Posted on 03/14/2002 5:07:26 AM PST by HairOfTheDog
This is a continuation of the infamous thread New Zealander Builds Hobbit Hole originally posted on January 26, 2001 by John Farson, who at the time undoubtedly thought he had found a rather obscure article that would elicit a few replies and die out. Without knowing it, he became the founder of the Hobbit Hole. For reasons incomprehensible to some, the thread grew to over 4100 replies. It became the place for hobbits and friends of hobbits to chit chat and share LoTR news and views, hang out, and talk amongst ourselves in the comfort of familiar surroundings.
In keeping with the new posting guidelines, the thread idea is continuing here, as will the Green Dragon Inn, our more structured spin-off thread, as soon as we figure out how to move all the good discussion that has been had there. As for the Hobbit Hole, we will just start fresh, bringing only a few mathoms such as the picture above with us to make it feel like home, and perhaps a walk down memory lane:
Our discussion has been light:
It very well may be that a thread named "New Zealander builds Hobbit hole" will end up being the longest Tolkien thread of them all, with some of the best heartfelt content... Sorry John, but I would have rather it had been one with a more distinguished title!… post 252 - HairOfTheDog
However, I can still celebrate, with quiet dignity, the fact that what started as a laugh about some wacko in New Zealand has mutated and grown into a multifaceted discussion of the art, literature, and philosophy that is Tolkien. And now that I've managed to write the most pompous sentence of my entire life, I agree, Rosie… post 506 - JenB
Hah! I was number 1000!! (Elvish victory dance... wait, no; that would be too flitty) … post 1001 - BibChr
Real men don't have to be afraid of being flitty! Go for it. – post 1011 – HairOfTheDog
Seventeen years to research one mystical object seems a bit excessive… post 1007 - JenB
Okay...who's the wise guy who didn't renew Gandalf's research grant?… post 1024 – Overtaxed
To the very philosophical:
…Judas Iscariot obviously was a good man, or he wouldn't have been chosen to be one of the Apostles. He loved Jesus, like all of the Apostles, but he betrayed him. Yet without his betrayal, the Passion and Crucifixion would never have occurred, and mankind would not have been redeemed. So without his self-destruction infinite good would not have been accomplished. I certainly do not mean this to be irreverant but it seems to me that this describes the character of Gollum, in the scenes so movingly portrayed above… Lucius Cornelius Sulla
To fun but heartfelt debates about the integrity and worth of some of the characters…
…Anyone else notice how Boromir treats the hobbits? He's very fond of them but he seems to think of them as children - ruffling Frodo's hair, calls them all 'little ones'. He likes them, but I don't think he really respects them… post 1536 - JenB
Yes... Tolkien told us not to trust Boromir right off the bat when he began to laugh at Bilbo, until he realized that the Council obviously held this hobbit in high esteem. What a pompous dolt… post 1538 - HairOfTheDog
…I think almost every fault of his can be traced directly back to his blindness to anything spiritual or unseen. He considers the halflings as children, because that is what they look like. He considers the only hope of the ring to be in taking it and using it for a victory in the physical realm. He cannot see what the hobbits are truly made of, he cannot see the unseen hope of what the destruction of the ring might mean--the destruction of Sauron himself, and he cannot see the unseen danger that lies in the use of the ring itself… I just feel sorry for Boromir--he is like a blind but honorable man, trying to take the right path on the road but missing the right path entirely because he simply cannot see it… post 1548 - Penny1
Boromir isn't a jerk, he's a jock… post 2401 – Overtaxed
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Oh, I think by the time Frodo reaches the Cracks, he's not even himself anymore! I think he's not only on the brink of a dangerous place physically, he's on the brink of losing himself completely during the exchange with Gollum. But for some reason, the take-over isn't complete till he actually has to throw the Ring in. The person speaking to Gollum is not Frodo, but the "Wheel of Fire" that Sam sees. After the Ring is destroyed, Frodo not only comes back to himself, but comes back with the unbearable (to him) knowledge of what it's like to be completely without compassion. I think that's why it's so important to him to be compassionate in the Shire… post 2506 - 2Jedismom
…Regarding Frodo's compassion... it's a little too much at the end. Even Merry tells him that he's going to have to quit being so darn nice. But you're right. He's learned a lesson about evil that very few ever learn since it wasn't an external lesson but an internal one. (Those kinds of lessons have the greatest impact) Not only did he totally succumb to it, but he was rather ruthless to my little Smeagol… post 2516 - carton253
Well that Frodo was a big mean bully! (to Smeagol)… post 2519 – Overtaxed
So as you can see, everything JRR Tolkien (and Peter Jackson) is welcome here in our New Row, our soon-to-be familiar New Hobbit Hole…; philosophy, opinion, good talk and frequent silliness.
