Stupid.. - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Belin · 09-11-2002, 09:39 PM

DarkRose--I think this discussion would be much more useful to you (and, perhaps, to others that have similar difficulties) if you articulated exactly what it is you don't understand.

The impression I got from your post is that you understood the plot without too much difficulty, and find things that you are able to appreciate (what kind of things? Why do you love the books? Surely the things you love are ones you have a particular understanding of?) but you feel that you should be getting more, in terms of deep meaning or the kind of insight that would help you out in the discussions here. Is this correct, or am I making ridiculous assumptions here?

If this is the case, Eol probably has a very good point. This is your first time reading the book, and your first encounter with it, and it would be silly to expect yourself to have some kind of startling and coherent theory of it immediately. These things happen through reflection, discussion, and later readings, which really do allow you to pick up on things you didn't see the first time because you were focusing on following the plot. This is actually true of books in general.

Also, it's possible that you're picking up on something specific to LotR, the references to things that aren't ever fully explained. You get a vague sense of some goings-on deep in the past, but not a real story so much as a glimpse. This is intentional-- you should feel like there's more to the book than you can get at in this sense, and in fact many readers (and I am one of them) consider this effect one of the greatest strengths, odd as it may sound.

Also, yes, you are very young.. I don't know you, so I don't know if you are too young or not, but I wouldn't discount the idea of reading it again later. What kind of understanding of it did your brother have of it at ten? Is it the same as the one you're seeking?

Anyway, if you're already in Return of the King, AND you're enjoying yourself, don't give up!

All right, time to slip back out of tutor mode. Oh, the havoc literacy theory has played on my personality! Anyway, I hope this helped a little.

--Belin Ibaimendi

09-11-2002, 09:39 PM	#4
Belin Shade of Carn Dûm Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: all the wide unfriendly pathways of the world Posts: 330	DarkRose--I think this discussion would be much more useful to you (and, perhaps, to others that have similar difficulties) if you articulated exactly what it is you don't understand. The impression I got from your post is that you understood the plot without too much difficulty, and find things that you are able to appreciate (what kind of things? Why do you love the books? Surely the things you love are ones you have a particular understanding of?) but you feel that you should be getting more, in terms of deep meaning or the kind of insight that would help you out in the discussions here. Is this correct, or am I making ridiculous assumptions here? If this is the case, Eol probably has a very good point. This is your first time reading the book, and your first encounter with it, and it would be silly to expect yourself to have some kind of startling and coherent theory of it immediately. These things happen through reflection, discussion, and later readings, which really do allow you to pick up on things you didn't see the first time because you were focusing on following the plot. This is actually true of books in general. Also, it's possible that you're picking up on something specific to LotR, the references to things that aren't ever fully explained. You get a vague sense of some goings-on deep in the past, but not a real story so much as a glimpse. This is intentional-- you should feel like there's more to the book than you can get at in this sense, and in fact many readers (and I am one of them) consider this effect one of the greatest strengths, odd as it may sound. Also, yes, you are very young.. I don't know you, so I don't know if you are too young or not, but I wouldn't discount the idea of reading it again later. What kind of understanding of it did your brother have of it at ten? Is it the same as the one you're seeking? Anyway, if you're already in Return of the King, AND you're enjoying yourself, don't give up! All right, time to slip back out of tutor mode. Oh, the havoc literacy theory has played on my personality! Anyway, I hope this helped a little. --Belin Ibaimendi __________________ "I hate dignity," cried Scraps, kicking a pebble high in the air and then trying to catch it as it fell. "Half the fools and all the wise folks are dignified, and I'm neither the one nor the other." --L. Frank Baum