This is a big one.
Beyond the hefty size of the text itself, more than a
thousand pages and over 50 hours or audio book, The Lord of the Rings is a
mammoth in the world of popular culture and storytelling. I don’t think there’s
a way to overstate how much this book has influenced our collective
unconscious. There is not an artistic or cultural outlet that has not either
seen a direct port of Lord of the Rings or else a
Even more than that though, The Lord of the Rings is a huge
book for me. I don’t remember how old I was when I first read it. I had already
read The Hobbit and had watched the animated version of LOTR so was somewhat
familiar with it anyway. I was a teenager, that’s for sure, but I hadn’t
received my driver’s license yet. I was probably 13 or 14 and this book gripped
me in a way I still can’t properly explain.
Part of it was, of course, the story. I remember feeling
amazed that the One Ring, something that was little more than a curiosity in
The Hobbit, could be such a vile and powerful thing. I was a big fan of some of
the more “goth” (not Gothic) literature as a young teen. I devoured Poe and had
more than a few books of collected ghost or murderer stories but Lord of the
Rings presented me with my first real understanding of what evil is- it’s
corruption. It’s pride of self or country mutated into a lumbering monster.
It’s Boromir losing his honor for fear of what would happen to his people. It’s
Galadriel’s horrific moment of temptation. It’s Bilbo Baggins hissing and
snatching at his beloved nephew (actually cousin but whatever) for want of the
Ring. It’s poor, poor, poor old Smeagol.
Another part of my teenage obsession was the idea of travel.
My hometown was no Hobbiton but it wasn’t too far off. The idea that so many
different peoples and adventures were to be had in the great “out there” was
very appealing and I didn’t quite get why Sam, Merry, Pippen and Frodo wanted
so much to go home. Now as an adult I get it but the idea that there was an
adventure out there to be had was… well, it was a helpful motivator in pushing
me to some of my most memorable and worthwhile adventures including moving
across the country to be closer to my girlfriend who later became my wife.
It’s not a perfect book. The last, say, eight hours could be
condensed quite a bit as things seem to get long after the climactic moment
where the Ring is destroyed. Still, for the most part the story is very
readable- so readable in fact I wonder where the Fantasy genre of book got its
penchant for ludicrously obtuse wording. I don’t think there is a “thee” or
“thou” anywhere in here.
In an early review of The Lord of the Rings, it was said
that the English world is divided into two groups: Those who have read Lord of
the Rings and The Hobbit and those who will. Today I think it’s safe to say
that the world is divided into those who have read Lord of the Rings and the
Hobbit and those who have experienced the story in some other medium and it
totally deserves its place as one of the most celebrated books of all time.
Coming up! I’m still reading Infinite Jest but that’s slow
going as I’m not sure if I’m even reading it right. I’m also starting on Gone
with the Wind on audio book.
