One, two, left, right, on foot, all the way. The fact is, we walk from the Shire to the Mountain of Doom with Frodo and Sam. A walking gait-but on so vast a scale, so capable of endlessly complex and subtle variation, that it carries the whole enormous narrative straight through from beginning to end, from There to Back Again, without faltering. The rhythm that shapes and directs his narrative is noticeable, was noticeable to me, because it is very strong and very simple, as simple as a rhythm can be: two beats. You can also find the text of the essay, with some odd typos, at the Lord of the Rings Fanatic Site it is not clear to me whether it's up by permission or not. The version I read, which has a short note written after the first of the movies, is in The Wave in the Mind, a collection of talks and essays by Le Guin. Le Guin's essay "Rhythmic Pattern in The Lord of the Rings" was originally printed in the anthology Meditations on Middle Earth, edited by Karen Haber. Via kalimac, here's a blog with chapter-by-chapter posts during a first reading The One has a similar list of articles by "A Tolkien Virgin," but the site's down until July.) If you haven't read the books yet, these posts will not be safe for reading along with. (Oh, and I think I forgot to say this earlier, but there may be spoilers for everything Middle Earth in these posts. (I do have access to a college library via Chad, though I should note that my background in literary theory is not strong.) I have some meta essays at lotrfic_crit bookmarked for later reading as well other recommendations are welcome. Isaacs, which looked to have a good range of material. rushthatspeaks recommended the first of these, the Le Guin essay I discuss below I also borrowed from the local library Understanding The Lord of the Rings : The Best of Tolkien Criticism, edited by Rose A. As I re-read The Lord of the Rings, I intend to also read critical essays and other commentary.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |