I realize it has been a while since I last wrote. That is partly because I was sick for a good two weeks of last month, but don't worry, because I put that time to good use. I reread The Lord of the Rings trilogy while I was ill. I could hardly put it down.
The copy I read from was a single-volume fiftieth anniversary edition. I think that's why I found it so hard to stop reading. When you have the individual volumes in separate books, you naturally have to stop and catch your breath before picking up the next one. But with a single volume edition, the only stopping points are the title pages in between. Maybe that was how LOTR was meant to be read.
I found while I was rereading it that the pacing was completely different depending on the characters whose points of view were being shown. If you were reading about Merry and Pippin or Frodo and Sam-especially the latter-or even Hobbits in general, the narration was a lot more down-to-earth, and you felt comfortable. It was like reading a society novel or a story about everyday people. If there was a description of a battle or similar events going on, the writing was more like someone relating an epic saga to me, a little like Beowulf or a medieval legend. Then again, I hear that's what Tolkien was trying to do, create a story in the style of an old legend. It seems like he got carried away with it at bits, and it was a little stifling to the reader, but I am still torn about which writing style of his I prefer. The two styles are a little hard to blend.
More posts will be coming soon. See you in the Shire!
The copy I read from was a single-volume fiftieth anniversary edition. I think that's why I found it so hard to stop reading. When you have the individual volumes in separate books, you naturally have to stop and catch your breath before picking up the next one. But with a single volume edition, the only stopping points are the title pages in between. Maybe that was how LOTR was meant to be read.
I found while I was rereading it that the pacing was completely different depending on the characters whose points of view were being shown. If you were reading about Merry and Pippin or Frodo and Sam-especially the latter-or even Hobbits in general, the narration was a lot more down-to-earth, and you felt comfortable. It was like reading a society novel or a story about everyday people. If there was a description of a battle or similar events going on, the writing was more like someone relating an epic saga to me, a little like Beowulf or a medieval legend. Then again, I hear that's what Tolkien was trying to do, create a story in the style of an old legend. It seems like he got carried away with it at bits, and it was a little stifling to the reader, but I am still torn about which writing style of his I prefer. The two styles are a little hard to blend.
More posts will be coming soon. See you in the Shire!