When I was reading The Lord of the Rings I didn’t pick up on all the symmetries that Shippey discusses. I noticed some of the more obvious parallels, such as the similarities between Merry and Pippin’s separate journeys and those between King Théoden and Denethor. Shippey identified so many instances of symmetry that I’m a little embarrassed I didn’t notice more. He made it seem so obvious. Not only do characters parallel each other, but Shippey commented on how the days are connected to all characters regardless of the book number by the placement of the moon. I knew from the different languages and appendices that Tolkien had created a very intricate world, but this level of complexity surpassed by assumptions. A person almost has to analyze The Lord of the Rings line by line to understand all the details, and even then they’d probably have to do multiple readings. I think it would be interesting, but I don’t have time for that now. Maybe I will when I’m retired.
I was very interested in the discussion on Tom Bombadil. I’m writing my paper on him, so this part gave me insight into The Lord of the Rings, but also some material I’ll be able to use for my research paper. I noticed while reading over the summer that Tom always spoke in verse, but I never read any deeper into this characteristic. Shippey points out that his singing style makes him seem from a different time. While reading I felt that Tom was sort of misplaced in Middle Earth, but this makes sense if he is supposed to be “oldest and fatherless”. Tom Bombadil is another character, like the hobbits and the dragon in The Hobbit, who are all obviously characterized as English. Tolkien was after all trying to create a mythology for England, so some of the characters would have to tie to the people of England.
My favorite section was the last section, The Ironies of Interlace. The map confused me but I found the information given very interesting. Shippey notes that there are “gaps between what the characters realize and what the reader realizes.” I feel that most of these ironies could be picked out better during a second reading, because some of them only involve a couple of lines. The reader would have to remember that Legolas sees an eagle to connect it to the one Gandalf rides, or remember that Gandalf predicts “others will die” if he goes to save Faramir, and then connect that statement to Théoden’s death. It seems that even in all the uncertainty and complexity of Middle Earth everything still has a place where it belongs. It may not make sense at the time it is presented, but everything has some sort of conclusion. This is another possible explanation for the incredibly long ending.
I remember being confused and bored while reading the Council of Elrond in The Lord of the Rings. I’m glad Shippey addressed this section because it cleared up some of the questions I had from not reading thoroughly. I found it interesting that even though the chapter is very confusing Tolkien did use certain strategies to organize it. Different characters use different speech patterns depending on their race. I also thought Shippey’s portrayal of the council as a committee meeting was both accurate and humorous.
Annika Laughlin? October 22, 2008, at 11:18 PM
