by J.R.R. Tolkien (pp 21-398)
This is a re-reading. The first time I read this I was about 12. My initial estimation that it was a great story poorly written. While I still have some of the problems with it now that I did then, my estimation is somewhat more mild. Tolkien is given to a dryness that makes his fiction more like an essay in comparitive liguistics, than a novel. This isn't to say he's bad but I'm still skeptical when someone tells me he's the greatest fantasy writer of our language.
In anycase, this covers the formation of the fellowship to the splitting. It's a good read but I still think the Hobbit is better.
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2 comments:
Oh, you of little faith. It's only dry because you're trying to skim it. You have to read the lines a few times to catch their true greatness. I love Tolkien because it seems as though each quote is carefully crafted to speak volumes in short sentences. I'm sad for your sake that you cannot see it.
*shrug* all I can say is that you accuse me unjustly of skimming. I've never been able to skim fiction and it robs me of the enjoyment which, in the end, is what this is all about.
I'm heard a lot of debate as to Tolkien's master craftmenship and I'm willing to acknowledge that there is much intention behind how he writes. However, I feel that he indulges in craft to the expense of the narrative.
But that's my opinion and there is no need to be sad for my sake. I can't say that my appreciation, or lack there of, of Tolkien keeps me up late at night.
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