|
Post by MajahTR on Jan 14, 2009 18:15:04 GMT -6
Are they necessary to your enjoyment of the book or do you tend to skip them? Last year I skipped just about all the poetry and didn't feel the loss, until reading it this year. I think there are quite a few factors that have increased my enjoyment. Firstly, I was able to listen to all of the poems and songs...which I recommend highly. But, also, increasing my enjoyment is that we read Silmarillion together -- (Tale of Tinuviel which Aragorn tells on Weathertop, in particular) and the current The Adventures of Tom Bombadil study, which gives us a number of poems and songs related to those in LotR. DA
|
|
|
Post by MajahTR on Jan 14, 2009 18:22:22 GMT -6
At the moment I still am pretty much a skipper of songs of poetry in LotR. The most recent time I read the LotR, I read a few more of the songs and poetry and I enjoyed it. I consider it adds depth and extra tidbits to an already awesome narrative and dialogue. I am hoping in the future to actually 'listen' to LotR and listen to the songs and poems and I hope to enjoy them as much as DA did.
Tolkien must have intended to put so many viewpoints in his stories so that a seasoned reader to Tolkien could still get a few surprises when reading his works again for second, fourth even a tenth read of the book. I sure do! Tuor
I'm not a big poetry fan, so I was tempted to skip them, but many of them held some relevance to current situation, so I read through them to gain more understanding of the whole. Some of the poems were really, really good - I don't have my book, but Bilbo has one in FoTR about getting old that nearly made me cry. And I really liked Galadriel's Quenya poem, and also everything Legolas said was poetic. LOL Illadria
I would enjoy the book in any case, I believe, and I think I can kind of understand why others would skip the poems in order to find out what happens next. But, I've always read them, and gradually understood them a little better, I think. And I must say that there are a few poems that are too good to miss. Sticking to FotR, they are, the tale of Tinuviel that Strider sings, the song Gimli sings in Moria, and the song Legolas sings of Nimrodel before they enter Lothlorian. Another thing about this though, I did find the tale of Tinuviel much more pertinant in FotR after I had read the Silmarillion and understood it better. fallohide
I only skipped the poetry the first time I read the Trilogy. I was too excited to find out what happened next, and the story was so good, I knew I would read it again, and then also the poetry. For the next two million times I read it, I savored the poetry, as I did the prose. Reading much slower, I stopped at every comma, re-read lines or paragraphs that were especially touching, even sometimes closing the book for a while to cry or daydream. I do not fault first time readers for not reading the poetry. It is hard to wait to learn what happens next. But once you know the story, you do yourself a diservice if you do not read the beautiful passages that give even more depth to the story. The poetry enriches the story, giving it a dimension not available without it. Whether it is the REGAL type of poetry by Aragorn or Legolas, or the Hobbit-fun poetry of Sam, or the sad-wise poetry of Bilbo/Frodo, the many different types further propels the character developement. It is easier to understand Aragorns mind as a blood heir of Isildur, when he recites poems of grand ancestry, or Sam's personality that enjoys the simple pleasures of life, to see an Oliphaunt for the first time, or a hobbit wise beyond his years, like Bilbo, to know WHY the road goes ever on and on. Missing the poetry is like missing the boat. Don't get left standing on the dock with your hands in your pocketses....... Glor
I, too, skipped most of the poetry the first couple of times that I read the books. I was so involved in the action of the book, I couldn't wait to find out what happened next! I did read some of the shorter verses though since they were quick. Later readings, I tried to read some of the longer poems but was stumped because of the subject matter which seemed to be ancient history related and I found it difficult to understand. Now that I have read the Silmarillion, I will be sure to savor the poems as I come to them this time thru! And I will even understand what they are about! The Tom Bombadil study and Rivers' key poetry pointers have helped me understand poetry ( I hadn't a clue before!). I can now look for alliterations, onomonopeia, rhythms etc. as I read the poems this time. Stormrider
I have always loved poetry--even as a child--so I naturally have enjoyed the poetry in LOTR. However, apart from the pleasure it gave, for me it helped create the sense of ME as a special and "different" place. What I'm trying to say is that Middle Earth would not be as wonderful a place as it is without this idea of poetry being part of the fabric of its make-up and important to the inhabitants. Poetry has a way of expressing the emotions of ideas as well as the ideas themselves. Middle Earth--and LOTR--would be much more "ordianry" without it. (IMHO ) MusicMom
the first time i read the novel, i skipped over them thinking "these are just poems and have no use to the overall plot structure" but reading it a second time i read the poems and they are really well written, and really add the middle-earth culture aspect to the novel. i enjoy reading them, and it would have been a shame if i had not read them. Shelob
I did read the poems the first time, but I was so eager to find out what happened next I read everything really fast. That is why I missed some subtle and obvious details. Now I have read the Silmarillion, which I also have not yet fully grasped, but I know more than I did before, so the poems have more meaning. They give LOTR the feel of having a history which is one thing that makes it seem so real. Sparrow
