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maybe as an arachnophobiac Tolkien was uncomfortable even foreshadowing it .. hmm.
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I may disagree with this--however I do not consider Tolkien to be
too keen on such eccentricity
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Since the old Professor himself was an arachnophobe (having been bitten by one in his youth), I think that he would have wanted his readers to feel that same surprised fear at the truly repulsive sight of Shelob. Granted, seeing those icky webs and smelling that icky smell would have been frightening enough, but nothing could have prepared Frodo or Sam for seeing "Big Mama" herself, up close and personal.
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and...
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And the clue for me was in the title to the chapter. Shelob's name is mentioned in the chapter: "She-Lob". Where had I seen the word "Lob" before? Why, in the Hobbit, when Bilbo fought the spiders - "Lazy lob". So what's a "She-Lob"? Ah yes, Gollum had been talking about a "she", so it must be a she-spider. OK, that gives away nothing about her size, but we instinctively know it's not going to be easy getting into Mordor, and the fact that her lair provides the title to the chapter gives us a big hint as to her imortance.
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Perhaps, Tolkien's foreshadowing was not as clear to me as it was to
The Saucepan Man but it is clear to see that he
did intend for a hint of Shelob--moreso a "she" spider-villian to be at hand...
I don't believe foreshadowing for Shelob was that much of great importance--even for Tolkien himself--although it is interesting that the topic was brought up.