"The Lord Of The Rings" - front cover
A review of "The Lord Of The Rings", (trilogy), by JRR Tolkien
In my opinion JRR Tolkien's "The Lord Of The Rings" is the greatest work of fiction in the English Language. After a lifetime of reading books I do not say this lightly. I have read numerous other favoured candidates and found them inferior including:
If you are going to rate a book as number one however it is not enough to be a narrow study of some patch of human society, it must have GRANDEUR and it must have GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE. Nor is it enough to have universal appeal and meme generation: Winnie-The-Pooh is a stone cold classic but no one is going to rate it the greatest book of all time! The same goes for The Cat In The Hat, Just So Stories and The Very Hungry Caterpillar!
Few of the works listed above have the required depth and vision: only
The greatest book of all time must also exhibit an extraordinarily fine LITERARY STYLE. If we discard those that are written in a merely workmanlike style we are left with just the King James Bible & Neuromancer.
As previously noted: The King James Bible is too boring and stupid for most of it to get the title and Neuromancer is too stylised and too small a niche.
And thus it is that "The Lord Of The Rings" takes the title, (quite easily in the finish).
Tolkien at his desk
The Lord Of The Rings was written in stages between 1937 and 1949, a period of 13 years which is already a long gestation time for a novel but in fact it goes back much further, being merely one act of an entire mythos and suite of invented languages that Tolkien had been working on since 1917. It is the final perfected chunk of a great writer's LIFE'S WORK.
The very long gestation period allowed Tolkien to bring an attention to detail that is simply not available to most other authors and it shows. The entire story hangs together like no other and errors in plot, language, geography and genealogy are simply not to be found. Thanks to numerous revisions and the meticulous perfectionism of the man himself the work really IS perfect!
For a start there is the plot: A masterpiece of intricate threads that come together and split apart again, that reference the past and presage the future and cover various countries and peoples and take the reader on a journey of incredible scope and wonder and deliver an ending that satisfies in every way.
Then there are the invented cultures and languages of all these peoples, all of which ring true. Tolkien is justly famous for his use of properly developed invented languages as he was the first to do it and he remains the best among a field of imitators.
Then there is his masterful command of the English language itself which can hold its own against all the other renowned English writers such as Shakespeare, Dickens, Plunkett, Bunyan, Peake etc.
Finally there is the heroic subtext: the idea that good will have the final say against impossible odds so long as people are brave enough to be true to it.
There are writers that are famous for their characters, some that are famous for their literary flair, others for the intricacy of the their plots, still more for their social interaction and even some for their deep moral underpinnings. Most writers exhibit only 1 or 2 of these qualities; yet Tolkien, in this work at least, has them ALL!
At a simplistic level "The Lord Of The Rings" is the story of a fallen angel (Sauron) who makes a magical ring of great power which he loses when his evil empire is defeated. He is not killed however and in time he reestablishes most of his old empire and threatens to conquer the remaining free world with his vast armies and secret powers. He is thwarted however by the courage and determination of the free peoples who are led by another angel (Gandalf) in the service of the creator. The final defeat of Sauron is achieved by the destruction of his great ring in the volcano in which it was forged.
The essential framework of this plot is not, in the main, original to Tolkien.
Since Tolkien was a Catholic it is not surprising that he borrowed heavily from the Bible and since he was Professor of Anglo-Saxon and hence immersed in the Norse sagas it is not surprising that he should borrow heavily from that as well. There is no sin in borrowing from something that is out of copyright so long as you don't pretend it is your own invention.
The backbone of the story may not be entirely original but the flesh on the bones and the way in which it is realised IS! It is easy to be scathing and point to these re-used plot devices but the fact is that when you get to the absolute backbone of a story there are few options available. In particular if you are looking for a sweeping heroic fantasy on the grandest scale the only plot available is Good vs Evil, God vs Satan. If you have a better idea go ahead and write your book!
LOTR has a plot with a complexity like no other. Although the characters and events that take place within its pages are numerous and complex on their own yet they are just the tip of the iceberg that is the entire mythology of Arda from the time of the creation of the Universe. Tolkien invented this mythology largely before he even started work on "The Lord Of The Rings".
Every character, object and event has a history extending back to the beginning of all things and intertwining with all other things. Here are just a few examples:
And so it goes on. There is layer upon layer of history behind EVERYTHING that happens in LOTR. Some of this history is alluded to in LOTR but by no means all of it, in fact considerably less than half. The entire saga of Fëanor which is the cause of most of the history of Middle Earth is not mentioned at all, nor is the tale of Hurin. Nargothrond is only mentioned in a song and Gondolin likewise. The Silmarillion contains most of the missing detail and it is long and dense with facts.
