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Post by Nienor on Jun 3, 2004 17:53:45 GMT -5
I have been thinking about this matter for a rather long time, and was hoping for opinions.
The books (and movies) are exceedingly applicable. The events are not dissimilar to those on earth, in essence.
I can't seem to get my thoughts going, but I will be able to do it much better when the subject gets going. Hannon le.
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Post by Evening Star on Jun 3, 2004 18:10:50 GMT -5
Hmmmmmmm this is another good question I think it's so belivable because a lot of it isn't completley fairytale like other books and it seems to have a ring of truth to it. There is also the fact that Tolkien did write about many things going on around him such as World War II and the big buisness' taking over his home (he was quite upset about these and many people know a lot of his work shows it)
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Post by Sidawethiel on Jun 3, 2004 19:20:08 GMT -5
I believe that LOTR is so believable because it deals with issues that people have to deal with everyday. Many people are in fact Frodo, we all have to deal with hardships and things happening to us. (The world isn't peachy keen like most fairytales with knights in shining armor and riding off into the sunset...)Even, though we don't have to go to MT.Doom to destroy a ring, we still have to deal with many disheartening things that happen to us. I also think that many people can relate to a character in the book, because no one in the book or movie is perfect (except of course Legolas's hair..)
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Post by Nienor on Jun 3, 2004 20:05:08 GMT -5
Right!
It isn't allegory, in fact Tolkien clearly said "This is not allegory!!!" but it is comparable with the troubles we encounter every day!
In truth, to have a good story, you need to have the elements introduced in The Lord of the Rings.
In my mind, there are two kinds of fantasy.
The first one is what most people call fantasy.
Stories that have few believable elements that take place in this world. For instance, a story with unicorns and magical creatures.
The second type is J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis fantasy.
Totally believable things happening in another world.
Something that has many similarities to what happens in real life. In fact, it's almost historical fiction, because it is so close...just in another place.
The things that happen may not be the same, but...well for instance.
In The Lord of the Rings, evil is perverted good.
Melkor (for those who haven't read The Silmarillion, he is one of the Valar, who are like angels in a sense, who wanted power and thus fell into darkness)
started out as one of the most powerful of the Valar. He soon desired the power that Illuvatar ( similar to God) had, and wanted to go his own way, and to make a long story short, ended up evil.
Then, really coming to my point, he took elves, which were nearly the embodiment of good, and tormtured and mutilated them, to create orcs, nearly the embodiment of evil. Balrogs were corrupted Maiar(similar to lesser angels)
It is also that way in our life.
Machines are invented for good purposes, and can be used for evil. Words spoken can be turned against you, when they were originally good.
Evil is all good things corrupted to bad purposes.
Well, thanks for responding, you sure got me going! I love this topic. I have more to say, just got to get some more replies! Hannon le!
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Post by Nienor on Jun 5, 2004 6:41:20 GMT -5
Whoo, reading back over that...you sure got me going!
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Post by Toasterman101 on Jun 5, 2004 14:43:57 GMT -5
Hmmmmmmm this is another good question I think it's so belivable because a lot of it isn't completley fairytale like other books and it seems to have a ring of truth to it. There is also the fact that Tolkien did write about many things going on around him such as World War II and the big buisness' taking over his home (he was quite upset about these and many people know a lot of his work shows it) That was something like what i was thinking. If oyou think about it parts of LOTRs seemes to be reminisent of WWII (like saruman building isengaurd into a huge industrial power kinda sounds like the nazis in my opinion). But there is a lot that is not believable, like magic and the imortal elves, that i think help make the story better. |
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Post by lotrroxmysox on Jun 12, 2004 23:31:24 GMT -5
Because Tolkein is the most AMAZING writer to ever walk this earth and the actors and script in the movie were good
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Post by Kitoky on Jun 14, 2004 16:46:05 GMT -5
I guess part of it that makes it so believable is that the true meaning of the whole book. And why Tolkien simply wrote it. We were told that Tolkien wrote the books just for himself, for his own pleasures of reading it. But also in his mind, then when he thought that no one would ever read his own story, he poured his thoughts into it. His values, his morals.
Though not an allegory! I think the Lord of the Rings are one of those trilogy books that we can identify, oh good guy, bad guy in and love it. It's not bland or anything. Though sure there are also sub stories in there that tell us wow. Tolkien's characters also have parallels with famous figures in our OWN history.
Like what they said in the RotK DVD.
Aragorn compares with William Wallace and Gandalf compares to Elizabeth I 's trusted counselor. And with Grima comparing to Resputin (not sure if I spelled that right). I think how close it deals with in our own history, makes it believable.
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Post by Randir on Jun 24, 2004 4:27:05 GMT -5
I would have to say the music the story the enter
scene.Because okay picture it like this.If you play
the lord of the rings without the sound track the
movie would be awfull.And the emotion would
be gone out of the entire movie because the
music just helps the movie with the emotion
that it's supposed to have weather it should be
happy,sad romantic or suspensefull.The music
just adds the movie.It makes it really emotionall
and believable.
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Post by TariAmandil on Jun 24, 2004 9:06:35 GMT -5
I'm not sure what made it so believable, but I think that it has something to do with that people can relate to the story. It's not like we're gettting taken over by some psycho who wants to rule the Earth, but the countries have been to war before, and there has to be someone who travels the world, so they can relate to them traveling around Middle Earth. (Even though it isn't as hard now.  ) I don't know, just an idea.  |
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Post by Elvawen on Jun 24, 2004 12:00:17 GMT -5
I think that what made Lord of the Rings so believable was that Tolkien was just so amazingly descriptive (he could spend four pages describing a brick wall!) that once you read something it was like a rocket--sending you off to think about what had happened or how he used his words, and then you started connecting it to real life.
LuthienEleni is right--Tolkien kept insisting that his works were not allegories, but we just can't stop ourselves from comparing it to real life.
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Post by Randir on Jun 25, 2004 23:33:26 GMT -5
*nods in agreement.* Tolkien was an incredible
writer though I hated Tom Bombadil.He was a usuless character in the books.The movies were
great!
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Post by TariAmandil on Jun 26, 2004 10:53:53 GMT -5
How can you say that?? I thought that Tom Bombadil was a great character... sure, he didn't contribute a lot to the plot, but he was still a very interesting character.
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Post by Silmarwen Inglorion on Jun 26, 2004 10:58:21 GMT -5
What do you mean, on earth? Middle Earth is earth. When Tolkien wrote the tales, he was writing a past history of Britain, in essence, because he felt the British did not truly have any lore of their own. As for magic and elves... Some of us find that believable. Call me insane, but I do. Perhaps that's what made his tales so realistic. The fact that this was the history people wanted to believe in so much, that it simply became true for us.
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Post by Nienor on Jun 28, 2004 10:14:39 GMT -5
I loved Tom Bombadil. He was an essential charactor. Notice that the Ring had no effect on him? He simply didn't want or need all that it could offer. Its evil didn't apply to him.
The music is incredible, yes. HOward Shore is an amazing composer. But this is a bit more about the book.
And yes, Tolkien said it was NOT allegory, but it is supposed to be applicable to real life. To have a good story, it has to be applicable to real life. If you want to have something people will identify with, take real qualities.
I don't reallythink that Middle-Earth was supposed to be early Europe exactly, but I do know that he wrote it so that there would be English myths. But people don't think that all the early american stories were true all the time, so he doesn't nessecarily need them to be believed. Oh well, which one of us can read his mind! It isn't all that important...as long as we enjoy the books.
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) I don't know, just an idea. 
