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Post by Sparrow on Aug 31, 2004 20:11:33 GMT -6
Bilbo's initial encounter with a single great spider ends in the spider's death. Now Bilbo moves on to search for the dwarves without further molestation from spiders. Or does he? Then we read, "Hobbits are clever at quietness. . . also Bilbo had slipped on his ring before he started. That is why the spiders neither saw nor heard him coming. !! How do you react to this revelation? What element or device is Tolkien using? One of my great pleasures in reading Tolkien is his storytelling, which resembles a verbal rendition. Oral tradition is important to the history of literature as well as within other Tolkien literature. How is that reflected in the style of The Hobbit ?
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Post by Stormrider on Sept 9, 2004 21:56:04 GMT -6
I love the technique that Tolkien used for The Hobbit with the narrator speaking to the reader. I guess when he wrote it, he did it very similarly to the way he told it to his children. He must have narrated to them, too, to fill them in on details that were important but not really part of the story as it unfolded but helped the reader understand things.
In the 1930's, I imagine (I wasn't around yet!) many people told stories in person or on the radio. No television yet....so narrators were probably an important part of getting all the information across to the listeners.
I like it because it makes the listener/reader feel like he is being spoken to directly in a confidential manner. It brings the listener/reader right into the story.
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Post by MajahTR on Sept 9, 2004 23:03:59 GMT -6
i think the narration style of the Hobbit is exactly what pulls you into the story. i can almost "hear" it being read to me!!! i can see the characters and events in my head as i "listen"...
i think the storytelling art is gradually being replaced by TV and movies so now we hear AND see the story at the same time...
but isn't it great to hear the story and then envision it yourself? imagination is wonderful! Majah
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Post by Greenleaf on Sept 10, 2004 3:26:11 GMT -6
I love the writing style of The Hobbit, too! It's so vivid and captivating! I feel as Tolkien is narrating personally to me and I get immersed into the story. I suppose every reader feels that.
The storytelling art is indeed like a species under extinction. Image is a very powerful medium but TV and movies cannot always live up to one's imagination. With the exception of the LotR movie trilogy, I'm usually disappointed whenever I see a book I've read turned into a movie.
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Post by Andorinha on Sept 10, 2004 12:47:43 GMT -6
Narrative comment, from the posts above, seems to "personalize" the tale being told, seems to draw the reader into the text on an individual basis.
But, I think the device of personal contact between a narrator and the "reader" may also serve another function that makes it particularly effective when addressing "children." It interposes, between the "listener/ reader" and the action of the story a safety feature: the narrator him/ herself. In a sense, the listener-reader is insulated from the full impact of the story's action by the simple fact that it is always understood that the tale being narrated is being told in a safe environment, and that it has a moderator to directly check the audience reactions and keep them from becoming TOO involved in the story.
To diffuse intense emotions, the narrator acts as a reminder that, even if the tale is a real one, it is not actually taking place right now, it is not actually happening, uncontrolled in the present and to the audience. This, I think, provides the sense of warm security that a calming narrative voice can inject whenever impressionable minds (child age or older) become a bit too intensely involved with the drama being related.
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Post by Greenleaf on Sept 11, 2004 8:22:32 GMT -6
Andorinha is right in the feeling of safety aspect. When I read The Hobbit I feel as if I'm listening to the narrator while sitting somewhere cosy (by a warm fireplace, for instance). On the other hand, when I read LotR where there is no such narration style, the story has a much more powerful impact to my feelings, as if I'm there myself.
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Post by MajahTR on Sept 11, 2004 23:12:44 GMT -6
now i know why i like the narration style...and being read to... i am a big chicken and i like being protected... ;D
actually that explanation makes complete sense to me and i heartedly agree!!! Maj
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Post by Stormrider on Sept 3, 2012 13:41:48 GMT -6
How will Peter Jackson do it? Will he include the narrator or not? My original thought is that in a movie setting, a narrator would be annoying rather than charming. But it would depend on how well the director/producer fit the narrator in. Then there is the LOTR/SIL back history stuff that will be included in the movies and there was no narrator for those. So I think Peter Jackson will eliminate the narrator completely.
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