It is the unseen historical foundation that gives this tale a solidity and believability that you will not find anywhere else. There is an internal consistency and rational mechanism throughout all things that goes back to the dawn of time and the will of Illuvatar. What other book can claim that? Even the Bible cannot claim that, as although it goes back to creation it is internally inconsistent and not credible.
To create an entire universe from the beginning, to people it with gods, angels, people and animals and to give it thousands of years of history and drama caused by the creation of evil simply for the purpose of writing a book is a labour that no conventional author would have the time or will to undertake. The only reason such a labour would be undertaken is FOR ITS OWN SAKE! Tolkien WANTED to invent his own universe, gods and peoples and he wanted to invent their languages and history too. It was related to his work as a student of ancient languages and it was his hobby for most of his life. He did not imagine that it would be of interest to anyone outside the Inklings. He created it for the love of it and not for money. Nor did he take short cuts, nor stint on perfection and perhaps that is why it is so good.
The incomparable mythological underpinning of the plot is wonder in its own right, (which is why all LOTR fans should read The Silmarillion), and it is the most obvious reason for the greatness of the work, but less obvious, though no less essential, are the human themes that give the fantasy its emotional depth and make you care for the heroes:
These things are all matters that a soldier, stuck in the trenches in WW1 as Tolkien was, would be thoroughly steeped in. Although Tolkien explicitly denied that his wartime experiences had anything to do with LOTR it appears to me that they underpin the whole story. The mythology of Arda with its elves, hobbits, ents and balrogs may have nothing to do with WW1 but the above list certainly do and without them the book would have little emotional substance. It would be as unconvincing and irrelevant as "The Sword Of Shanara", "Tigana" or any other of Tolkien's legion of copiers.
It is one thing to have a story to tell but quite another to tell that story in a way that draws the reader in, makes the most of the material and most satisfies the reader. Tolkien is a master at this art in this work at least.
Some areas in which we can see his mastery of story telling are in the manner in which the reader is introduced to Middle Earth, the way in which the various threads of action and the large cast of characters are introduced to the reader, the pacing of the tale and finally the satisfying manner in which the tale is concluded.
The great and complex mythos of Arda is scary and alien to the common reader and not something that one can digest in a few minutes. The reader must be introduced to it slowly. Tolkien handles this introduction masterfully through his invention of "The Shire": a homely piece of rural England set out of harm's way in a forgotten part of Middle Earth.
The reader feels at home in The Shire which thus becomes a portal to heroic fantasy, (similar to the wardrobe in Tolkien's friend CS Lewis' "The Lion The Witch & The Wardrobe"). The book starts and ends there and the reader can gently work his way into grand drama and complex lore bit by bit.
Although Gandalf tells Frodo about Sauron and the Ring in chapter 2 the reader is not properly introduced to the magical side of Middle Earth until book 2 when Gandalf tells Frodo about the Elves of Light: "They do not fear the Ringwraiths, for those who have dwelt in the Blessed Realm live at once in both worlds, and against both the Seen and the Unseen they have great power." (FOTR 2:1 Many Meetings)
It is not until "The Council Of Elrond" (FOTR 2:2) when you meet Boromir, son of the Steward of Gondor, Gimli, son of the dwarf Glóin from Erebor, the elf Legolas, son of Thranduil, King of Northern Mirkwood and learn of the treachery of Saruman, high wizard and head of the "White Council" that you are finally enmeshed in the detail and glory of the work.
Any novel that boasts a global scale must perforce jump between various characters and countries in order to cover the action over a vast area. It is easy for the reader to be overwhelmed with the concomitant long array of names and places and to lose connection with the work after being confronted with a chapter filled with people and locations that he has not been properly introduced to or simply does not remember. ("The Silmarillion" has this problem for example, likewise "War & Peace").
Tolkien handles this problem masterfully: "The Breaking Of The Fellowship" is the crucial chapter in the book as it allows the story to branch in 4 directions without ever losing the link to the Council Of Elrond and beyond that to the Shire. Each thread also contains at least 1 of the original 9 members of the "Fellowship Of The Ring".
Each direction is vital and different and allows the story to cover far more ground than it could if the story were strictly linear. It also allows Tolkien to develop each of the original characters differently by focusing on them in small groups rather that one large group as was the case in The Hobbit where most of the dwarves leave no impression on the mind.
The Lord Of The Rings is a long story and at the time it was released, quite exceptional in this regard. In recent decades of course, with its slew of imitators it seems every fantasy novel is a trilogy or more and often the volumes themselves are considerably longer, so its length is no longer remarkable. Nonetheless, long it is and care must be taken of the reader, so as not to exhaust him, make him despair or lose his interest.
