LotR Reading Club - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Fordim Hedgethistle · 06-02-2004, 09:35 AM

EDIT -- This idea has now been taken up by the mods and a new sub-forum has been created in the Books forum for a careful chapter-by-chapter discussion of The Lord of the Rings. Join the conversation!

~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@

I've done a search and cannot find that this has ever been done before. . .probably because it would be foolhardy to attempt it, but [deep breath]. . .

There is a lot of excellent discussion around here about Tolkien's works, but a lot of it does tend to take place in generalities rather than in terms of really close and specific attention to the works. What I am trying to do is to set up a LotR reading club that would go through the book chapter by chapter, and discuss it as we go. I do not propose to have formal questions or topics or anything of the sort, we could just discuss whatever intrigues us about each chapter as we go.

I've been thinking that it would be best if the club could go through the book one chapter a week -- but as there are 62 chapters, this would be a LONG undertaking. It doesn't mean that each member of the club would have to post each week, and there wouldn't be anything preventing new members from joining the club as we go.

At any event, if anyone's interested in starting a club like this, reply to this thread. If there's enough people to make a go of it, I will start a new thread called something like "FotR Reading Club" and we can start talking about "A Long-Expected Party" -- or even with the Prologue, come to think of it!

Firefoot · 06-02-2004, 09:47 AM

Sounds like fun to me. I'm definitely interested, and the timing works out perfectly since I just finished LotR for the 6th time yesterday. I hope there are enough people interested to start this. There's a lot of interesting stuff in the prologue, so maybe it would be a good idea to start there.

06-02-2004, 11:02 AM

I'd be up for it.

Calenedheliel1 · 06-02-2004, 11:38 AM

I would be very interested in doing this as it would give me an excuse to read the books again.

tar-ancalime · 06-02-2004, 12:13 PM

That sounds like a great idea!

Son of Númenor · 06-02-2004, 12:41 PM

I love the idea, & would certainly be willing to participate. I do wonder, though, how organized we could keep such a club. Would members simply read the chapter & post their thoughts on it (or reply at random to thoughts posted by other members), or would there be a formatted discussion of each chapter? Knowing this forum, if there was no structure to the conversation, it could become pretty chaotic, & if there was too much structure people might lose interest. How could we find a middle ground for reasonable discussion?

mark12_30 · 06-02-2004, 12:41 PM

*cringe* ....I signed up for lindil's HomE club, and fizzled VERY early...

But the Trilogy, now...

Lessee, 62 chapters; at one per week, that's a year and ten weeks. Only a little longer than the first RPG I played in... Two chapters a week? 31 weeks... 8 months? Or three chapters a week, 20 weeks, three months.

Must look at coming schedule.

Burarum, Hoom, Hom, Hoom.

EDIT:

Son of Numenor-- Estelyn will know. She handled Movies quite well.

06-02-2004, 09:35 AM	#1
Fordim Hedgethistle Gibbering Gibbet Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Beyond cloud nine Posts: 1,844	LotR Reading Club EDIT -- This idea has now been taken up by the mods and a new sub-forum has been created in the Books forum for a careful chapter-by-chapter discussion of The Lord of the Rings. Join the conversation! ~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@ I've done a search and cannot find that this has ever been done before. . .probably because it would be foolhardy to attempt it, but [deep breath]. . . There is a lot of excellent discussion around here about Tolkien's works, but a lot of it does tend to take place in generalities rather than in terms of really close and specific attention to the works. What I am trying to do is to set up a LotR reading club that would go through the book chapter by chapter, and discuss it as we go. I do not propose to have formal questions or topics or anything of the sort, we could just discuss whatever intrigues us about each chapter as we go. I've been thinking that it would be best if the club could go through the book one chapter a week -- but as there are 62 chapters, this would be a LONG undertaking. It doesn't mean that each member of the club would have to post each week, and there wouldn't be anything preventing new members from joining the club as we go. At any event, if anyone's interested in starting a club like this, reply to this thread. If there's enough people to make a go of it, I will start a new thread called something like "FotR Reading Club" and we can start talking about "A Long-Expected Party" -- or even with the Prologue, come to think of it! Last edited by Fordim Hedgethistle; 06-07-2004 at 12:37 PM.

06-02-2004, 12:13 PM	#5
tar-ancalime Shade of Carn Dûm Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: abaft the beam Posts: 303	That sounds like a great idea! __________________ Having fun wolfing it to the bitter end, I see, gaur-ancalime (lmp, ww13)

06-02-2004, 12:41 PM	#6
Son of Númenor A Shade of Westernesse Join Date: May 2004 Location: The last wave over Atalantë Posts: 515	I love the idea, & would certainly be willing to participate. I do wonder, though, how organized we could keep such a club. Would members simply read the chapter & post their thoughts on it (or reply at random to thoughts posted by other members), or would there be a formatted discussion of each chapter? Knowing this forum, if there was no structure to the conversation, it could become pretty chaotic, & if there was too much structure people might lose interest. How could we find a middle ground for reasonable discussion? __________________ "This miserable drizzling afternoon I have been reading up old military lecture-notes again:- and getting bored with them after an hour and a half. I have done some touches to my nonsense fairy language - to its improvement."

06-02-2004, 12:41 PM	#7
mark12_30 Stormdancer of Doom Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Elvish singing is not a thing to miss, in June under the stars Posts: 4,349	cringe ....I signed up for lindil's HomE club, and fizzled VERY early... But the Trilogy, now... Lessee, 62 chapters; at one per week, that's a year and ten weeks. Only a little longer than the first RPG I played in... Two chapters a week? 31 weeks... 8 months? Or three chapters a week, 20 weeks, three months. Must look at coming schedule. Burarum, Hoom, Hom, Hoom. EDIT: Son of Numenor-- Estelyn will know. She handled Movies quite well. __________________ ...down to the water to see the elves dance and sing upon the midsummer's eve.

06-02-2004, 09:47 AM	#2
Firefoot Illusionary Holbytla Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 7,547	Sounds like fun to me. I'm definitely interested, and the timing works out perfectly since I just finished LotR for the 6th time yesterday. I hope there are enough people interested to start this. There's a lot of interesting stuff in the prologue, so maybe it would be a good idea to start there.

06-02-2004, 11:02 AM	#3
Twilight One Guest Posts: n/a	I'd be up for it.

06-02-2004, 11:38 AM	#4
Calenedheliel1 Pile O'Bones Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Mirkwood Posts: 20	I would be very interested in doing this as it would give me an excuse to read the books again.