and denote what's conjecture, what's interpolation, and what warrant exists for either. There is a coffee'n'cats alert in force — beverage incidents are not unheard of — and while it is a Work In Progress, it does have an overarching structure, as may be seen, and will eventually reach The End. There should probably be a Sanity Alert as well...[1]
Acts
- Act I: An Appointment in Menegroth
- Act II: The Sojourn in Nargothrond, or Houseguests from Hell
- Act III: Tinuviel at Bay: A Caccia of Beleriand
- Enteract
- Act IV: Beloved Fool: Beyond the Western Sea (incomplete)
Reviews
- Stultiloquentia writes: Hands down, the most unapologetic brainfood I have ever found in fanfic, awash with wit, deep thinking and piercing beauty. The Script, subtitled "A Boy, a Girl & a Dog", is Beren and Luthien in the vernacular, interspersed with blank verse commentary à la Derek Jacobi in Henry V. It's funny, saturated with anthropological oddments and snobby literary allusions, and brilliantly illuminates JRRT's entire oeuvre. Not for canon newbies, but I'd seriously recommend rereading The Silmarillion just so you can dive into this. P@L's characterizations, especially in Act Four, are larger than life and terribly human.[2]
- Espresso Addict writes: A unique blend of humour & drama, cast in Shakespearean form with modern informal English and priceless anti-fanon characterisations -- P@L's take on Luthien & Beren's tale has simply got to be read to be believed.[3]
- Battle Hamster writes: This manages be hilarious and moving at the same time. The writer shows her work in the Tolkienverse and elsewhere, and the result in amazing. The characters and everything are very well developed. The one problem is that it's sadly unfinished.[4]
- Avanti_90 writes: This is my favorite fanfiction ever written by anybody in any fandom. I wish I could find coherent words to describe it. Amazing characterization. Amazing stories. Amazing expansion of canon. Amazing OCs. Lots of subplots about loyalty. And forgiveness. And reconciliation. And everything else. Finrod. Finarfin. Orodreth. And everybody else.[5]
References
- ^ A Boy, A Girl, & A Dog: The Lay of Leithian Dramatic Script Project, Archived version (accessed 22 May 2012)
- ^ "Stultiloquentia'S Fic Recs". Archived from the original on 2010-11-13. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
- ^ "Espresso Recommendations: The Silmarillion". Archived from the original on 2020-09-26. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
- ^ "TV Tropes: Fanfic Recs: The Silmarillion". Archived from the original on 2015-01-20. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
- ^ "avanti-90: Fic Recs, and status (20 May 2012)". Retrieved 22 May 2012.