BootsnAll Travel Community

Question:
Have you read "The Hobbit" and/or any or all of the "Lord of the Rings"?

Choices:
All of em'
The Hobbit and/or at least one LOTR book
Hobbits and elves and all that crap don't exist, why read about them?
Every word Tolkien has ever written. He is my god, and one day we will go see the elves and have adventures.
Tried to read them, but never got through the things.

 

Ive read them on at least 3 occasions.My niece and nephew 9 and 7 have now read the Hobbit and have started on the 1st book.they cannot wait to see the film

have read the entire trilogy probably 7-10 times, for real. and i am only 24 years old.

long live Frodo son of Drogo!!!!!!!!!

huh?

I've got the big omnibus book with all three books in one. Now, I'd like to think that I can write and speak and read English very well. Heck, I've even lived in England. But I am experiencing quite some difficulties just to get started ... There are loads of maps in the book, family trees and the complete history of what went on, but still.

I don't really want to go and see the movie first, because I have always believed that the books are better than the movies. Just look at Hannibal for example.

Anyway, soon, I'm gonna pick up that huge book and start reading! Even if it will take me a month

All the maps and what-not can make for intersting reference, but they're not essential to understand the text. And remember too that Tolkien made up his own languages, mythology, you name it. Don't stress on the weird names and words and what-not, just kind of dive in to the story - that's the important thing.

I finished reading the trilogy a couple of months ago, for the first time. Just settle back, have a cuppa tea, and just lose yourself...

I read "The Hobbit" years ago, loved it. I started reading LOTR, got to the 9 hundred and somethingth page, and it mentioned someone from the beginning of the book, I could'nt remember who it was. So I stopped reading with the intention of trying again later. Later is here now, and because I enjoy reading a book in one sitting, I shall probable try it over a long weekend with tons of caffeine for sustenance.

...I had the same thing a couple of years ago...during a vacation I started reading The Mists of Avalon...I got to page 900andsomething...when I returned I wanted to finish it but somehow I never found the time...now I have to start all over again...

Margie, no need to fear...the movie's awesome...some parts are slightly different than in the book so comparing them isn't really fair...take each as a masterpiece...

Maybe I'll go and see the movie once, but not just yet. The theatre is still sold out every evening, so I think I'm gonna go and see it when it's a little calmer. Don't like overcrowded cinemas. Especially not with loads of little kids in them.

I've read the book several times and I've seen the movie six times (the last two viewings were for the special purpose of seeing The Two Towers preview).

The book is number one on my favorites list.

~Fiddler

I just started re-reading LOTR last night

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I think anybody who considers themselves to be well read has read them all....it's just basic like having read The Sun Also Rises or War & Peace or whatever.....in my very first article on Costa Rica, I made reference to Bilbo Baggins/JRR Tolkien and The Hobbit......WAY before LOR came out or anybody even knew about it coming out....if you had read the article at that time then you would have had to be intelligent to get the joke....now, Hollywood has ruined the whole thing and I can never use that allusion again. But, I'm not bitter....ha.

I read them when I was a little girl...hmmmm, I'd say I was 10 or 11. Now I'm re-reading them as a grown-up, and they're as enchanting as I'd remembered. There is a lack of strong female characters, but such is life! I'm reading the second one right now. I think that it'll take me some time to get through it though, as I'm currently reading five other books.

Does anyone else find it amusing the way that Tolkien sums up massive battles in a line or two?

Cheers,
R

quote:

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Does anyone else find it amusing the way that Tolkien sums up massive battles in a line or two?

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My brother and I were just discussing this the other day and came up with a theory.

A battle can be broken down into 3 main parts.

The anticipation, the culmination, and the conclusion.

To a soldier, the worst part of these is the anticipation. Before the battle he is afraid, nervous, tense and his future seems completely uncertain. Once the fighting begins he is able to give himself over to the task at hand. During the culmination there is no longer time for fear, just the grim business. In one of the battle scenes two of the characters are jokingly keeping a tally of their kills in the midst of a ferocious battle. After the first few blows the soldier experiences a rapid desensitization to his situation. Adrenaline kicks in and the mind focuses on what's important.
Once the battle ends the man is allowed to return as the soldier fades out. Now is the time for sorrow, or jubilation at victory.

If you look at it this way then the fighting becomes almost mundane. Who are we to understand what happens when thousands of people, armed with non-projectile weapons, clash in the heat of battle? By not overly describing the battle scenes Tolkien doesn't diminish their importance and better conveys the mindset of the soldier.
Tolkien definately gives more attention to the thoughts and feelings of the characters as they approach the battle, or deal with its conclusion, than he does to the battle itself. This is a large part of what makes the book so endearing to its readers. Tolkien is able to expose us to the characters in such a way that we can almost imagine being right beside them.

Personally I think it's a great effect

Sorry, kind of hard to explain the theory, but you can kind of get the general idea

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