The Fellowship of the Ring, Book II, Chs 2-5 Narrative Choices Part II

For this exercise, I was torn between two alternative options I considered for the bridge scene. Either Aragorn or Boromir managed to reach Gandalf before he fell or because they were out on the bridge when it broke, all three fell.  

I decided to go with the latter, having all three fall down into the abyss together. Legolas must rally the others and get them out of Moria. 

As per our class discussion, a lot of people wanted to keep the fellowship together. In my alteration, I actually tore the fellowship apart even more, much earlier on. Obviously, this would have drastic effects on the rest of the story. A more significant amount of the company, if not all left, might have gone with Frodo, as he wouldn’t have had that nudge from Boromir to rush off and leave. All the help the individual communities, like Rohan, got from the members of the fellowship would probably never happen. Additionally, because Legolas would be propelled to take on a leadership role, his and Gimli’s friendship might never have blossomed. Aragorn would not have been able to grow as a leader as we saw him do. And Boromir might possibly have come out alive, very changed, along with Gandalf and Aragorn. It’s quite shocking to see just how much would be altered if even one slight thing was changed. It was very interesting to explore the different options Tolkien could have chosen. 

Tiny Scenes

Throughout the Lord of the Rings, Tolkien inserts small moments in scenes that seem inconsequential and never lead to much of anything important in his narrative.

For example, when the Fellowship is leaving Bree, Sam tosses an apple he was chewing at Bill Ferny.  Look at this passage and try to figure out why Tolkien bothered to insert this tiny scene. What is its purpose in the overall story? What does Tolkien gain from adding it to the tale? What does it say about Sam? Why is it an apple and not a biscuit or a potato?

Can you think of any other tiny scenes that seem unnecessary to the plot, but which you could argue are important to Tolkien's work for other reasons?

Understanding Sources

How does some knowledge of Tolkien's medieval sources aid or change your understanding of his fiction? Why is it important to study such influences in a class such as ours? Or maybe it is not important? Feel free to argue either position!

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Rant

While this may be a bit off-topic with regard to the main theme of the course, we have discussed the coronavirus in class. I am completely for social distancing and quarantine if need be, and I do not think that this disease should just be dismissed or ignored, but the widespread hysteria-influenced hoard-like shopping is really, really frustrating. People are acting out of fear which is then scaring everyone else, perpetuating a cycle of hysteria that will not benefit anyone. Hoarding toilet paper isn't going to protect you from the Coronavirus and neither is an abundance of canned goods. People need to practice caution by continuously washing their hands, avoiding large crowds, and getting tested if they show symptoms of the disease. Sorry for this probably long-winded rant but it just feels as though things are getting out of hand because of sensationalism.

Differences in Stories

Hello, all!

I have noticed that many of Tolkien's stories seem to be very consistent with one another with tone but then you'll occasionally come upon moments or entire lives that seem... out of place almost? Like, Tolkien's world definitely feels real (otherwise not as many people would be so obsessed!) but I feel like you can tell when he was writing the main body of certain tales in his life depending on how it feels. For example, Beren and Lúthien overall is almost a feel-good love story that makes you feel the power of love and gives you the feeling that love really can help you achieve the impossible. It seems as if their story was written whenever Tolkien felt love sick for his wife. However, with Túrin Turambar you can tell that many parts of the story were written right after WWI because it has a much darker, bloodier overtone with many battles and young men becoming responsible and scarred at young ages and cities doomed to fall no matter what, etc. I feel as if this is a reflection of the real world at times. We of course have our own issues, and sometimes we feel as if we defeat the impossible through love or friendship, or we go on life-altering quests where we feel we can never return home, but other times some of our lives are tragic the entire time and yet the person persists, and I suppose it can become crystal clear just how much Tolkien is influenced by real life.

Although it makes me wonder - what events did Tolkien see, or experience, or hear about that inspired him to write the events of Lord of the Rings? Was it many things? Of course, Frodo's story is very relateable of course in a strange way but given as you can tell the sources of inspiration for his other tales, I am wondering where Frodo's tale (and the Fellowship) came from. Or could it have just been from his creativity?

That's all,
Elendil

Further exploring the placement of Boromir's death.

I'm posting here to try to expand on our discussion of why Boromir's death is where it is.

I think that one of the reasons that Tolkien chose to place Boromir's death at the beginning of Two Towers is to emphasize the increasing seriousness and danger of the story. If Boromir had died at the end of fellowship, it would have made it more of a routine climax at the end of the book type of event, whereas by putting it at the beginning of Two Towers we get this sense of "oh shit, this is happening, and it's only the first chapter? What's going to happen next?"