There are a decent number of action sequences in the book, including two major battles, various skirmishes, captures, chases and hunts. There are many scary times for the reader as the various heroes are put through all manner of horrific times, however Tolkien is ever mindful of the stress on the reader of such matters and the reader is always given a chance to recover after a nightmare with a few chapters of homely comfort, friendship, strength and hope. For example:
In fact, when one analyses the homely chapters and the scary ones, we find that there are at least as many times and places of safety and friendship as there are those of danger and evil. Not only does this avoid overtaxing the pain threshold of the reader but it gives the book its essential message of hope, its optimism that the world is really a good place and that most of its inhabitants are likewise good.
After exploring much of the length and breadth of Middle Earth through the device of separating the party members and sending them in different directions, 6 of the original Fellowship are rejoined after "The Battle of Pelennor Fields". The result is very satisfying for the reader as so many threads, courageous deeds and unexpected help all take place ending with a glorious and unlikely victory in this, the most absorbing and intricate battle of the book.
The final plot threads are rejoined after Frodo & Sam finally achieve the goal of the book and Sauron is destroyed. Gwaihir, Landroval and Meneldor rescue them from the consequent eruption of Orodruin and they are reunited with the other 6 of the remaining members of the Fellowship in Ithilien.
The happiness of the reunion of these friends is ultimately more satisfying that the downfall of Sauron, even though without that there would have been no reunion. Thus it is that it is the ordinary things of life such as: friendship, happiness, comfortable lodgings and good food and drink that are ultimately what we value the most and after all the grandeur and tragedy of a great tale is they that provide the real satisfaction in the end.
The final piece of story-telling mastery is the Homecoming. The work is book ended by The Shire and it is there that the final piece of the puzzle is laid out. Like the story of Ulysses all is not well at home and the final labour of the heroes is to repair the damage to their own land. It is a sad situation but Tolkien deals with it swiftly and decisively and in the end it is little more than a bump in the road.
Whether this final motif was deliberately stolen from Homer or whether Tolkien wanted to make a statement about "dark satanic mills" or whether he simply felt that it was necessary for full plot resolution I can't say, but it certainly adds a little extra satisfaction to the long tale. Tolkien probably had a thing about homecomings as one can see in the title of his alliterative poem: "The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm's Son".
Tolkien doesn't rush the homecoming and the happy times following it. A lesser author might miss the homecoming altogether or restrict it to just a few pages. The ending of LOTR is perfectly paced. Tolkien takes the time to detail the reinstatement of the Shire and the succeeding successful and satisfying lives of the 4 hobbits. He doesn't just SAY: "and they all lived happily ever after", he makes sure you KNOW that they did!
The epilogue to the whole business is, of course, the departure of the ring bearers and elves from Middle Earth on their way to heaven in "The land of the blessed". There is also the removal of magic and monsters from the world as the reader is gently eased back into the real world, not so different from the closing of the one he has just left.
JRR ties up the last loose end and closes the book on the perfect note. Very tidy Mr Tolkien! Very tidy!
Tolkien's vocabulary as used in LOTR is exceptional, especially in little used words of Anglo-Saxon lineage. Tolkien's language is slightly archaic, which gives it the feel of legend. But not so archaic that the reader loses touch with it. This perfectly balanced use of old and current gives the book much of it's literary character that is so appealing.
He generally eschews the use of words of Latin and Greek etymology preferring the Norse or British roots, (as Churchill did during the War), which gives the work a quintessential English tone. The short sharp English words of one syllable carry the tale with a directness, simplicity and power that is missing from the more abstract and intellectual feel of books written using the longer words of Latin and Greek etymology. (Such as this review...)
There is also the echo of Arthurian romances here which no doubt Tolkien found impossible to ignore as they were so English despite their many French connections. He employs a few characteristic words and phrases as a nod to this famous genre but no more than that.
The effect of generally employing only words of Norse or British origin and including a regular smattering of slightly archaic words, a few Arthurian words and a few old grammatical forms makes the work sound like the quintessential English legend. No doubt this was the intention from the beginning and, by the trident of Ulmo! he did it well! Here are some examples of those archaic words:
Inventing a whole mythos, history and culture is a great thing that elevates the work but then there are the invented foreign languages that take the whole thing to another level! Tolkien was probably the first to do this and he did it with a depth and expertise still unmatched by his imitators.
He didn't just invent a few words here and there, especially when it came to the Elvish languages he began with a usable ancient Elvish grammar and useful vocabulary, building from small words joined together to form larger ones. Here are just a few examples:
But he went further than that and altered the languages through time so that Sindarin was divorced from Quenya and even Quenya changed over time as the Noldor were removed from the Vanyar. The consistent use of the same syllables gives the languages a cohesiveness and credibility that authors that take the cheap path do not achieve.
