Lord of the Rings boring books - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

William Cloud Hicklin · 03-30-2014, 10:16 AM

"The intelligent man finds everything fascinating; the dullard is constantly bored" --Belloc

Five bucks says this young person also finds Shakespeare boring and stoopid.

Galadriel55 · 03-30-2014, 10:38 AM

I have a friend who found LOTR boring. She didn't quite say so - I think she was interested in the characters and plot, but she said she couldn't get through all the descriptions in FOTR. She got bogged down somewhere in the middle of it and dropped the book (and to think that I'm trying to get her to read Victor Hugo!). I told her I respectfully disagree, because the book is awesome even if you don't like the descriptiveness, and because I found the descriptions of the landscapes quite picturesque and thus fascinating. In the end, we've left each other to our own opinions.

However, despite my disagreement, I can see where she's coming from. For a long time I had to really force myself through the Shire chapters in FOTR. I still find them less interesting than the rest, but there was a time when I found them downright tedious. You have to read the entire LOTR to appreciate everything in it, but if it's not your type of book, then there's only so much you can do. Some people can be convinced to suffer through Shire with a promise of a story that keeps you on your feet more a bit later. Other's aren't even wavering about it. Either way, it's not worth fighting with real people over their taste in books. (However, I do agree with and second Zil's complaint about the modern instant-gratification-[...]-society.)

Mithalwen · 03-30-2014, 11:23 AM

Only boring people get bored.. my mother had a very effective technique for dealing with children who claimed to be bored which was to give them silver or brass to polish... anyway... I have always been fascined by language and languages... I have a clear memory of waiting by the car for my mother prodding the grass verge with my foot and wondering who decided that grass got to mean grass..sadly that was the moment. I discovered my Mother was fallible because she didn't know (my father's infallibility was crushed when he failed to convince me that the sky went on forever when I wanted to know what was beyond the stars. With mature reflection I realise that the problem was with my understanding but six year olds are so judgemental...and yes I must have been a horrible child). So discovering Tolkien and its created languages AND cosmos was pretty much heaven and I have found it all fascinating ever since.

Mithalwen · 03-30-2014, 11:30 AM

I rather like the blond horse people. The Rohirrim are responsible for some of my favourite bits like Eomer exulting even in the midst of grief because he was young and king of a fell people..and Eowyn was magnificent and then there is Theoden and Saruman "we will have peace...". And in Elfhelm you get one of those minor characters that Tolkien somehow makes so vivid.

03-30-2014, 10:16 AM	#1
William Cloud Hicklin Loremaster of Annúminas Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 2,330	"The intelligent man finds everything fascinating; the dullard is constantly bored" --Belloc Five bucks says this young person also finds Shakespeare boring and stoopid. __________________ The entire plot of The Lord of the Rings could be said to turn on what Sauron didn’t know, and when he didn’t know it.

03-30-2014, 10:38 AM	#2
Galadriel55 Blossom of Dwimordene Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: The realm of forgotten words Posts: 10,521	I have a friend who found LOTR boring. She didn't quite say so - I think she was interested in the characters and plot, but she said she couldn't get through all the descriptions in FOTR. She got bogged down somewhere in the middle of it and dropped the book (and to think that I'm trying to get her to read Victor Hugo!). I told her I respectfully disagree, because the book is awesome even if you don't like the descriptiveness, and because I found the descriptions of the landscapes quite picturesque and thus fascinating. In the end, we've left each other to our own opinions. However, despite my disagreement, I can see where she's coming from. For a long time I had to really force myself through the Shire chapters in FOTR. I still find them less interesting than the rest, but there was a time when I found them downright tedious. You have to read the entire LOTR to appreciate everything in it, but if it's not your type of book, then there's only so much you can do. Some people can be convinced to suffer through Shire with a promise of a story that keeps you on your feet more a bit later. Other's aren't even wavering about it. Either way, it's not worth fighting with real people over their taste in books. (However, I do agree with and second Zil's complaint about the modern instant-gratification-[...]-society.) __________________ You passed from under darkened dome, you enter now the secret land. - Take me to Finrod's fabled home!... ~ Finrod: The Rock Opera

03-30-2014, 11:23 AM	#3
Mithalwen Pilgrim Soul Join Date: May 2004 Location: watching the wonga-wonga birds circle... Posts: 9,461	Only boring people get bored.. my mother had a very effective technique for dealing with children who claimed to be bored which was to give them silver or brass to polish... anyway... I have always been fascined by language and languages... I have a clear memory of waiting by the car for my mother prodding the grass verge with my foot and wondering who decided that grass got to mean grass..sadly that was the moment. I discovered my Mother was fallible because she didn't know (my father's infallibility was crushed when he failed to convince me that the sky went on forever when I wanted to know what was beyond the stars. With mature reflection I realise that the problem was with my understanding but six year olds are so judgemental...and yes I must have been a horrible child). So discovering Tolkien and its created languages AND cosmos was pretty much heaven and I have found it all fascinating ever since. __________________ “But Finrod walks with Finarfin his father beneath the trees in Eldamar.” Christopher Tolkien, Requiescat in pace Last edited by Mithalwen; 02-25-2017 at 06:23 AM. Reason: poor grammar... ironically.

03-30-2014, 11:30 AM	#4
Mithalwen Pilgrim Soul Join Date: May 2004 Location: watching the wonga-wonga birds circle... Posts: 9,461	I rather like the blond horse people. The Rohirrim are responsible for some of my favourite bits like Eomer exulting even in the midst of grief because he was young and king of a fell people..and Eowyn was magnificent and then there is Theoden and Saruman "we will have peace...". And in Elfhelm you get one of those minor characters that Tolkien somehow makes so vivid. __________________ “But Finrod walks with Finarfin his father beneath the trees in Eldamar.” Christopher Tolkien, Requiescat in pace Last edited by Mithalwen; 02-25-2017 at 06:23 AM.