It is surprising to see that Gollum wasn’t as attached to the ring in the first addition of the Hobbit. The final edition seems to be better. Even strictly within the Hobbit the strong connection between Gollum and the ring makes for a more interesting story line. Having Bilbo run away and narrowly escape from Gollum makes for a very nice addition. This scene also gives some background and explanation for the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
It is curious to think of how Tolkien would have developed the Lord of the Rings if he hadn’t rewritten the Hobbit.
I do not really agree with Shippey calling the Lord of the Rings an anti-quest. I would define quest as a journey that involves a great deal of travel and overcomes many obstacles to a common goal. Shippey says that the Lord of the Rings is an anti-quest because they are going to destroy the ring. I believe this still fits in with the definition of quest.
I thought it was interesting how Shippey discusses wraiths and how Gollum is on the path to becoming one. I was surprised to read that Frodo and Sam are starting the progression towards becoming wraiths but it makes sense when I think about it. Towards the end of their journey, Frodo and Sam were behaving differently and in the film their appearance was beginning to change.
Steven Wilser? October 31, 2008, at 09:38 PM