Quenya, the language of the high elves was Tolkien's favourite but he also developed to varying levels of completeness: Sindarin, Numenorian, Dwarvish and the Black Speech of Mordor. Quenya was influenced by Finnish and Welsh, Khuzdul (Dwarvish) by Hebrew. Rohirric is rendered by Old English, Dale by Old Norse and Rhovanion by Gothic. The Black Speech he did not develop far, perhaps he thought it might corrupt him...
Despite his interest in it he did not develop Quenya to the extent that it could be used for everyday speech. Nevertheless, others came after him and added to it so that today it is spoken and written by various enthusiasts across the world!
Not only did JRR develop these languages but he also developed various scripts to go with them, most notably: Tengwar script and Gondolinic runes for the Noldor and the Cirth runes for the Sindar, Dwarves and Men. He also developed other scripts such as Valmaric and Goblin but they are not to be found in LOTR.
The use of multiple languages throughout the book gives the tale a depth and credibility that it would not have otherwise. Middle Earth has a multi-dimensional richness that appears comparable to our own! Of course this is not entirely true, Tolkien was not expert in botany and zoology and so his descriptions of flora and fauna are either similar to England or sadly lacking. (The description of Ithilien is an exception here.) Nevertheless, since the book is about people, legends and warfare this is of small moment.
Tolkien's prose is like water: clear, smooth and straightforward. This sounds easy but it is not. Only the great masters can achieve this clear luminous quality that gives the work its central charm.
The book is written in the narrative voice, as most books are. The sentences are not overly long. Adjectives and adverbs are not over-used. The characters emotions are revealed from time to time but not too often and not in much detail. There is considerable quoted conversation but only when required. Finally, as previously noted, there is the occasional usage of archaic and semi-archaic words and grammatical constructs. These are never overused however, just enough to give the ancient flavour.
Put all these devices together and you have the prose of JRR Tolkien. There is no particular stylistic bent to the prose, (other than the occasional use of archaic idioms), nothing that shouts the authors name to you, only the steady pace and perfect distance of the master story teller.
Using short sentences.
"But Frodo found no words to answer. He bowed low, and mounted his pony, and followed by his friends jogged slowly down the gentle slope behind the hill. Tom Bombadil’s house and the valley, and the Forest were lost to view." - FOTR 1:8 Fog on the Barrow-Downs.
Dialogue as required.
"‘Hi! Nob!’ he shouted. ‘Where are you, you woolly-footed slow coach? Nob!’ ‘Coming, sir! Coming!’ A cheery-looking hobbit bobbed out of a door, and seeing the travellers, stopped short and stared at them with great interest." FOTR 1:9 At the sign of the prancing pony.
Moderate use of adjectives.
"At once they went on again. They crossed the Bridge in safety, hearing no sound but the water swirling against its three great arches. A mile further on they came to a narrow ravine that led away northwards through the steep lands on the left of the Road. Here Strider turned aside, and soon they were lost in a sombre country of dark trees winding among the feet of sullen hills" - FOTR 1:12 Flight to the ford.
Occasional expression of emotions.
‘It’s not always a misfortune being overlooked,’ said Merry. ‘I was overlooked just now by – no, no, I can’t speak of it. Help me, Pippin! It’s all going dark again, and my arm is so cold.’ ‘Lean on me, Merry lad!’ said Pippin. ‘Come now! Foot by foot. It’s not far.’ ‘Are you going to bury me?’ said Merry. ‘No, indeed!’ said Pippin, trying to sound cheerful, though his heart was wrung with fear and pity. ‘No, we are going to the Houses of Healing. - ROTK 5:8 The Houses of Healing
Occasional use of simile.
"It was dreary and wearisome. Cold clammy winter still held sway in this forsaken country. The only green was the scum of livid weed on the dark greasy surfaces of the sullen waters. Dead grasses and rotting reeds loomed up in the mists like ragged shadows of long-forgotten summers." - TT 2:1 The passage of the marshes.
Tolkien is peerless when it comes to conveying grandeur, danger and gravitas at appropriate places in the story. This gives the tale power and credibility which forces the story into the heart of the reader. Tolkien's ability to do this with his command of the English language makes the book the unforgettable masterpiece that it is.
There are various solemn moments in the book which require gravitas. In this example Tolkien conveys that by following a long sentence full of threat and power with a short sentence containing its answer. The effect of this is to give the short sentence all the power of the long. However, since the short is short that power is magnified and focused onto the one ring:
"The enemy still lacks one last thing to give him strength and knowledge to beat down all resistance, break the last defences and cover the lands in a second darkness. He lacks the one ring." FOTR 1:2 The shadow of the past.