Of course another reason that we briefly mentioned in class is commercial. Cliffhangers are of course good for book sales, however looking at it again I realized there is foreshadowing, but no clear indication that something is wrong or that anyone is about to die. This makes me think that the cliffhanger aspect is a smaller part of the calculus than I had thought.

Thoughts On Changing Tolkien's Works

Hello all!

So we discussed a lot this week in class what we would change in Lord of the Rings and how that would affect the story. Many people came up with some really creative and interesting ways on how they would change the story. Their versions would all probably be wonderful books but the thing is if we changed any aspect of his stories we would end up having to alter a lot which would cause his stories to lose their Tolkienness. By this I mean they would lose the key aspects that make his books what they are which include fellowship, characters that are REAL, fantasy that is taken seriously, and hundreds of connection to his life and other works.

I did think these exercises this week were interesting and very informative because it made me realize how much I would miss the original version of Tolkien's works if we changed them. In conclusion I appreciated the exercises for what they taught me but I would not change Tolkien's stories ever.

Thank you!

In-Class Exercise: Putting a Twist on The Lord of the Rings

In class, we discussed how making alternations to The Lord of the Rings could potentially negatively or positively, depending on your point of view, impact the narrative of the story. What I found interesting was the kind of unanimity of the class in believing that Gandalf, one of the most integral characters in J.R.R. Tolkien's works, had to die. Whether it be under different circumstances for different reasons, we concluded that the company wouldn't have been able to succeed in their nearly impossible quest of destroying the one ring had Gandalf never died and undergone his transformation from Gandalf the Grey to Gandalf the White. It's just interesting to analyze how death, something that is normally considered sad and horrible, impacted so much of the story. Furthermore, it's weird that we were able to recognize the "need" for death in Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. 

Galadriel and Lothlorien

The sequence of chapters taking place in the forest of Lothlorien is among my favorites in the entirety of The Lord of the Rings.  It offers a respite from the high-stakes drama that immediately preceded in the mines of Moria and the plot-turning betrayal at Amon Hen that breaks the Fellowship and sends them off on their own directions and quests.  Lothlorien is the calm before the storm, and as we saw in class each chapter contains highly relevant moments and events that shape the rest of the story.

Lothlorien is also a demonstration of Tolkien's masterful artfulness.  The forest is unique and filled with lore.  The trees are lined with silver bark and adorned with golden leaves while music runs through the air reminding travelers of elven tales long past.  Tolkien allows his reader to escape the darkness of the mines and rest along with his reader.  That is perhaps why these chapters are so enjoyable.  They accomplish their purpose both for the fictional characters within the story and also those in the real world glancing at this strange world through words on a page.

Additionally, these Lothlorien chapters introduce the reader to Galadriel, one of the most perplexing characters in all of Tolkien's writings.  I feel as though the movie adaptations of this elven queen did not do her as much service as she required.  She was portrayed as deeply enigmatic and frankly a little odd.  While the viewer grew to trust and appreciate her, the sequence where Frodo offers her the Ring after looking into the Mirror is a little unsettling, though not altogether inaccurate.

Reading these chapters gives the reader a better look into who Galadriel is and why she is relevant.  Her testing of each of the members of the Fellowship foreshadows her own trial and also the events to come involving Boromir.  She tested each with their great desire apart from the Quest, and it does seem that she sees the loyalties of each--with the possible exception of Boromir.  She lavishes all the company with gifts and supplies, uncharacteristic of the Lorien elves to do, and she herself sees them off with much encouragement and hope.

Finally, Galadriel recognizes that the destruction of the Ring would result in the end of her people's way of life.  However, she does not resist or protest the Quest but accepts her fate doing what she can to help the Fellowship be successful.  Galadriel is imperfect, as we discussed in class, but in her, we see a character who is willing to forsake her temptatious desires and play whatever part she could for the good of a world she would not be a part of.

Lothlorien and Galadriel represent what is noble in Middle-Earth.  It is difficult, it seems, for the Fellowship and the reader to leave those fair woods never to return in the course of the story.  Nevertheless, they represent some of that which the Fellowship fights for.  Of course, with the destruction of the Ring, Lothlorien and its inhabitants would "diminish" but the traits those fair woods represent continue on as a reminder of that which is good and worth facing great challenges for.