Shippey wrote mostly about Tolkien’s direction in writing, which the class covered beforehand. The chapter covered a lot of aspects that I already knew about, however Shippey did introduce other ideas about the similarities in the different books and discusses Tolkien’s strategy in writing in a more in depth scenario.
Each of the six books in the Trilogy has a level of symmetry in it as the others in their respective books often mirror characters. The different characters encounter struggles that mirror the events in other chapters. Simultaneously, Merry and Pippin are accepted into the services of King Théoden and Denethor the Steward respectively. Both hobbits receive the childhood armor of the family and are equally swept into battle.
Furthermore, Shippey introduces the example of the Council of Elrond to show how Tolkien was writing himself into the story. After starting many drafts, he was able to bring the story to the Council of Elrond, and from there Tolkien was able to explore which direction to take the plot. The Council of Elrond also serves as an unorthodox chapter that introduces many new characters and explores the different cultures and interactions in Middle-Earth.
Lastly, Shippey discusses the differences between Gondor and Rohan. The two realms have interested me and Peter Jackson’s portrayal of the two races of men seems very loyal to Tolkien’s representation. The Anglo-Saxon similarities are apparent in the two kingdoms, however it seems they come from different times. Rohan seems to be pre-Battle of Hastings while Gondor seems to be a kingdom of the later medieval eras.