Another technique is to announce something before showing it:
"‘And more deadly to Frodo was this!’ He stooped again and lifted up a long thin knife. There was a cold gleam in it. As Strider raised it they saw that near the end its edge was notched and the point was broken off. But even as he held it up in the growing light, they gazed in astonishment, for the blade seemed to melt, and vanished like a smoke in the air, leaving only the hilt in Strider’s hand." - FOTR 1:12 Flight to the ford.
Another technique is the use of archaic grammatic constructions. Here we see four used in the one paragraph! First the verb "have been" is split and the adjective is placed at the beginning which emphasises "heavy". Then the negated verb "needed not" is used instead of the usual "didn't need". The omission of the auxiliary verb "did" simplifies the expression and gives it greater power. Then the use of "ever" instead of "always". This is purely an archaic usage which gains gravitas simply because it is old. Finally the adverb "twice" is placed at the start of the sentence and separated from the verb it belongs to. Today's usage would be "The messenger has return twice." Placing the adverb first magnifies it in importance and adds a sense of menace to the implications of the third visit:
"‘Heavy have the hearts of our chieftains been since that night. We needed not the fell voice of the messenger to warn us that his words held both menace and deceit; for we knew already that the power that has re-entered Mordor has not changed, and ever it betrayed us of old. Twice the messenger has returned, and has gone unanswered. The third and last time, so he says, is soon to come, before the ending of the year." - FOTR 2:2 Gimli at the Council of Elrond.
There are many moments of danger in the book as a threat approaches. In this example Tolkien builds the tension in the reader by first establishing the threat then stretching out the time before physical contact, much the same as used by makers of horror films:
"Heavy feet were heard in the corridor. Boromir flung himself against the door and heaved it to; then he wedged it with broken sword-blades and splinters of wood. The Company retreated to the other side of the chamber. But they had no chance to fly yet. There was a blow on the door that made it quiver; and then it began to grind slowly open, driving back the wedges. A huge arm and shoulder, with a dark skin of greenish scales, was thrust through the widening gap. Then a great, flat, toeless foot was forced through below. There was a dead silence outside." - FOTR 2:5 The Bridge of Khazad Dum.
Tolkien has an armoury of techniques at his disposal to give his tale grandeur. One technique is comparing the large to the small:
"The Balrog made no answer. The fire in it seemed to die, but the darkness grew. It stepped forward slowly on to the bridge, and suddenly it drew itself up to a great height, and its wings were spread from wall to wall; but still Gandalf could be seen, glimmering in the gloom; he seemed small, and altogether alone: grey and bent, like a wizened tree before the onset of a storm." - FOTR 2:5 The Bridge of Khazad Dum.
Another technique is to add strength to strength to strength to increase the feeling of power. In this example he crowns it with physical analogy of the dawn:
And with that shout the king came. His horse was white as snow, golden was his shield, and his spear was long. At his right hand was Aragorn, Elendil’s heir, behind him rode the lords of the House of Eorl the Young. Light sprang in the sky. Night departed." TT 1:7 Helm's Deep
Another technique is to use the old sentence structure putting the verb last as in German. This gives a sense of age and grandeur:
"Of Éomer I have naught to say", "Many houses built of wood and many dark doors they passed." TT 1:6 walking into Edoras.
Still another technique is to use the weather to reflect or presage events:
"The rising sun was hazy, and behind it, following it slowly up the sky, there was a growing darkness, as of a great storm moving out of the East. And away in the North-west there seemed to be another darkness brooding about the feet of the Misty Mountains, a shadow that crept down slowly from the Wizard’s Vale." TT 1:7 Helm's Deep.
Finally there is the rare but powerful device of repeating the first phrase. A similar device is used to great effect in Tennyson's "The charge of the light brigade": "Into the valley of Death rode the six hundred." although it is done a little differently. In this example we feel the power of the Lord of the Nazgûl. Surprisingly Tolkien missed the opportunity to use the phrase for the 3rd time, which would have built it up even more:
"In rode the Lord of the Nazgûl. A great black shape against the fires beyond he loomed up, grown to a vast menace of despair. In rode the Lord of the Nazgûl, under the archway that no enemy ever yet had passed, and all fled before his face." ROTK 1:4 The Siege of Gondor
The characters in LOTR are strong, distinct and generally pretty well fleshed out. This is in sharp contrast to "The Hobbit" where one would be hard pressed to tell the difference between Oin, Gloin, Bifur, Bofur and Bombur. Feeling that one knows each character enables one to invest emotionally in the book, to share in the experiences of the cast and it is this that ultimately makes the reading experience worthwhile.
