Mordor makes me thirsty! The power of Tolkien!

[MatthewM]

As I read through Frodo and Sam's journey through Mordor, quenching for thirst, I actually found myself feeling extremely parched. When I finally took a drink of water, it was like finding that little depressed stream that the hobbits found, only mine of course was clean and clear. It happened more than once, so it wasn't just coincidence. The words of Tolkien are the only words I have read in a story that have actually made me physically feel what the characters were feeling. This is one of the many powers of Tolkien!

Let me ask the Downs, have any of you physically felt something like this through Tolkien's world? I believe this kind of feeling is like a bridge, from your mind to Middle-earth. A true connection.

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Well, it surely happened to me more than once, you just reminded me that once exactly the same happened to me - just as you describe, the "desert feeling", and I must say I was very, very much pleased to have a drink of water then. And not that I have been without drinking a long time before that, definitely not.

Hmm... other thing I remember now was a feeling of smelling a really not nice smell of apples when reading the Hobbit (Barrels out of bond, or, the next one). But I have to think of more, there certainly were many...

[The Might]

I always felt really comfortable in my bed/sofa/armchair while reading about Bag End
And...always when food was mentioned in the book, I felt the need to eat something...especially when the food was good

[CaptainofDespair]

Well, I cannot recall a time when I felt hungry or thirty in reading LOTR. But, I did feel very, very warm when I read of Smaug's attack on Laketown. Good ol' Smaug.

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Originally Posted by The Might

I always felt really comfortable in my bed/sofa/armchair while reading about Bag End
And...always when food was mentioned in the book, I felt the need to eat something...especially when the food was good

Oh, I didn't even bother to mention that. This is necessity. LotR was the first book that learned me to eat when reading. I have to eat something, especially dinner at Farmer Maggot's, at the house of Tom Bombadil (a semi-vegetarian, good, light food), at the Prancing Pony (the paragraph starting with the words "They were washed and in the middle of good deep mugs of beer when Mr.Butterbur and Nob came in again..." - this is one of the places you REALLY HAVE TO EAT, or you cannot read any further)... well... if I think of it, generally every time food is mentioned in Tolkien, it awakes appetite. The Hobbit maybe even more than LotR. From the most significant from LotR I would also mention dinner with Faramir (wine&cheese, the best) and Beregond with Pippin (if you really want to enjoy a simple breakfast, read it from the moment Gandalf leaves Pippin, this is really a very good scene for boosting your appetite, and start eating only at the moment they come to Targon - yes, I remember the name, so you can see I am quite fond of that scene - and you'll feel... well, extatic). And the first time Gimli tastes lembas, I generally also take something crunchy for taste.
...not speaking of the famous rabbits OKAY, I'll stop now.

...not mentioning that I need to bathe when reading about the coming to Crickhillow. Hot water, bath, holding the book. Best after returning from a long walk in the evening.

Oh, and on a non-pleasure note, the beginning of Chapter 2 in Hobbit, whether the sun is shining, whether I sit in comfortable room, I always forget the reality and feel as if my clothes are wet allover and everywhere is raining, raining, water, wet, muddy road I am standing on, oh crap, I might get a cold.

[William Cloud Hicklin]

According to Hollywood legend, at least, Lawrence of Arabia smashed all previous records for intermission drink sales...

[ninja91]

Basically whenever I read about Lothlorien or Moria, I get that mysterious or adventurous feeling. Just the thought of the unknown thrills me!

[Bêthberry]

Originally Posted by Legate of Amon Lanc

...not mentioning that I need to bathe when reading about the coming to Crickhillow. Hot water, bath, holding the book. Best after returning from a long walk in the evening. . . .

Great! Now I have this image of Legate stuck in my head:

[Sir Kohran]

When the dwarves in TH start calling for pies...I get HUNGRY

[The Might]

Well...I think I'll have to think of the picture when mentioning Legate...nice find Bêthberry

As for the thread title...I doubt this is a "power" of Tolkien.
I mean, I don't think I only speak for myself when I say that his books aren't the only ones that generate such reactions...it's books in general, or at least some of them.
Back to the image...what better avatar to go with the image then

[Bêthberry]

As I read through Frodo and Sam's journey through Mordor, quenching for thirst, I actually found myself feeling extremely parched. When I finally took a drink of water, it was like finding that little depressed stream that the hobbits found, only mine of course was clean and clear. It happened more than once, so it wasn't just coincidence. The words of Tolkien are the only words I have read in a story that have actually made me physically feel what the characters were feeling. This is one of the many powers of Tolkien!

They are not the only ones who have such an effect on me, I think it is general in the literature. It also depends, however, on your own dispositions to be influenced so. But, necessary to say, I think that Tolkien produces this effect in a larger scale than an average writer.

Moving from winter cocooning to spring activity requires a substantial amount of effort to overcome winter lethargy and the kind of procrastination that readers such as I are prone to and I find Mr. Gamgee's faithful words to be a fount of powerful, positive thinking. In fact, I suspect that the depiction of Sam could well have been instrumental in the writing of a popular treatise on happiness and success.

So there you have it. I use my gardening shears to allow me to eavestrop on neighbours' conversations and I feel absolutely that I am modelling Tolkien.

Perhaps we should be thankful that Tolkien did not write pornography.

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Bb

Perhaps we should be thankful that Tolkien did not write pornography.

Teleporno?

Originally Posted by The Might

Correct there Bethberry...
The combinations are woman - bathtub - book and
man - toilet seat - newspaper...or book in this case

Or in our house, the combo is anyone+toilet+Argos catalogue. I also have strategically placed copies of LotR and The Hobbit for emergency reading, including in the little bedroom next to the bathroom...



Anyway, Mordor doesn't make me thirsty, but reading about Hobbits always makes me want to lie around in the sun, smoking and feasting on cakes and ale. But then, so do most things...

Originally Posted by MatthewM

As I read through Frodo and Sam's journey through Mordor, quenching for thirst, I actually found myself feeling extremely parched. When I finally took a drink of water, it was like finding that little depressed stream that the hobbits found, only mine of course was clean and clear. It happened more than once, so it wasn't just coincidence. The words of Tolkien are the only words I have read in a story that have actually made me physically feel what the characters were feeling. This is one of the many powers of Tolkien!

Let me ask the Downs, have any of you physically felt something like this through Tolkien's world? I believe this kind of feeling is like a bridge, from your mind to Middle-earth. A true connection.

That was beautiful man.
That's why we're here.

[Sir Kohran]

I don't think this is a power of Tolkien alone - in Brian Jacques' Redwall series, the long descriptions of all the food at the feasts makes me hungry.

[littlemanpoet]

For me it's the ale. Very inspirational!

Oh, and the bath and song at Crickhollow always make me feel wonderfully splashed.