tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404305187176881635.post2563734969759323957..comments2023-10-16T03:42:56.455-04:00Comments on Wandering Thoughts: Something to Bore or AmuseJ.R.Shirleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08498164179579546593noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404305187176881635.post-37363179837991762062008-02-27T12:51:00.000-05:002008-02-27T12:51:00.000-05:00Heh. S'okay- it's literature. It should be deepl...Heh. S'okay- it's literature. It should be deeply personal. I think I agree.J.R.Shirleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08498164179579546593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6404305187176881635.post-8350587846199770722008-02-27T11:05:00.000-05:002008-02-27T11:05:00.000-05:00I'll be burnt at the stake for this, but here goes...I'll be burnt at the stake for this, but here goes:<BR/><BR/>I don't think the lessons are obscure, they seem pretty clear to me. But like all great art they are presented in a way that makes them impalpable to the receiver until afterward.<BR/><BR/>I first read The Hobbit as quite a young child, maybe eight. I really liked it, it resonated with me. (When I read it again later, even more so.) <BR/><BR/> I believe it's because of all the things you talk about. I lived in an unpredictable and difficult environment, as of course do almost all children to one degree or another. A lot of these themes you've laid out are ways to cope with being limited and helpless. <BR/><BR/>I suspect that Tolkien's experiences in the sausage machine of the Western Front reminded him of the terrifying confusion children live in daily, and reminded him of these simple, valuable lessons.<BR/><BR/>Thank you for helping me think about these things.<BR/><BR/>The burn at the stake part- LOTR just never worked for me.staghoundshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05976667812875074135noreply@blogger.com