Posted on 10/17/2012 1:01:51 PM PDT by Altariel
One of the most consistently underappreciated elements of “The Hobbit” is Tolkien’s use of poetry and song throughout the book. Most readers skim over the poems or even skip them outright, but they miss out on some of Tolkien’s most thoughtful and compelling literary moments. The songs in “The Hobbit” are not merely verses embedded in the story; they are poems carefully designed to capture the voices and illustrate the attitudes of their singers.
The simple chant of the goblins when they first capture Bilbo and the dwarves, for instance, gives readers a stark insight into the goblin outlook on life in just the first few short lines: “Clap! Snap! the black crack! / Grip, grab! Pinch, nab!” The harsh, explosive consonants and the action-focused, verb-heavy monosyllables instantly immerse readers in the hard, violent world of the goblins, who take simple pleasure in acts of cruelty. The dwarves’ song in Bilbo’s kitchen, in which they cheerfully threaten to “Chip the glasses and crack the plates!” sounds similar, but reflects their comparative mildness and the domesticity of their (merely humorous) threats through the complexity of their phrasing and poetic lines. The Wood-elves also sing a monosyllabic song as they watch their barrels roll into the river, but their soft liquid consonants (“roll-roll-rolling down the hole!”) and their enjoyment of amusing sounds (“Heave ho! Splash plump!”) show that their simple pleasures are as innocent as the goblins’ are cruel. Tolkien’s poetry enriches and complements not only the plot of the story, but the development of his fictional world.
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.wsj.com ...
Tolkien was a magician with words. I love his prose, I only wish I could write 1/4 as well as him.
The left and the muslims hate the story.
They know what it is.
Indeed; I reread his books every year.
The left and the muslims hate the story.
They know what it is.
****
One of the biggest disappointments of the movies was the deliberate omission of the Scouring of the Shire.
Jackson remarked that he omitted it because he *didn’t like* that part of the book.
I was reading “The Consolation of Philosophy” by Boethius and ran across the word “inkling” in the translation I was reading. I immediately thought of Lewis! I know he read that book with its beautiful poetry and profound theology and it occurred to me that this may have been an influence to the adoption of that peculiar name for his group. I really need to research it....it is of interest to me.
Remember: all the songs and poetry were translations from the original language (Elvish, Hobbit, Dwarvish, Orc, Black Speech, whatever) into Common Speech and then into English, so you shouldn’t expect the English version to be as good as native English poetry. It wouldn’t surprise me if this is how he really wrote most of it...
I’m currently reading Olsen’s “Exploring JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit”. It’s quite good, and surprisingly entertaining.
To each their own.
I got a copy of the whole DVD LOTR “extended” trilogy with DVD commentaries (4 DVDs per movie, 12 in all) for sale.
Let me know if you’re interested.
Thank you
You’re welcome, Professor.
;)
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