In the main the most highly elevated characters seem a little too good to be true but that is what is required from saints. Frodo, Aragorn, Elrond & Galadriel seem to be entirely free from sin, although they do possess individual characteristics. Gandalf himself is white as the driven snow although he does have a temper. Elevating some of the characters above the normal human morality to sainthood allows one to adore such characters and to view them with awe. This is unusual in the real world and it gives the book, once again, that touch of an authentic legend.
The remaining characters, although undoubtedly good have their little foibles much like the rest of us. For example: The hobbits are not above stealing the odd piece fruit or vegetable or of over-indulging in food and drink. The dwarves are to some extent proud, avaricious and defensive. Boromir famously tried to take the ring for himself, only redeeming himself with his death. The less elevated characters also make mistakes. Such little imperfections make it easy for the reader to identify with the majority of the cast.
There is a difference between identifying with a character and viewing it with awe. Tolkien presumably knew this and he kept his special ones elevated and did not try to give them all flaws, (unlike most modern authors).
I shall not attempt to analyse all the characters, only the strongest ones.
Frodo is well spoken, educated, courteous, courageous and selfless. He loves The Shire, loves his friends, loves Middle Earth and he loves the Elves. He never has a sexual affair that we know of, never gets angry (unless someone tries to take the ring) and never says anything stupid. He is the central character and for Tolkien's purposes he had to be a saint. Perhaps this obsession with saints is the Catholic in him...
"‘Farewell!’ said Frodo, bowing low. ‘Think what you will, I am a friend of all enemies of the One Enemy. We would go with you, if we halfling folk could hope to serve you, such doughty men and strong as you seem, and if my errand permitted it. May the light shine on your swords!’
‘The Halflings are courteous folk, whatever else they be,’ said Faramir. ‘Farewell!'" - TT 2:4 Of herbs and stewed rabbit.
Sam is stout-hearted, robust, well-meaning, poor, not well-educated but possessed of musical and poetic talent. He also has the hots for Rosie Cotton. But above all Sam is a SERVANT! Not an unwilling slave but a career servant, deeply attached to his MASTER. This is a relationship that was once common but is now almost unheard of. People reading the book in the modern age may be puzzled by the relationship between Frodo and Sam. Are they gay? Is this an S&M thing? No! It is an archaic relationship that Tolkien well understood. It is the English class system where people knew their place. It is upstairs and downstairs. It is Wooster and Jeeves. It is Blackadder and Baldric. Marxists might well pillory the book for its elevation of the class system and to some extent they may have a point, however Tolkien was a product of his time and place and as he was fully immersed in the class system one can hardly blame him for putting it in his book.
A final thought on the master-servant relationship for the Marxists: Although the servant is required to fulfil certain duties for the master, which may not be particularly glamourous, in a proper version of this dynamic the master also has to fulfil certain duties for the servant, not only to provide food, clothing and lodging but also to manage the estate prudently and to provide wise direction so that the entire estate and all the people that depend on it can continue.
As to why Sam has a penchant for speaking of himself in the 3rd person I can only speculate. Perhaps it is an artifact of the servant role, requiring self-abnegation?
"‘Good-bye, master, my dear!’ he murmured. ‘Forgive your Sam. He’ll come back to this spot when the job’s done – if he manages it. And then he’ll not leave you again. Rest you quiet till I come; and may no foul creature come anigh you! And if the Lady could hear me and give me one wish, I would wish to come back and find you again. Good-bye!'" - TT 2:10 The choices of Master Samwise.
Perhaps the strongest character of all, certainly in his speech. His bad grammar and childish sentences are unique in the book, as is his constant use of the royal we and his pathetic appearance. He is a strange mixture of child, murderer, trickster, lonely quest bearer and lost soul. Above all he is also completely MAD!
It's hard to hate Smeagol as he is so pathetic and has had such a terrible life. In the end it is he that saves the world, not Frodo and this is something that he is not given credit for. The poor little fellow! When did Tolkien decide to let the lowest creature in the book save the day? What was he driving at? Were he an Indian one might ascribe this as a blow for the "untouchables"... but he wasn't.
"‘Yes, Master. Dangerous places. This is the road from the Tower of the Moon, Master, down to the ruined city by the shores of the River. The ruined city, yes, very nasty place, full of enemies. We shouldn’t have taken Men’s advice. Hobbits have come a long way out of the path. Must go east now, away up there.’ He waved his skinny arm towards the darkling mountains. ‘And we can’t use this road. Oh no! Cruel peoples come this way, down from the Tower.'" - TT 2:7 Journey to the cross roads.
