TTT, an anniversary of sorts

[mollyringle]

I was flipping thru my journal (the old-fashioned pen-and-paper one, not this one), and noticed that one year ago tonight I finished reading The Two Towers for the first time. That's something of a milestone, given the traumatic experience that the end of that book provides.

Here's what I said about it - and, be warned, there are very serious spoilers ahead, even if you've seen the movie, because as you may have heard, the movie ends earlier than the book:


I finished The Two Towers, and WOW, what an ending. Tolkien can lull you into thinking that he'll never step up the pace, but you'd be in for a surprise. The last few chapters are impossible to put down, not to mention heartrending. Even though we just KNOW Frodo isn't really dead - I mean, come on, they are not going to kill Frodo before Book 3 even begins - it was still just awfully sad and agonizing to read that "death" scene. Sam weeping over him, "Don't go where I can't follow" - oh, dearie, when I see that scene in the movie come December, I shall be a sniffling mess. [Note: clearly this is before I found out that they weren't including this until the third movie. It was a dark day for everyone when I learned that bit of news.] Argh - this stuff is just SO GOOD. I know I cannot do a single thing in tribute to make it better; all I can do is fawn/drool/worship, and that sounds pretty good, but - DAMN.

I feel like the adoring, frustrated councilman in 'Waiting for Guffman' - "It's just so good; I mean - did you SEE - aagh! DAMN, I wish I was in this production!" I seethe with envy of those who got to work on the filming and writing for the trilogy, though at the same time I realize that if it hadn't been for their vision, I might never have gotten interested in these books. To my own stupid loss.

Indeed. Hard to imagine a time before knowing about the Shelob scene, but there it was. How much fuller a person I am now.
:)

So, anyway, goodnight.

Comments

[deliciouspear.livejournal.com]

~~~~~
Indeed. Hard to imagine a time before knowing about the Shelob scene, but there it was. How much fuller a person I am now.
~~~~~

It's interesting that you say this.
See, I read the Hobbit when I was five and my daddy read me the Lord of the rings when I was six. I've read them over and over. I can recite the Hobbit practically verbatim.

It's so neat to me to watch people experienceing the stories for the first time or near to first time.

My roommate for example hasn't read the books. When she came home from Two Towers she turned to me and said "Thank you for not telling me Gandalf wasn't dead - I screamed SO LOUDLY with Joy in the theatre."

It's neat to watch her reading the book now and finding out all this stuf that I've loved for so long. She ran into the kitchen the other night and yelled "Frodo's a whiney BITCH!!!!!" and stomped out.

Anyway, I'm babbling.

You, as Always, Rock.

~Squee

[deliciouspear.livejournal.com]

Yet another comment.
I LOVE your icon.

You might like these:
http://www.angelfire.com/film/ohelijah/egoth.html

~Squee

[mollyringle.livejournal.com]

Hee, thanks.

I read The Hobbit ages ago, when I was a kid, but for some reason never read LotR till after the first movie. Probably because I believed all the fools who said it was long and boring.

Now I'm curious: when was Frodo being a "whiny bitch," exactly? (I mean, I can think of some possibilties, but which one in particular?)
:)

Re:

[deliciouspear.livejournal.com]

I'm not really sure which particular instance she was complaining about right then.

Lately it's been angst about the "dumbing down" of Pippin and Merry.

~Squee

[poo-head.livejournal.com]

Speaking of icons..

Yours made me hiccup with laughter. Seriously, there is nothing better, NOTHING, than LotR/Monty Python jokes.

[azztec.livejournal.com]

I just wanted to agree with Squee up above me. It is weird, amusing and heart-warming to see so many people getting interested in something that has been the norm for me since I was tiny, lol. It's refreshing, by all means to be able to discuss writings and scenes and character developments I have loved for so long to a large variety of people with a renewed sense of vigour, but at the same time I am also feeling like: "Where have you all been all this time?!?!?!" Many are the same that would have said "It isn't my cup-o-tea" before having seen the quality the movies have managed, and may also lose interest in it once the fervour dies down, and that saddens me a touch, that they will lose the depth to what makes Tolkien, and all fantasy so rich and vividly enjoyable. The other gripe, of course, is the sudden boom in fantasy competition. Modern fantasy, as it is, is generally labelled as an off-shoot of Tolkien's works, which I see as only a half-truth, but with the movies (and to a lesser degree, Harry Potter) on everyone's mind, it will be harder to pull off something of the fantasy pedigree without one looking at you and thinking "LotR got to you as well? Get in line."

