Still Ringing True - Reading The Lord of the Rings

World Magazine ^ | December 8th, 2001 | Gene Edward Veith

[gcruse]

After you finish the trilogy, try to get a copy of Harvard Lampoon's novel, "Bored of the Rings." It is a hilarious takeoff.

[KJMorgan]

Interesting that apparently the Fundies will now try to steal the very Catholic Tolkien.

[IVote2]

I just finished reading the Lord Of The Rings series as well as The Hobbit. I don't know how I missed them when I was younger and an avid reader but I did.

I too read them after 9/11, and was astounded at the number of similarities I found to present day reality.

If for some reason they weren't read before, now is a wonderful time to do so. The desire of evil to overcome good and the necessary fight for freedom from evil is as appropriate to our times as it was when these books were written.

I recommend reading The Hobbit first.

Jen

[RadicalRik]

I always start out with "The Hobbitt" before I read the rest of them. In fact, I sometimes even read 'The Silmarillion".

The Silmarillion tells a tale of the Elder Days, when Elves and Men became estranged by the Dark Lord Morgoth's lust for the Silmarils, pure and powerful magic jewels. Even the love between a human warrior and the daughter of the Elven king cannot defeat Morgoth, but the War of Wrath finally brings down the Dark Lord. Peace reigns until the evil Sauron recovers the Rings of Power and sets the stage for the events told in the Lord of the Rings.

J.R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis are two authors that Christians can read and not get into "trouble with evil" as I call it.

"Biblical Calvinist" Nice screen name. Well, I guess I am to after reading a book called "Truths That Transform" by D. James Kennedy. That book really set my heart and soul straight about some beliefs that I had.

FReegards, RadicalRik

[John H K]

I have it; the adventures of Frito, Dildo and Goodgulf against Sorehed and his Nozdruls is one of the great works of Western Literature :-)

The great thing about the Lampoon parody novels is they also cleverly parody even the writing style and sentence structure of the author..."Doon" is another great one.

[John Farson]

FYI

[Rocko]

A little sad to see the characters transformed into Burger King action figures, though....

[Rifleman]

To the end of my days I will remember the hideous ballhog.

Dribble, dribble, fake, shoot.

[f.Christian]

"Non-Christians are indeed in a prison. They think that nothing exists beyond what they can see—the hard, stone walls of the material world. They have no understanding of spiritual realities, that good and evil are not mere psychological states but objective truths, that they can be freed from their bondage of sin into an everlasting life wonderful beyond their conception. They need an evangelism of their imaginations."

Wow!!

[f.Christian]

"the awesome... majesty"!

[Cicero]

Very nicely written, as with all of his articles.

But I don't know how he could have refrained from rereading LOTR for so many years. I can't count how many times I've read it, to myself, to my future wife, to my children at various stages. There are a few books you can read repeatedly, and this is certainly one of them.

I assume he read it because it's always best to read the book before seeing the movie. I would certainly say that to anyone who plans to take his kids to the movie. It would be too bad if they didn't read the book first.

[f.Christian]

bttt

[redhead]

Don't be surprised that he refrained from reading it for so long. I'm almost 60 and I'm reading it for the first time. I, too, began it shortly after 911. I'm still reading 'The Two Towers' but will soon be into 'The Return of the King.' I can hardly wait. This has been a wonderful experience for me, and I found myself actually not even turning on my computer for days at a time, just so I could READ! I'm wondering, though, if I am going to do the same thing I did with "Lonesome Dove," and just turn it over when I finish it and start again. Some books are just SOOOOO GOOD!

[AUsome Joy]

I am now reading "The Hobbit" and waiting for the Lord of the Rings to be delivered from Amazon. Thanks for the article. I take World Mag and read a couple of articles about "The Lord of the Rings" but missed this one. I have always "thought" about reading these books, being a fan of CS Lewis, but kept putting it off. Reading all the comments, I wish I hadn't waited.

[okie_tech]

Moved recently and have not found Fellowship yet, reading Towers anyway, not like I haven't read it a thousand times before. But how can anyone not read The Hobbit first? I'm looking forward to the movie but I'm afraid to get too exited about it. The last movie I was looking forward to in this way was Phantom Menace (aka Sesame Street does Star Wars) I have seen all the original movies and the hobbit is still my favorite some of the later ones were just awfull. (Each was done by a different company) The original Fellowship was great as well and I can still hear Sam complaining about the marsh flys in a thick british accent "What do they eat when they can't get 'obbit?" My copies of the books are so tattered, I really have to get new ones. I sure would like to get some really nice hardbacks, ones that will last forever.

[TimSkalaBim]

"I know I understood it better this time—seeing it not as just a children's book but as a work that raises issues only adults can fully grasp—and I can say that it was just as good and maybe better the second time around."

I couldn't agree more. The rejection of power theme was more palpable to me when I read the trilogy as an adult than as an adolescent.

I couldn't help but think that the only American to ever reject an offer of absolute power when it was offered to him was George Washington, who refused the crown of America offered by his officers after the Revolution was won. I also couldn't help but think that very few (if any?) Americans in a similar position today would refuse such an offer. Elected officials today are more like Saruman than Gandalf.

[Osinski]

Definitely "the Hobbit" first. Gives one the necessary background to fully appreciate the later years. The imagery the books evoke! The characters! The story! I was there!

[IVote2]

"Elected officials today are more like Saruman than Gandalf."

Isn't that the truth along with his flunky Wormtongue.

Chapter VIII, The Scouring Of the Shire in The Return of the King brought tears to my eyes. Destruction for the sake of destruction, tearing down what the Hobbits had built, repression of freedom, using the "law" to rule. (It had a good end though.) :0)

Jen

[gonzo]

IVote2, ole Bob I. has written a helluva dictionary for ya.

All we gotta do is get it published!....FRegards