Quotations and Literature Forum

Since the third Lord of the Rings movie is coming out in about a month, I wanted to hear everyone's opinion of the books and the movies.

Good question, lab! I read The Hobbit while I was in High School. I followed that immediately with the trilogy. Tolkein was my first exposure to fantasy, and there is no better ambassador for the genre. I still remember becoming so fascinated by and drawn into the world he created that it seemed to me the world and its characters continued their story even when I had to close the book and return to my everyday world.

I re-read the Hobbit about ten years ago, and smiled as I remembered and relived Bilbo's adventures. I also realized at that time, that The Hobbit was very different from TLOR. The Middle Earth that Bilbo explored seemed much more innocent and optimistic than the one in which Frodo lived.

I read Fellowship of the Ring for the second time just before the movie was released. I was very skeptical that the movie could faithfully recreate the mood and imagery of Tolkein's world. But I was impressed. I shed tears while I read Fellowship, so soon after Sept. 11. Like Frodo's world, ours had suddenly become very somber and frightening. I felt hopeless, but took courage from the simple optimism Sam offered as encouragement to his friend.

The Two Towers is a very powerful movie. I look forward to watching it again to prepare for The Return of the King. Guess I should do that soon, shouldn't I?

Thanks for letting me share my memories!

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Let us then be up and doing, with a heart for any fate. (HW Longfellow)

Sorry people I am not a won-over Tolkein fan. I started reading the Hobbit when I was younger but never got into it, I'm not averse to trying to read Lord of the Rings however for all of it's hype and universal appreciation I don't think it is something I'd <I>like</i> to read. Yes I'm generalizing, but unless a new book from The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan, is released I am not planning any time soon to read anything of that kind of genre. Incidently it's only because I've read the first 10 and I might as well complete it.

I saw the first movie, but I didn't appreciate it, all I heard of the 2nd from my friends was: "you've got to see it, it has a 30 minute battle scene," now to be honest, if LoTR is heralded as one of the greatest books ever than I hope that if I should ever see it, I would marvel at the plot or complexity of the characters.

-fish are quick!

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"The proper study of mankind is man."
Alexander Pope