Friends don't let friends sneak drunk...
G'nite all. I've done all the damage I can do for one night.
Hello all, back from work and ready to party - actually, ready to sleep. Promising myself to be lying down by 12:30, at least. Wow, you were busy while I was gone.
2JM, George MacDonald is a very good author - or rather, some of his stuff is good and other bits are boring. I enjoyed "The Light Princess" but IMO, the best things he wrote were "The Princess and the Goblin" and its sequel, "The Princess and Curdie". Great stories for your boys when they're a little older - maybe after they visit Narnia.
I like the idea of renaming the thread. Maybe "The something somethingoranother; Hobbit Hole III" "Hobbits version 3.0"?
Just finished rereading a favorite book of mine, Passage by Connie Willis (greatest living science fiction author, bar none. Not even the Niven/Pournelle duo is this good.) Anyway, all of a sudden this Christian symbolism just hit me - the fifth time through. It was rather neat. I detected the symbolism in her Doomsday Book, one of the ten best books I have ever read, but here it was just... wow. There are so many reasons I love that book. It makes me cry every stinking time I read it.
So, what's new?
Well, who is very good on Tolkien, is knowledgeable about the history of the HH, and is not here to defend themselves. I nominate JenB!! I also propose that Penny1 be on the committee.
Well, now, that could be dangerous... but I'll behave!
Here you go... have a sunset!
sorry I took so long, I'm rusty...
"it will keep down the bugs. In Florida that is an important consideration."
I sort of like the bugs, they keep Florida from being overrun by human beings. I used to keep buckets of water around the yard, I was hoping to breed enough mosquitos to keep the neighbors indoors so I wouldn't hear them.
Not on your life, bub. ;^)
I am an elite Ring bearer! ;^)
I would bet it's 65,536 'cause that's 64k (64x1024, or 2^16... can you tell I'm a computer geek?)
I'm running a 300 MHz K6 on a 28.8 bps connection... not that I'm whining or anything...
By the way, I don't handle power well. You have been warned. ;-)
You're welcome! Sleep well!
I haven't read any of her books, but have heard very good things about her, especially her book To Say Nothing of the Dog. Have you read that one, and if so, what did you think of it?
Still, I found Doomsday Book strangely inspiring. I'm trying to get my wife, who is Jewish, to read it, I thought it could give her some insight into Christianity.
I'll try Passage if you recommend it.
Throw in an Oxford don who quotes in Latin, a love-struck student who's trying to marry the wrong girl, a spoiled young Victorian lady, the historian who looks like a water-nymph, the dog, the cat that's going to destroy time itself, to say nothing of the butler... Well, it's only the second best of Willis' novels, but that's because Doomsday Book is so incredibly good. And I didn't mention most of the best stuff - like the seance, or the shipwreck, or the near-miss with the train, or the croquet match, or the bedroom scene with people sneaking in and out, or the church benefit, or the trip to Coventry...
Um, anyone here want to join the Connie Willis fan club? We could make it an extension of the Hobbit Hole if you will just go read her books, ask me to tell you which ones not to bother with...
Well, if is OK by everyone else I think you should do fine. Remember, ecurbh is doing the graphic.
It seems to me that if Kevin is right, and the maximum number is about 65K, we might as well keep going here until much later in the year. If it is 25K, we ought to try to end it at 10K next week. Does everyone want to think about this for a day or two, until we get the definitive answer on the number, or is there some non-technical reason to bring it to a close now, such as to not have the same lead article for 6 plus months?
Ecurbh, if you are making us a picture, maybe it could be Two Tower themed - let's start getting in the mood. Someone posted the other day about when we would be "halfway" to December 18. Maybe we could start the new Hole then!
OK, you convinced me! :) I'm going to look for her books next time I'm in a bookstore. I've been thinking about doing that for a while now, but I get nervous picking up books by authors I haven't read before.
We could make it an extension of the Hobbit Hole if you will just go read her books
The Hobbit Hole Reading Circle?
Just a random thought to pitch into the stew...
If the post limit is 65k, will we be able to last in the current Hole until December? If so, howzabout starting a new Hole when TTT premieres?
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