David Louis Edelman has been revisiting J.R.R. Tolkien’s works, including The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, The Fellowship of the Ring, and now he is on The Two Towers. Some unique insights on these classics of fantasy, works which have oddly enough almost been overlooked more now that the movies made a blockbuster out of themselves. A lot of people seem to follow the logic that even a 3+ hour movie is going to be a quicker sit-down than these books. Plus, another trend that seems to hit those books we deem “classics” is the misguided belief that they are perfect works of literature. That the author was somehow a superhuman writer who couldn’t but a comma awry. But, as Edelman has easily pointed out, there are some stretches of these classics that are just plain difficult to get through. Even some of our favorite characters are treated as stereotypes in the original text, and there are plot points that are hastily erected and spun out on shaky reasoning.
The movies so muddled with our conception of the original story that we have retro-infused the books with scenes and lines and drama that never existed. Character roles are inflated and deflated, and so it’s probably a great idea to get reacquainted with what the words really say.
Go take a peek. Edelman has some intriguing notes and side notes on these stories and their film counterparts. I for one am looking to dig up my old copies and give them a fresh read, something I haven’t done, I’ll admit, since I saw the movies. And I used to read through them at least once a year during high school and into college. Since when does a movie become the final step in evolution of the story?
I see that story.
Wow. That’s really interesting. I hadn’t really thought about it that much, but hat point about the stereotypes and plot points is really true. Coolness.
I’m gonna have to check out those links after this weekend.