Why do you keep at it? - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

ninja91 · 09-26-2006, 06:32 PM

For you, what makes you coming back again and again to Middle-Earth? Is it the story? Or is it the aura of the world? Also, what keeps the drive alive for you? To make it easier: What is it about Tolkien's works that keeps you so interested and immersed in his world?

Considering how all my threads fail, maybe there is a good enough question to make this as popular as Lord of the Bible thread...

Legolas · 09-27-2006, 03:04 PM

The aura and the story, dude. Wizards, elves, magic. Struggles with change, uninvited adventure, happy but not completely shiny endings.

The relatively simple fantasy setting of The Hobbit drew me in.

Even if Middle-earth had never been expanded in another novel, The Hobbit would've drawn me in and kept me forever. The hints of depth for the larger - read: humungous - world to be discovered in the later releases would've kept me wondering.

I think what draws me the most is The Fellowship of the Ring, the best part of reading Lord of the Rings. The story and its setting, a perfect combination of the two.

ninja91 · 09-27-2006, 05:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Legolas

The aura and the story, dude. Wizards, elves, magic. Struggles with change, uninvited adventure, happy but not completely shiny endings.

I definitely agree. The story itself just gives off an aura of mystery, and as deep as it is, there is so much more left unsaid.

Saurreg · 09-27-2006, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ninja91

For you, what makes you coming back again and again to Middle-Earth? Is it the story? Or is it the aura of the world? Also, what keeps the drive alive for you?

Two words: Nirnaeth Arnoediad

Enuff said!

09-27-2006, 08:02 PM

To be honest, I left LOTR for a while and just recently I have come back and realised how great the books are. The struggle of Frodo and Sam while the others fight on drew me in. I always found it interesting how everything doesn't always work out (like Frodo not being able to destroy the ring and Gollum doing it for him). I guess the magic of it all really.

Folwren · 09-27-2006, 09:21 PM

I don't know exactly why I keep coming back. Well . . . the funny thing is, and please don't be too shocked, but a year and a half ago, on May 5th, in fact, I put away the LotR books and pictures and have sworn not to open them until May 5th 2007. I have read the Sil. since then, so I have come back to ME. I don't know what is about his works that draw me in. It's. . .it's knowing that when I open the book, my hope to be taken to someplace else (why else would one read a book?), to be amused, to have the pity and emotion drawn out of me towards characters, to not be insulted by things in the books, and lots of other qualities and expectations are going to be fulfilled.

It's the quality of the writing mixed in with the amazing imagination and story and world. His characters so wonderfully painted and yet. . .not painted to the point that you can't come to some conclusion about them yourself. (For instance, did you ever notice that he never entirely explains the looks of his characters? His good ones, anyway. He leaves the construction of their face to the reader, dropping helpful hints along the way.)

I dunno. It's just charming, the way he wrote all this books. They're really moving.

And all that was very not clear, I think. It's too late for me to be writing something like this.

-- Folwren

Legolas · 09-28-2006, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Well . . . the funny thing is, and please don't be too shocked, but a year and a half ago, on May 5th, in fact, I put away the LotR books and pictures and have sworn not to open them until May 5th 2007.

Why? Lent is only 40 days.

Folwren · 09-28-2006, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Legolas

Why? Lent is only 40 days.

Har har. I'm not Catholic.

Why? Well. . .I got too caught up in the books. I could hardly open my mouth without quoting it or talking about it. Also, I'd read them so many times in such a short time span (five times in three years, I think) that I wasn't getting as much excitement and emotion as I had the first few times, so I decided if I waited two years and forgot the exact wording of most of it, I'd enjoy them more when I read them again. It's working quite wonderfully. I can no longer remember exact details as I used to and when someone asks me if Pippin said something, I wouldn't be able to give a definite yes or no, as I used to.

A two year fast won't do me any harm.

I think, though, that's one reason I haven't been talking much in the Books forum. It would take looking things up and even though we do have other copies in the house that are not boxed up, I don't want to do that. Pop really tempted me by giving me a new copy for Christmas last year. . .but I've refrained from reading them thus far.

-- Folwren

09-27-2006, 03:04 PM	#2
Legolas A Northern Soul Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Valinor Posts: 1,847	The aura and the story, dude. Wizards, elves, magic. Struggles with change, uninvited adventure, happy but not completely shiny endings. The relatively simple fantasy setting of The Hobbit drew me in. Even if Middle-earth had never been expanded in another novel, The Hobbit would've drawn me in and kept me forever. The hints of depth for the larger - read: humungous - world to be discovered in the later releases would've kept me wondering. I think what draws me the most is The Fellowship of the Ring, the best part of reading Lord of the Rings. The story and its setting, a perfect combination of the two. __________________ ...take counsel with thyself, and remember who and what thou art.

09-27-2006, 09:21 PM	#6
Folwren Messenger of Hope Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: In a tiny, insignificant little town in one of the many States. Posts: 5,076	I don't know exactly why I keep coming back. Well . . . the funny thing is, and please don't be too shocked, but a year and a half ago, on May 5th, in fact, I put away the LotR books and pictures and have sworn not to open them until May 5th 2007. I have read the Sil. since then, so I have come back to ME. I don't know what is about his works that draw me in. It's. . .it's knowing that when I open the book, my hope to be taken to someplace else (why else would one read a book?), to be amused, to have the pity and emotion drawn out of me towards characters, to not be insulted by things in the books, and lots of other qualities and expectations are going to be fulfilled. It's the quality of the writing mixed in with the amazing imagination and story and world. His characters so wonderfully painted and yet. . .not painted to the point that you can't come to some conclusion about them yourself. (For instance, did you ever notice that he never entirely explains the looks of his characters? His good ones, anyway. He leaves the construction of their face to the reader, dropping helpful hints along the way.) I dunno. It's just charming, the way he wrote all this books. They're really moving. And all that was very not clear, I think. It's too late for me to be writing something like this. -- Folwren __________________ A young man who wishes to remain a sound atheist cannot be too careful of his reading. - C.S. Lewis

09-27-2006, 08:02 PM	#5
Finrod Guest Posts: n/a	To be honest, I left LOTR for a while and just recently I have come back and realised how great the books are. The struggle of Frodo and Sam while the others fight on drew me in. I always found it interesting how everything doesn't always work out (like Frodo not being able to destroy the ring and Gollum doing it for him). I guess the magic of it all really.