"‘Yes, yes,’ agreed Gollum, skipping about. ‘Off we go! There’s only one way across between the North-end and the South-end. I found it, I did. Orcs don’t use it, Orcs don’t know it. Orcs don’t cross the Marshes, they go round for miles and miles. Very lucky you came this way. Very lucky you found Sméagol, yes. Follow Sméagol!'" - TT 2:1 The taming of Sméagol.
The orcs are surprisingly well drawn and clearly Cockneys of the criminal persuasion. Whether Tolkien had some bad experiences with some shady Cockneys or simply observed them from afar I can't say but their speech is quite distinct and famously full of character.
One can't entirely hate the orcs after hearing their talk. Yes, they are criminals and cruel and violent at times but in the end they are oppressed by the great evils and are basically slaves. Perhaps they are a vision of what we humans would be if we were denied education and love and mistreated from birth.
"‘Ah!’ said Shagrat. ‘Like old times.’ ‘Yes,’ said Gorbag. ‘But don’t count on it. I’m not easy in my mind. As I said, the Big Bosses, ay,’ his voice sank almost to a whisper, ‘ay, even the Biggest, can make mistakes. Something nearly slipped, you say. I say, something has slipped. And we’ve got to look out. Always the poor Uruks to put slips right, and small thanks. But don’t forget: the enemies don’t love us any more than they love Him, and if they get topsides on Him, we’re done too. But see here: when were you ordered out?'" - TT 2:10 The choices of Master Samwise.
The great demigod of this tale that provides so much of its magical element is of course Gandalf the Wizard: a member of the Istari, one of the Maiar and charged by the powers to coordinate the forces opposing Sauron. Anyone can invent a demigod but Gandalf has real character, he is not the impossibly noble whiter than white, inscrutable, detached being that lesser writers might have created, he is all too human. For a start he can be angry and even rude on occasion:
"“Gandalf!” I said at last, but my voice was only a whisper. Did he say: “Hullo, Pippin! This is a pleasant surprise!”? No, indeed! He said: “Get up, you tom-fool of a Took! Where, in the name of wonder, in all this ruin is Treebeard?" - TT 1:9 Pippin tells Aragorn of the Ents invading Isengard.
Then he smokes tobacco and blows smoke rings like any old grandfather:
Gandalf is sometimes compared to Jesus in that he is a servant of God that is killed by evil and yet rises again. He comes back wearing white, judging the traitor Saruman and breaking his staff. This is not entirely like Jesus but then he also rides around on horseback preaching war and opposing the Nazgûl with white fire which is nothing like Jesus.
Although Tolkien was a Catholic it is clear that Gandalf is not Jesus. He is an angel, not the son of God and he is not the meek and mild "milquetoast-on-the-cross". As to whether he is circumcised we can only guess...
There is much wisdom in the book, typically warning not to trust too much in apparent strength, nor conversely to underestimate the apparently weak. Where did Tolkien get this idea? Perhaps it is from the Bible where David defeats Goliath and supposedly "the meek shall inherit the Earth." Perhaps it is from the war where the might of certain powers did not deliver the results expected. Perhaps it is from some deep seated allegiance to and sympathy for, the downtrodden and the forgotten, (possibly due to his orphan days). Perhaps it is a combination of all of these.
But the wisdom of Tolkien is much more than that:
Here is a passage where he warns against taking of oaths:
"no oath or bond is laid on you to go further than you will. For you do not yet know the strength of your hearts, and you cannot foresee what each may meet upon the road.’ ‘Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens,’ said Gimli. ‘Maybe,’ said Elrond, ‘but let him not vow to walk in the dark, who has not seen the nightfall.’ ‘Yet sworn word may strengthen quaking heart,’ said Gimli. ‘Or break it,’ said Elrond." - FOTR 2:3 The Ring goes south
Here we see the recognition of how evil hurts itself:
"‘Strange powers have our enemies, and strange weaknesses!’ said Théoden. ‘But it has long been said: oft evil will shall evil mar." - TT 1:11 The Palantir.
Here is the universal wisdom of good manners:
"‘No,’ said Frodo, feeling strangely rustic and untutored. ‘But if we are guests, we bow to our host, and after we have eaten we rise and thank him.’ ‘That we do also,’ said Faramir." - TT 4:5 The window on the west
Here the danger of haste:
"‘The hasty stroke goes oft astray,’said Aragorn." - ROTK 1:2 The passing of the grey company
Tolkien is fond of the "help unlooked for" device and it is found in various places in LOTR. It's great if it finds you but where would this have happened to Tolkien? During the war perhaps?:
"twice blessed is help unlooked for" - ROTK 1:6 Éomer meeting Aragorn again at the Pelennor Fields.
