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Re: Introduction to The Hobbit

Posted: Wed Jan 02, 2013 7:54 pm
by stahrwe
Tolkien responded to complaints about the 'luck' experienced by various participants in The Hobbit and TLOTR as the presence and action of God.

Re: Introduction to The Hobbit

Posted: Thu Jan 03, 2013 11:54 am
by stahrwe
Regarding Barefoot_Bookbabes comment that Tolkien never denied that TLOTR was about WWII, he did in fact do that,

"Many commentators[89] have remarked on a number of potential parallels between the Middle-earth saga and events in Tolkien's lifetime. The Lord of the Rings is often thought to represent England during and immediately after World War II. Tolkien ardently rejected this opinion in the foreword to the second edition of the novel, stating he preferred applicability to allegory."

[Tolkien, J. R. R. (1954), The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings, Boston: Houghton Mifflin (published 1987), Foreword, ISBN 0-395-08254-4]


Christianity itself follows this pattern of inner consistency and external truth.

"This theme is taken up at greater length in his essay "On Fairy-Stories", where he argues that fairy-stories are so apt because they are consistent both within themselves and with some truths about reality. He concludes that Christianity itself follows this pattern of inner consistency and external truth."

Longenecker, Dwight. Why Tolkien said No to Narnia, Spero News, 12 November 2008. Retrieved 4 April 2009.

"His belief in the fundamental truths of Christianity leads commentators to find Christian themes in The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien objected strongly to C. S. Lewis's use of religious references in his stories, which were often overtly allegorical.

Longenecker, Dwight. Why Tolkien said No to Narnia, Spero News, 12 November 2008. Retrieved 4 April 2009.


http://www.leaderu.com/humanities/wood-biography.html

Re: Introduction to The Hobbit

Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2013 1:03 pm
by Moire
Hi all! I'm new here. I just saw the movie, finally. I loved it and am looking forward to the next installment. I've read all the books but it's been at least ten years or more. My kids have not read the books and I pointed out that Bilbo did not see the ring fall from Gollum in the book, he found it before even meeting Gollum or seeing him. My family felt that it was not a significant point. I did. Gollum believed his ring was stolen and in the movie it was stolen, in my mind, if Bilbo did see the ring fall from Gollum. In the book Bilbo later realized the ring came from Gollum, whom lost it but that was after he found the ring. At that point there can be the argument that Bilbo stole the ring as he did keep it. Of course the argument can be that he really didn't steal it because how could he in good conscience return it to a thing like Gollum or "finders keepers". So my question is does it make a difference in Bilbo's character on whether he picked up the ring after seeing it fall from Gollum or after he found out what Gollum really was. In either case did he steal the ring from Gollum by not returning it.