[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

The Wall Street Journal is publishing a multi-part review of A.N. Wilson's new book on modern history, modeling his thoughts in the first portion on 'The Scouring of the Shire' at the end of The Lord of the Rings by Tolkien. The LOTR is the story of the destruction of the existing civilization as shown on a smaller scale in the Shire's fate. Wilson compares this to the current destruction of Western Civilization.

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

Of interest to Hobbits and modern history fans.

[piasa]

ping

[Vanders9]

Interesting stuff. I think CS Lewis is right. I think we (as in Western Civilisation) have gained in material prosperity and comfort, but lost the spirituality and sense of unity that underpins everything.

[Daffynition]

"....the Shire will ever be quite the same."

[Sherman Logan]

No one supposes that Sam Gamgee and his wife, Rose, courageous as Sam has been, will ever repeat the glory, still less rise in his Hobbit life, to the levels of tragic grandeur known in the heroic days of Theoden, King of the Golden Hall, or of the cruel, majestic quasi-Byzantine courts of Gondor. Those glory times are forever over.

In my opinion, this writer has utterly missed the point of LOTR.

He considers it a story of pessimism and despair. I contend it's a story of hope, of pressing on despite great trials and in the end defeating darkness.

Does the world ever return to what it was before? Of course not.

Does the Shire produce glories comparable to those of Gondor or the ancient elf kingdoms? Nope. Hobbits aren't elves or men. Their desire is for simpler and less strenuous accomplishments.

But Tolkien is very clear that both Gondor and Rohan are revitalized by their victory in the War of the Ring and move together into the future, creating new glories worthy of being at least compared to the past. Gondor in particular has its King return, and the nation is blessed far more than under the degenerate interregnum of the Stewards.

The Shire in many ways becomes better than it was before. Hobbits are no longer ignored by the world, but become among its great heroes.

[SuziQ]

Bump for later reading

[SunkenCiv]

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