Unlike most of his imitators The Lord Of The Rings contains quite a few poems, or if you like: the text for songs... 46 of them in fact, (if you collect those that are distributed across various places into one each). These poems vary greatly in form, tone and quality:
Some are in traditional rhymed couplets with regular metre. For example, Boromir's riddle:
Seek for the Sword that was broken:
In Imladris it dwells;
There shall be counsels taken
Stronger than Morgul-spells
Or Bilbo's Bath Song:
Sing hey! for the bath at close of day
That washes the weary mud away!
A loon is he that will not sing:
Oh Water Hot is a noble thing!
Others have an unusual rhyming scheme and regular metre. For example Frodo's song about the Man in the Moon:
There is an inn, a merry old inn beneath an old grey hill,
And there they brew a beer so brown
That the man in the moon himself came down one night to drink his fill.
Or Tom and the Troll:
Troll sat alone on his seat of stone,
And munched and mumbled a bare old bone;
For many a year he had gnawed it near,
For meat was hard to come by.
Done by! Gum by!
In a cave in the hills he dwelt alone,
And meat was hard to come by.
There are some that rhyme but don't scan. For example Aragorn's hymn for Gondor:
Fell like bright rain in gardens of the Kings of old.
O proud walls! White towers! O wingéd crown and throne of gold!
There are some that scan but don't rhyme. For example Theoden's call to his men:
Arise, arise, Riders of Théoden!
Fell deeds awake: fire and slaughter!
spear shall be shaken, shield be splintered,
a sword-day, a red day, ere the sun rises!
And then there are some that don't rhyme and don't scan. For example Treebeard's song:
To the beeches of Neldoreth I came in the Autumn
Ah! the gold and the red and the sighing of leaves in the Autumn in Taur-na-neldor!
It was more than my desire.
Finally there are those written in alliterative verse, an ancient Anglo-Saxon mode used in Beowulf. For example The Ride Of The Rohirrim:
From dark Dunharrow in the dim morning
with thane and captain rode Thengel’s son:
to Edoras he came, the ancient halls
of the Mark-wardens mist-enshrouded;
In this mode it is the first letter of words that are matched together, generally 2, 3 or even 4 per double line. It is not seen in today's poetry but gives that wonderful authenticity to the work, coming as it does from the Germanic peoples around the 8th century. Tolkien clearly loved this ancient mode and used it extensively for the songs of the Rohirrim and also for the Lay of the Children of Hurin.
Tolkien's poetry, as I have said, is highly variable with regard to quality. Sometimes it hits great heights, other times it can be somewhat trite. Regardless, it always adds something special to the story... something that the imitators don't have. Poetry was a special thing way back in the first millennia and people valued it and used it everyday. We don't use it or value it as much today, surrounded as we are with high definition movies full of loud music, noise and special visual effects but the past remains the past and the old forms are still valid. Tolkien understood the importance of poems, both long and short, and by Durin's beard! He put them in!
And of course, the poems may be set to music. And THAT adds immensely to the package!
In my opinion "The Lord Of The Rings" is the greatest work of fiction in the English language. In this review I have tried to justify that claim by going into considerable detail in the various areas of story telling to show just how good it is in every respect.
I freely admit to being a serious Tolkien fan. I first read LOTR at age 12 or 13 and was completely blown away by it. I have read it through many times since then and overall I guess I must have read it about 16 times. The most I have read any other book would be about 4 times. This indicates the rereadability of the work as well as my affection for it and just how far it is in my own mind above all other novels.
I realise that most people will not agree with me on this, especially English literature snobs who would be lucky to have it in their top 50. They are entitled to their opinion and I am entitled to mine. Fans of Middle Earth however will most likely agree with me and there are certainly plenty of them!
I commend the trilogy to anyone who hasn't read it in the strongest possible terms. If you like heroic fantasy in the days of swords and sorcery you cannot go past "The Lord Of The Rings". It founded the "Fantasy" genre. It spawned a host of "Role Playing Games". It has been adapted to film twice so far and more to come. Various invented words in it have been used for serious scientific purposes such as "Hobbit" & "Sauron". It is the original and the best!
Finally: Avoid Peter Jackson's film trilogy. It deletes important material from the books and adds superfluous material that is not in the books at all. It alters the plot and betrays the true nature of various characters to no useful purpose. It looks good but feels foul. It is a turkey and an insult to the legacy of the great man: John Ronald Reuel Tolkien. Hopefully a decent series will one day be made that is true to the books.
Amen!
score 10/10
Warren Mars - November 25, 2019