Things to consider:
* Gandalf's transformation. What mythological or symbolic significance does this have? Why do you think that Tolkien chose to have Gandalf go through a death-type experience to emerge stronger and more powerful?
* The Ents. Do we have any equivalents to this in mythology? Do you like reading about the Ents, or do you find their slowness irritating?
* The Rohan. This is the first group of Men that Tolkien spends much time wit
h. What do you think of their customs and their traits compared to those of the other races, the hobbits, elves, dwarves, and Ents?
* Do you like all of Tolkien's attention to place and location, or is it distracting to you?
For my post, I just want to focus on Gandalf's Transformation - I think this is a really interesting element showing parallels to either biblical translation (such as when Moses and Elijah didn't die, but were taken straight to the presence of God. They would have had to go through
a physical change to abide the presence of God, sort of like Gandalf's transformation from grey to white) or Christ's death and resurrection. I know that Tolkien was a close friend of C.S. Lewis, whose Christianity was well known and often transmitted through his literature, but I don't know exactly what Tolkien's beliefs were. One of these days I need to read a biography of Tolkien, because my curiosity about him has increased ever since I took a C.S. Lewis class for my literature credit in college.Okay, I just checked wikipedia (intelligent researcher that I am) and it brought some things to my memory. Tolkien was actually a huge factor in Lewis' conversion to Christianity, and now that I read that I remember reading some of Lewis' musings on how long talks with Tolkien led him to a belief in God. Tolkien was a devout Catholic (in case you're interested, Lewis belonged to the Church of England). So there is a possibility that there are religious undertones in his work. I'm sure anyone who has studied The Lord of the Rings in depth knows more about this, but as I am a literary amateur it would be news to me!
And actually, my husband is reading this over my shoulder and told me that today he'd seen an article on our university's webpage about this very topic. *Pauses to read article* So, apparently Tolkien is much like Lewis in that he will never say his works are allegories (this being, I think, because things do not perfectly correlate in every way) but that it is a "fundamentally religious work" (quoting the article directly, not Tolkien). The article also says that Frodo, Gandalf, and Aragorn all have Christ-like qualities, in that they are all making certain sacrifices to save the world.
To get back to the topic at hand - now that I have skimmed the surface a very infinitesimal bit on the religious qualities of LOTR, I think it is quite likely that Tolkien was thinking of Christ and his resurrection when he wrote Gandalf's transformation. I think it is very interesting that Gandalf had to descend into the depths of the earth with the Balrog - which I think, as a fiery, dark creature, could definitely be termed a representation of the devil, or sin, or some other evil entity that we battle on the earth - only to re-emerge as a more perfect being with more power than before, able to rescue his confused comrades and direct their course. I agree that this is not a direct allegory - what is Saruman? Is he Lucifer? Who is Sauron? etc. Apparently there is a book being published by one of the authors at BYU called The Ring and the Cross. Sounds sufficiently nerdy - I'd like to look into it but it is $64 on Amazon. *sigh*
Anyway, these are my more directed thoughts about this month's reading. Please comment below and I will link up to your April post. You are welcome to follow any of the random reading prompts I listed, come up with your own, or just update your general progress in the book. We're nice and flexible here.
Other participants:
