Amph The Land of Middle Earth: Lord of the Rings & The Hobbit.

I can never decide if the Hobbit or LOTR is better (Silmarillion is out of judgement). I think they're just different. Three completely different parts, but still all of them essential for the magnificent whole.

 

prolly goes bacl to humpty dumpty: when i use a word, it means just what i choose it to mean - neither more nor less.

these linguists!

 

I was 12 when I first read LOTR and I fell in love with it immidiately. Tolkien's way of writing can be a bit problematic at times, perhaps even dry. But he uses symbolic themes from European myths in a magnificent way. I simply love how he combines elements from the monotheistic religions with parallells to polytheistic traditions (such as the Celtic).

Oh, I love the movies and view them as one interpretation done by fan (with a lot of resources and money ). In some ways, the movies improve the story. In other ways it just doesn't match the quality of the books.

 

In some ways, the movies improve the story.








BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURN!!!!!!!

 

nah, raja, each to theirs. it was nice to *see* things rather than having to do the troublesome work of imagining.

anywhichway, the stories aren't really dry. i love them. they are quite deliberate, i would say.

how about a favourite chapter of LOTR? i'm game.

i'll start.

my favourite is the rabbit stew chapter. and don't hit me if this isn't the proper chapter title. i love how during the whole journey they always have to stop for food and how lovingly sam does the catering actually. the food descriptions are awesome (yes, i like to cook, too) and make the whole setting very tangible and realsitic.

 

Besides, I wouldn't mind being on fire since my home is so cold .

Favorite chapter? Mine is The battle of Pelennor Fields. I like how it goes from despair to hope. As a reader I feel an immense relief when Aragorn arrives and that feeling depends entirely on the excellent writing that preceeds it.

 

Favourite chapter? I'd say Treebeard. Fangorn is one of my favourite locations of Middlearth (I say "location" but I mean the place, ents and the whole story connected to them).


rather than having to do the troublesome work of imagining

I don't get it

 

Favourite chapter - The scouring of the Shire. It was good to see that despite thinking that everything was fine that they still ahd work to do. The Saruman bit at the end of the chapter was rather surprising for me.

BTW I'm glad that PJ didn't put this chapter into ROTK - IT was probably a bit long already and it didn't really add to the story the fim was trying to tell.

 

I see your point Raja and agree with it. Tolkien's writings are so incredible because of the many different aspects that are in it.

 

I am a fan. I got into The Hobbit in kindergarten. My teacher would read a few pages from a Hobbit picture book every day. By the 2nd grade I was reading it on my own. I have not read The Hobbit in a long time but total it's close to 30 times. When I was a freshman in high school we had to do an oral book report for english class. We were allowed to pick the book. I picked The Hobbit. By that point I had read it so many times I did not have to read it again. A lot of people in my class had notes on index cards, which was ok. I did not need notes either. And we were supposed to talk about the book for about 10 minutes, I ended up going on for about 20 minutes and the teacher had to stop me. Now I have only read LOTR 1 1/2 times. I really need to catch up on that. I also thought the movies were awesome, with ROTK being my favorite. I hope Peter Jackson goes back and does a Hobbit movie...

 

^ That's just the kind of faboyism I like. Well, maybe except the movies part. But no one's perfect.

I don't think The Hobbit movie would be a good idea, especially after watching LOTR... But I hear Ian McKellen liked playing Gandalf so much that he wants Jackson to make The Hobbit series, so that they could make it without changing the storyline. He wants everything to be exactly like in the book.

Or maybe they've already started it? I'm not really switched on.

 

nah, that's supposed to be sarcasm. i can be very sarcastic.

but still you have imagined something all the time and thought about it and then someone attempts a version of his imagination and it gets put on the big screen... can't hate the movies for being a possible interpretation.

 

Got it. Sarcasm put in wrong place, next time start another sentence

 

i'll try... hey, this is only my second language!

 

Mine too, so mind it

 

I am a huge fan of the books. I tried to read them when I was younger but I could never get hooked. It wasn't until the movies came out that I really read them for the first time; starting with the Hobbit of course. They're now at the top of my list of favorite books and the movies are as well. I'd love to see someone make the Hobbit into a movie. It may not be as good as Lord of the Rings because it's on a smaller scale but it could be good.

My favorite chapter(s) of the books are: The House of Tom Bombadil and Shelob's Lair.

 

Me too. I've loved them so far. It's taken me a while to read them though because I have trouble finding time to read.

 

Watch out for the spoilers, then

 

Favourite chapter?
Hmm...hard to decide...

Fellowship of the Ring: The Bridge of Khazad'Dum
Two Towers: Treebeard
Return of the King: Black Gates are opened

 

I have no expectations of remaining spoiler free in this thread.

But in case someone does, the following is a spoiler

I have just gotten past the wedding of Aragorn and Arwen.

I already knew before reading that Frodo would lose a finger. I didn't know how so I was speculating that he put on the ring and couldn't take it off and his finger had to be cut off. But no! It was Gollum, that dastardly rascal! Stupid idiot bites Frodo's finger off and then in joy HE falls into the fire and destroys himself and the ring. Almost a tragic ending for him. I guess he couldn't be satisfied with his golden popcorn award from the MTV Awards Show.

 

I've read LOTR, Hobbit, and Silmarillion several times over. Havnen't gotten through "Unfinished Tales" yet, which is appropriate I suppose.

Favorite chapter or part?

It took a while to come up with something, but then it hit me - the Council of Elrond. Likely because of the introductions of new characters, reunions with old, the crux-of-the-matter discussion about what to do about the ring, etc. One of my favorite parts of the film version also.

 

Heh.

My favorite part in the books and movies is probably the Choices of Master Samwise. Great suspense (especially in the books-- cliffie-but-not as we know Frodo's alive in TTT but not how he's going to get rescued). But I'd rather disappointed they didn't include the Scouring of the Shire-- although I know how slow it could be on screen. I can see other changes that would've allowed Jackson to keep the Scouring, though.

 

Phelps, speaking of the council of Elrond... I remember reading LOTR for the first time, I was around 12 and I found the chapter awful, boring, tedious. I hated it. It was really hard to get through it.

But now, of course, I agree with you

 

I loved the council of Elrond because of the chapter provides a lot of history. You get to know what has happened before and how all the different characters fit into the story.

(in regards to Jackson's interpretation, this is a part that I feel is superior in the book compared to the movie.)

 

i love the council chapter, too. i love that he has those parts where people just tell their stories and with this chapter you sort of get everyone (including the reader) off on a good start. it's sort of everyone on the same page with what happened. i like the contemplative chapter best, i think. the ones that tell rather than move all that much. don't know why.