Flaws - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Child of the 7th Age · 05-01-2003, 02:16 PM

I'd like to refer back to a "flaw" that was pointed out at the beginning of this thread. Several posters mentioned that they saw the beginning of the book as boring and not really essential to the later plot.

I respectfully disagree. It's obviously true that the earliest chapters have a different flavor and tone than the later parts of the book. Partially this was because Tolkien was initially unsure what direction his tale would take. At first, he saw LotR as a direct continuation of The Hobbit. However, as he wrote, it became clear that it would be a much more somber tale than that with wider implications. Also, it would tie more directly into the history of the Silmarillion.

Although I recognize a certain discontinuity between the beginning of the book and the later chapters, I still feel that the early hobbit scenes are both absolutely essential and a real personal treasure.

There is a point in the Letters where Tolkien discusses this. He comments on the later scene where Sam sits in the middle of Mordor and remembers going swimming with Rosie at the old swimming hole back in the Shire. Tolkien points out that it is absolutely essential that the reader have a sense of the life that Sam and Frodo left behind them. The whole point of what they are doing is to preserve a way of life in the Shire which is worth defending and even dying for.

You can have all the fast action and wild battle scenes that you want, but unless you understand why Frodo is willing to persevere and give up his life if needed, you really won't understand what Tolkien is trying to tell us. This is why the beginning chapters of the book are essential. They are slow, yes. But life in the Shire itself is slow and deep, like the simple rhythms of existence that guide the hobbits---family, growing things, comradeship.

We are so used to thirty-minute television programs today, and fast, short bites on the computer. For most of us, it's hard to sustain our attention too long focusing on one thing. But Tolkien grew up in a different era. Most of his life, he did not even drive a car. (He tried, but had to quit because he was a terrible driver!) So, when you read these chapers, try to stretch yourself and relish what is being described. In a sense, it underlies the whole meaning of the book.

[ May 01, 2003: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]

05-01-2003, 02:16 PM	#20
Child of the 7th Age Spirit of the Lonely Star Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 5,133	I'd like to refer back to a "flaw" that was pointed out at the beginning of this thread. Several posters mentioned that they saw the beginning of the book as boring and not really essential to the later plot. I respectfully disagree. It's obviously true that the earliest chapters have a different flavor and tone than the later parts of the book. Partially this was because Tolkien was initially unsure what direction his tale would take. At first, he saw LotR as a direct continuation of The Hobbit. However, as he wrote, it became clear that it would be a much more somber tale than that with wider implications. Also, it would tie more directly into the history of the Silmarillion. Although I recognize a certain discontinuity between the beginning of the book and the later chapters, I still feel that the early hobbit scenes are both absolutely essential and a real personal treasure. There is a point in the Letters where Tolkien discusses this. He comments on the later scene where Sam sits in the middle of Mordor and remembers going swimming with Rosie at the old swimming hole back in the Shire. Tolkien points out that it is absolutely essential that the reader have a sense of the life that Sam and Frodo left behind them. The whole point of what they are doing is to preserve a way of life in the Shire which is worth defending and even dying for. You can have all the fast action and wild battle scenes that you want, but unless you understand why Frodo is willing to persevere and give up his life if needed, you really won't understand what Tolkien is trying to tell us. This is why the beginning chapters of the book are essential. They are slow, yes. But life in the Shire itself is slow and deep, like the simple rhythms of existence that guide the hobbits---family, growing things, comradeship. We are so used to thirty-minute television programs today, and fast, short bites on the computer. For most of us, it's hard to sustain our attention too long focusing on one thing. But Tolkien grew up in a different era. Most of his life, he did not even drive a car. (He tried, but had to quit because he was a terrible driver!) So, when you read these chapers, try to stretch yourself and relish what is being described. In a sense, it underlies the whole meaning of the book. [ May 01, 2003: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ] __________________ Multitasking women are never too busy to vote.