6 days agomusicmountainmagic
So insightful. Just when you can’t bear it any more and can’t catch your breath, your given that calmer story with GOOD and magical characters. I am a huge Bombadil /Goldberry fan so I can’t wait to see what Stephen Colbert, his son and Peter Jackson create.
6 days agothe.wildflower.workshop.sc
Absolutely agree! It's what makes the series such a draw and like you said, so immersive. I appreciate the inhale and exhale because the intensity of the story. It keeps you hooked!
6 days agonanamollyjean
As a child when I read LOTR I wished he would just get on with the story! Everything was about the plot to me. Now I wish there was another book or two of traveling through the interesting country and small adventures.
6 days agomacharehere
I love this idea of inhales and exhales in terms of pacing in “The Fellowship of the Ring”. It makes the book seem almost alive, doesn’t it?
6 days agoj.barnes079
I hadn't noticed that before but my next re-read will be with it in mind. Thank you for the post. It has given me a different perspective on a much loved story. 👏👏👏❤️
6 days agomiddleagedmystic
I've only just finished reading LOTR for the first time (aged 62!) and I was struck by the structure of the novel. I love the reprieves that Tolkien gives us - it's needed! His writing is so intense I looked forward to each period of respite! As I said, I've just finished it - but I might have to start it all over again 😂 Absolutely loved it ❤️
6 days agolordbakunin
I love all the "safe harbors" the characters get to visit before being thrown back into the danger. It also heightens the stakes and courage and agency of the characters, because in most of these places they could just stop and not go on and be relatively safe for a long time. But the keep making the hard decision to continue the quest and it just shows the strength of their resolve
7 days agounderthepartytree
It’s like a beautiful song that affects the soul; a tension and a release that carries you through each section of music, invoking emotion and visions in the mind as the artist paints the world all around you. I can definitely see this in Tolkien’s writing and I’m thankful for it! With only one or the other, the story would either be too airy-fairy, rainbows and butterflies or too dark and heavy to bear up under its weight. His way of guiding us through the story feels like real life; the ebb and flow of tension and release; stress and peace.
7 days agochaosbound
It's like he's giving us the chance to process what happened instead of jumping from danger to danger. I noticed it and very much appreciate it!!
7 days agocationdesigns
I used to be frustrated with the slow inhale sections as a younger person, but as I mature I appreciate it so much more, especially since life feels like one long, furious exhale.
7 days agodthomp14227
Your post is a wonderful observation. It brings to mind an article I read about the interlace method Tolkien employed in his writing. I later encountered the IM when I reread Sir Gawain in university. I wonder if the pacing we enjoy in the LotR books is partly enabled by Tolkien's mastery of medieval literature, and his desire to create myth in that tradition.
7 days agoalittletookish
I've absolutely noticed this before and it's something else I love so much abt lotr.
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