DaleAnn, I just reread your introduction post and came across this: "There is a thread on the Bombadil Study Board about that some of the poems should be sung. Narrator, Rob Inglis, does just that at the appropriate times in the CDs. (None of the songs are complex, so I urge you to try to sing them aloud to whatever tune seems suitable.) The singing has added an extra richness to the book that was missing before for me. " It reminded me of something I'd forgotten. I've mentioned that I'm not a big poetry fan (ad nauseum, I know), but I adore music and sing often without even realizing it (ask my family ). That is exactly what I did while reading the poems. I sang them. The bards of old told their tales through song (we all know that knowledge gained through music is more easily retained, ie.Schoolhouse Rock, the Alphabet song) During my reading it occured to me that these were not just poems but songs meant to be sung to impart history from one generation to the next. Illadria
On the advice of the same friend who first put the Hobbit into my hands, I did read all the songs and poems on first reading LOTR. However, like Sparrow, I read very quickly missing much of the intended meaning and references. The song that captured me on that first reading was "The Road goes ever on and on" and found myself composing a melody (after finishing the books, not before or during - too eager to find out what happens next.) I even wrote it down so I wouldn’t forget. It got buried for many years, but I recently rediscovered it. Still sounds enchanting to my ears sung or on the penny whistle, even though it had originally been written for piano. I was disappointed that Tolkien hadn’t included sheet music and wondered, if these were meant to be sung, why didn’t he? I agree with what so many of you are already saying. "Missing the poetry is like missing the boat." A very nice way of saying it, Glor. For Tuor the poetry "… adds depth and extra tidbits to an already awesome narrative and dialogue." I’m with you Fallowhide, "there are a few poems that are too good to miss especially the tale of Tinuviel that Strider sings…"-don’t you wonder what the voice sounds like and what the melody is like? I know I do. And Stormrider says she will be sure to savor the poems as she comes to them this time through, as many of us will. Ah, Shelob they really do add the middle-earth culture aspect to the novel, don’t they? Music Mom your idea of "…poetry being part of the fabric of its make-up and important to the inhabitants…" is worth remembering as we read FOTR again. Sparrow, I really liked what you said about giving LOTR "the feel of having a history which is one thing that makes it seem so real" and Illadria reminds us that "the bards of old told their tales through song…that these were not just poems but songs meant to be sung to impart history from one generation to the next. " Sparrow and Illadria I hope you expand on these thoughts under DA’s new thread BookI Chap2: Realism in Fantasy. So, DaleAnn, I think we are all in accord here that the poems and songs are necessary to our enjoyment of the books but that they also impart a deeper understanding of the rich traditions and history of Tolkien’s Middle-earth. And I’m wondering if Music Mom would like to form a Tolkien’s Ring Choir… Annie
Wonderful observations throughout this thread, the verse is indeed an important part of the Trilogy. To read the books and skip the verse on first reading might be okay if all you want is a quick story, but in doing so you will miss so much of the history. It is akin to reading the complete Trilogy and skipping over the Appendices. I'm glad to see so many found the verses worth reading, and as Annie says: "I think we are all in accord here that the poems and songs are necessary to our enjoyment of the books". Speaking of which, I need to be finishing up the "Adventures Study" stat, before I delve an deeper here. Wonderful stuff all! Namárië, Iarwain
The Poetry and the Songs ... As man began to gain interest in "who he was" and "who were those that went before him", man began digging ... not so much in to the earth at first ... but into the literature of the ancients ... the myths, the poems, the songs ... the writings that contained the heart and soul of a people long forgotten. Literature has always been one of the most important tools in the study of Civilization. Tolkien knew this ... The Poems and Songs in LOTR have the primary significance of giving the peoples of Middle-earth that 4th dimension ... Time. Algamesh
I did the same the first time Glor for the same reason you gave. Now every get to a poem I have to read it aloud. LovesBeren
AnnieLT wrote I was disappointed that Tolkien hadn’t included sheet music and wondered, if these were meant to be sung, why didn’t he? I think the answer to that question is found in Tolkien's letters, maybe quoted somewhere on our boards. Tolkien said he didn't have any musical training, or ability, or something like that. You wrote music to "The Road Goes Ever On and On"? Could you be persuaded to share it with us? Sparrow
Hi Sparrow: Trying to catch up one step at a time. Just found your post buried at the bottom and apologize for not seeing it sooner. I will respond to your request in an EM. Thank you. Annie
Two things here: ONE-- Annie, please, please, please send it to me too!!!!! TWO-- Tolkien did in a way, have some musical input into the LotR. He worked on a song cycle with Donald Swann, which I own (and is also available through our book list here!) and have played the tunes on the piano, as the sheet music is provided for many songs, including "The Road goes ever On". Also two other favorites done are "Namárië" the farewell song by Galadriel and "Upon the Hearth the Fire is Red". Our own Iarwain would especially like the TB poem Errantry set to music, and the wonderful long hand letter replicated that Tolkien wrote, of the full poem of Namárië in Elvish with pronunciation info. Glor
|
|