Anyways, didn't mean to rant:)) Guess it's my night for it, not that it would make sense to you, since you know me not:p I'll stop polluting your LJ now, and get back to my humble chore of discovering the secret connection between hamsters and inkjets that will win me undisputed dominion over the world as we know it.

Love your parodies, by the way. I suppose I should have mentioned that in a much earlier comment, like when you first posted them, but I am nothing if not lae-zee. Great work, and I am always looking forward to more:D

Namárië, and stay fresh;)

--Azz.

[mollyringle.livejournal.com]

Thanks for commenting. :)

Yeah, clearly a lot of fantasy writers are sort of copying Tolkien, but luckily there are also others doing cool new things. (I liked the His Dark Materials books, for instance - well, the first one was especially good, anyway, but all 3 were well above average.) I myself wrote a fantasy-ish story before reading LotR; it was based on Greek mythology...there are lots of good sources for fantasy, really, and people will always love their fairy tales. I will, in any case!

[jedmiller.livejournal.com]

It is weird, amusing and heart-warming to see so many people getting interested in something that has been the norm for me since I was tiny

Azz, hi. You're definitely right - but I find the weirdest thing is how /un/-weird it is. I mean, like, I keep forgetting that 30 months ago Shadowfax was a new age band to most people and Pippin was a musical. I need to remind myself how cool it is that now more people care, 'cause otherwise I just assume they all must have known all along and just weren't talking about it much...

And thank God PJ did such a good job, otherwise we'd be spending more time with, like, the "Krull" fans, and I'm sorry but I'm just not ready to go there.

:)

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

I read the whole book for the first time only three years ago ... and loved them... and read them 5 or so times since then... and it's really funny to see how similar I thought about it then ;) And I remember how I cried at the end *blush* - not only because the end is so heartstopping but mainly because the book that had been my companion for weeks was over. *sigh*
Anyway, it really is funny to see people read them now. I lent my copy to a fellow student and eventually she couldn't stop reading but read secretely, under her desk, in Japanology class. Every other minute I'd get some commentary like "Oh NO, Frodo is dead!" or "NOOOO, he's alive, oh my god, why does the book and here" or "Aw, Denethor is SUCH a dork" etc... and I'd smile everytime because I so remembered how I felt back then...

And I almost wish I could read The Lord of the Rings for the first time again. Although knowing
the whole story is sooo good. But I'd really give a lot to be able to experience it alö for the first time again *g*

I'm ranting. I'll stop. ;)

Re: :)

[mollyringle.livejournal.com]

And I almost wish I could read The Lord of the Rings for the first time again.

I know what you mean - even though it's only been a year for me. Also I sort of wish I could see the movies without knowing any of the plot ahead of time, just to experience the shocks and surprises!

[(Anonymous)]

Perhaps it is odd for me to comment, as I specifically didn't read this entry. I just wanted to thank you for warning that you give spoilers, as people who gayly go about spoiling novels drive me crazy. So... yeah... kudos on that.

[mollyringle.livejournal.com]

Heh, no problem. I try to be conscientious about these things. :)

definatly

[(Anonymous)]

And I almost wish I could read The Lord of the Rings for the first time again.

aah, me too!

Tho for some reason, the third time I read it(in norwegian) was my favorite, lol. I'm reading it in English now and it's fantastic to read it in the original language. :)

[jedmiller.livejournal.com]

Argh - this stuff is just SO GOOD. I know I cannot do a single thing in tribute to make it better

I don't know exactly why, but I almost teared up when I read this, Lemon. Something about the raw sweetness of it. And I know exactly how you feel.

Read an article once where David Bowie was saying that some days he thinks he's made some good music and other days he puts a Bob Dylan album on and thinks "Why do I bother?"

Hopefully the drooling despairing delight feeds the fire in the good way. I think it does. Mostly. Thank you.

[mollyringle.livejournal.com]

Aww, thanks. I'm glad I have some power of writing, at any rate, even if I'm nowhere near Tolkien's level of fame. :) (Wouldn't want all those hippies hanging out on my lawn, anyway.) And I think you're right: the passion for a story, even someone else's, inspires new creations and thus will generally do good in the world rather than evil.

Heh, Bowie's got nothing to worry about. He's way better than Dylan, at least in my opinion.