My Favorite Writings: Lord of the Rings

I know a few people who do not ever read the same book twice. That's not the way I work at all. To me, good books are to be enjoyed again and again, like a favorite food. (particularly chocolate) I originally read the "Lord of the Rings" series close to 20 years ago. They were a gift from my uncle Glen. Since that time I've managed to read them about once a year and sometimes twice a year. My original are not in great shape today, the covers have fallen off and the top pages are torn and curled. I no longer read these, they are too valuable. A couple of years ago I bought a copy of all three in one volume and that is what I read now.

When the movies came out, I and a bunch of my relatives would go and see them. We would usually make an afternoon of it, eating an early supper because the films are so long. We also enjoyed the necessary popcorn, drinks and candy too. One year my group filled a whole row!

With all due respect to Peter Jackson, the movie that plays in my head while I'm reading is much better than his. I have long ago 'cast' the various parts with the actors I deemed best suited for the parts. The advantage of using my imagination is that I can pick the stars at their best, even though today they might be retired from acting. I can even create my own CGI characters and not have to spend millions. I will not go into the details of my mental casting here. My real subject is about writing.

"Lord of the Rings" is literature at its best. When I read the story there are certain places I look forward to, and when I get there, I approach them will slow relish. One of these is near the beginning, just after the Party. It goes like this:
"For LOBELLA SACKVILLE BAGGINS, as a PRESENT, on a
case of silver spoons. Bilbo believed that she had acquired a
good many of his spoons while he was away on his former
journey. Lobella knew that quite well. When she arrived later
in the day, she took the point at once, but she also took the
spoons."

The little pun here shows something of Tolkien's wry sense of humor and his love for word play, a trait that appears again and again. Because the scope of the books is so great there are places where the story could get bogged down: and then his subtle wit comes out and prevents that from happening.

The next part comes at the Prancing Pony, the inn at Bree. This is where Frodo and his friends meet a dark and mysterious character known only as 'Strider'. His true identity would be revealed later. Bilbo had written a letter about this Man, and part of the verse goes as follows:

"All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost:
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost."

I'm not much for verse, but Tolkien's command of the King's English is such that even the poetry draws me in. The words have great rhythm and majesty. Back when I first started reading the books, I (foolishly) skipped over most of the poems, but now I find myself reading them. Poetry is natural to the world of Middle Earth.

A third passage I always look forward to comes just after the fall of Orthanc and the parley with Saruman. An object is thrown from above which will soon play an important part in the story. That object is a Palantir - a stone of seeing - and one of only a few remaining in Middle Earth. It's not exactly a crystal ball, but it is close. From a time long past they came, and were formerly used as a means of communication at the height of Gondor's power. These globes were made by one of the Noldor named Feanor and of their making Gandalf expresses a wish:

"- to look across the wide seas of water and of time to
Trion the Fair and perceive the unimaginable hand and
mind of Feanor at their work..."

At this point in the story we have already learned a bit about Gandalf. He is a wizard, mysterious - powerful - and very wise. His knowledge reaches back over centuries. And yet his desire is to know even more. This line adds depth to Gandalf's character and shows that even he is mystified by some things. And we all know it's quite an accomplishment to impress a wizard.

As a writer I know it is not enough to just have a good plot. The incidentals also make the story move forward. The better I can provide these, the more depth my stories will have, and the more believable my characters will be. That goes for short articles, too. If anything I write can contain a bit of humorous word play, or some connection that is unique, then I will consider it to be a success.

Keep Writing!