The Lord of the Rings

J. R. R. Tolkien

Quite possibly the best work of English Literature of the past century, Tolkien's world of...more

Quite possibly the best work of English Literature of the past century, Tolkien's world of Middle-Earth is on the brink of destruction in "The Lord of the Rings". Spanning 1,216 pages(give or take a few pages depending on which you edition you have), this novel is the epitome of dramatic fantasy, even though it isn't that much of a 'fantasy' per se. Keep in mind that while reading this, the story isn't allegorical in any way, shape or form; Tolkien despised the idea of allegory. Also keep in mind that referring to the novel as a trilogy is completely erronous, Tolkien wote this as a novel and it was split up into 3 parts to be published because paper wasn't cheap in the 1950's. The novel itself is beautifully written and nearly 40 years of back story to support really brings reality into the words.The characters all have human characterisitics and are easy to relate to even though there is little or no character development; the story is completely plot driven. The imagery portrayed in the pages brings together a world unlike ours, yet it is very familiar. The story is timeless and deals wth hope and despair and the will to fight no matter the size of your body, only the size of your heart. Tolkien's genius as expert linguist and connoisseur of Anglo-Saxon literature really shine in the different cultures and peoples in the world of Middle-Earth( as a matter of fact, some of the dialogue used by the Rohirrim is written in the same meter as the epic poem Beowulf, which Tolkien was very influenced by). Just the immense amount of detail is worth noting when explaining why this is one of the best novels ever written. All in all, it is a must read but it's not for the faint hearted. I read "The Lord of the Rings" once of year and have been doing so for a few years now and will continue to for the rest of my life.   hide

En voici un que je n'ai pas besoin de résumer. Beaucoup d'entre vous l'ont sûrement...more

En voici un que je n'ai pas besoin de résumer. Beaucoup d'entre vous l'ont sûrement déjà lu en français, alors parlons plutôt de la question suivante : à quoi bon le lire en VO, surtout si on l'a déjà lu en français ? Tout simplement parce que le style de Tolkien est extrêmement travaillé, et qu'on l'apprécie beaucoup mieux que dans la traduction (qui a été maintes fois critiquée par les spécialistes, et ce ne serait pas surprenant qu'on en fasse une autre bientôt). Tolkien a un anglais très soutenu, et emploie par endroits des mots archaïques. Bien sûr, il faut avoir un assez bon niveau d'anglais pour apprécier ça (personnellement je serais passé à côté de plein de choses si je n'avais pas eu l'occasion de lire du Shakespeare en VO en prépa), mais ça en vaut la peine, et dans le doute vous pouvez commencer par lire The Hobbit, à la langue moins complexe, avant d'attaquer The Lord of the Rings. Et l'anglais permet aussi de mieux apprécier l'humour de Tolkien... Maintenant, tapons un peu sur ce grand classique. On dit qu'il est parfois ennuyeux, qu'il y a des longueurs : oui, c'est vrai ! Mais contrairement à ce que j'entends souvent ("ça met du temps à démarrer avec les hobbits et tout, mais faut s'accrocher, la suite en vaut la peine"), je trouve qu'au contraire, tout le début est très bien, et tant qu'il y a des hobbits on ne s'ennuie pas parce qu'il y a toujours assez d'humour ; mais vers le milieu, quand on est embarqué dans les affaires d'humains et d'elfes, il y a des moments où ça devient abominablement sérieux et solennel, et où je me suis franchement ennuyé. Heureusement ça n'est jamais très long... de même pour certains Appendices relatant des généalogies et des dizaines de batailles à n'en plus finir, et où j'ai fini par crier grâce. Mais bon, il y a aussi des gens qui aiment ça...   hide

I have to say that this is the greatest piece of Fantasy literature I've ever read. In terms of...more

I have to say that this is the greatest piece of Fantasy literature I've ever read. In terms of depth of detail and world creation, I have yet to read an author who's managed to top Tolkien's Middle-earth. Every culture is unique, and as I went through the novel I got the impression of a very rich and vibrant history underlying each race and country (it wasn't until years later that I found out about "The Silmarillion"). In my opinion, it is a beautiful and artfully told story with some very richly developed characters (of course, some of the other character are essentially heroic proto-forms, but hey, so was Beowulf! ;) ). To this day, I still use "The Lord of the Rings" as kind of a benchmark against which I measure all the other Fantasy literature I read, and I still think of Tolkien as the Granddaddy of all modern fantasy literature. A word of advice, though: After you finish "The Lord of the Rings", consider taking on "The Silmarillion". I'm not going to lie to you, it is a dry, dry read (I had to take a couple of runs at it before I finally managed to make it all the way through), but if you do finish it, then go back and re-read "The Lord of the Rings" sometime, there are some passages that hold so much more resonance. You start to perceive just how many onion-like layers of theme and history Tolkien wove into this novel. Anyway, this is probably much more than my two cents already. In short, my recommendation is that you give this one a look over if you have any affinity at all for Fantasy. It really is a gem of the genre.   hide

Those who have been longtime connoisseurs of Tolkein's work The Lord of the Rings will appreciate...more

Those who have been longtime connoisseurs of Tolkein's work The Lord of the Rings will appreciate this latest and updated reprint in the original fashion and vision of the author. Few fantasy authors have graced us with such an engrossing microcosm to escape to. The only qualm some will have to bear as a part of its nostalgia is the way Tolkien's work reads: despite vivid and complex imagery, it at times sounds like a history text book in execution. Aside from that, the work is still a joy for diehard fantasy readers. if you can't imagine yourself reading this book - primarily out of fear that you will be an uber geek if caught holding it - then by all means purchase the volume edition of this work, complete with the Hobbit, the definitive prequel to the saga and also a unique story all its own.   hide

W.H. Auden's THE NEW YORK TIMES book review 22 Jan. 1956. "Life, as I experience it in my own...more

W.H. Auden's THE NEW YORK TIMES book review 22 Jan. 1956. "Life, as I experience it in my own person, is primarily a continuous succession of choices between alternatives..... for objectifying this experience, the natural image is that of a journey with a purpose, beset by dangerous hazards and obstacles.... But when I observe my fellow-men, such an image seems false. I can see, for example, that only the rich and those on vacation can take journeys; most men, most of the time, must work in one place. I cannot observe them making choices, only the actions they take and, if I know someone well, I can usually predict how he will act in a given situation.... If then, I thy to describe what I see as if I were an impersonal camera, I shall produce, not a Quest, but a 'naturalistic' document.... Both extremes, of course, falsify life. There are medieval Quests which justify the criticism made oby Erich Auerbach in his book MIMESIS; 'The world of knightly proving is a world of adventure.... [the knight's] exploits..... are feats accomplished at random which do not fit into any politically purposive pattern.' .... Mr. Tolkien has succeeded more completely than any previous writer in this genre in using the traditional properties of the Quest." Letter #183. Contains beautiful watercolor illustrations by Alan Lee presented in it's intended form, one volume.   hide