Blog Post
The Magic of A Wonderful Read
When you find one of those gems that uplifts and opens avenues of the mind.....
As the title of the blog states, the main purpose for what books are recommended or reviewed here, plus a mainstay of other posts, is literature of all genres that are upbeat, uplifting. A current re-read for me, one I've almost completed, exemplifies what writing can do for our hearts and our minds.
It was over fifteen years ago that the The Lord of the Rings trilogy hit the screen three Christmas seasons in a row. Every Christmas afternoon for those three years we were at the theater to enjoy this masterpiece of the screen. My grandson was a young boy, arguably too young to view what was at times a very graphic and violent depiction of good over evil. But he absolutely loved it and as far as I know it never affected him adversely.
When it was all over I bought the books and read them all, and soon after, The Hobbit.
For no particular reason, after a decade I pulled them out and read them again.
What a treat. I've been marveling at the writing genius of Tolkien, the depth of the many characters, the detail of description in every landscape, the reality he puts into every scene in such a way as to make the reader sure a middle earth must have existed sometime, somewhere. It would be easy to become impatient and skip over or skim the songs and poetry, but that's like going on a dream vacation and staying in your hotel room during a visit to one of the wonderful attractions. And through it all the author has held countless readers enthralled, captive to the pages until you discover how every scenario plays out.
I've grown so very fond of Samwise; he's become one of my favorite players. But then I'm always drawn to the loyal sidekicks for some reason - maybe that's a part of how I'm made.
Two more wonderful things about this apex of storytelling:
There are countless gems of wisdom. A prime example is Gandoff explaining to Frodo why mercy is often wise, even when extended to such a creature as Gollum. But an observation that speaks volumes may come from any one of those that make their appearance, not just the great wise man. And they hold true to mankind today.
Finally, there is no other story that expresses any better than this one does, a great truth that will stand up through the ages: no matter how bad the situation seems to be, eventually good will ultimately prevail over evil. Why? Because it already has. We're just observers of a portion of it all being played out.
https://www.amazon.com/Lord-Rings-One-J-R-R-Tolkien-ebook/dp/B007978OY6
Over time there are a few books that stand out for any one of us. You must have some of your own.
I read the Hobbit when I was sick in bed with mono. I was a freshman in college. It gave me something to do while in bed day after day. But because I was sick there was a lot I missed. I realized this when recently I saw the Hobbit on Netflix. The thing that struck me were the different looking characters. Do you think Star wars/Star trek got their idea for the unusual looking characters from J.R.R.Tolkien? His work predates them. It is very possible. Tolkien had a wonderful imagination.
ReplyDeleteA comment on your thought about good over evil -- is this a reflection of the greatest (true) story of good over evil the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ? It gives me great hope when bad things happen that Jesus was victorious over death, hell and evil.
I think Tolkien relied much on legends and folklore in the descriptions of elves and dwarfs,
Deleteas well as the supernatural figures such as the cursed dead who Aragorn calls upon to pay their debt. Orcs, not so sure! But the film was brilliant in character portrayals.
You could find a re-read as stimulating as I did.
Absolutely, the greatest victory of all was the price paid, the redemption of man, and
the reality that evil will eventually be vanquished - just as Saran was!
I read The Hobbit in junior high school, and I didn't like it enough to read The Lord of the Rings trilogy, a favorite of my brother, nor to re-read it. I sometimes wonder, chiefly after praise from friends like you, MaryJo, if I ought to re-read The Hobbit, or try TLOTR . . . or at least the first in the trilogy . . . to see if age makes a difference. My brother loves TLOTR. My nephews love TLOTR. C.S. Lewis loved both the work and its author. Clearly, there is something great there . . . even if my 12- or 13-year-old mind didn't recognize it.
ReplyDelete(See, MaryJo? I took your words to heart. I don't have much to contribute, but I did anyway. I do read every single post, even if I don't always comment.)
Your comments always so welcome! Will say in response, I enjoyed the Hobbit, but
Deletenot as much as the trilogy.