Shelob'sAppetite
Valinor
Oct 3 2012, 2:53am
Views: 3311
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Though this "debasement of language," as it were, comes out earlier. Gandalf's mockery of Bilbo's multiple uses of "good morning" is a dig at Bilbo's (or modern man's, and certainly, modern Britain's) propensity for sucking all meaning out of words that in the past had real and solid meaning. Bilbo says "good morning," though he means "shove off!" This kind of language use is also partly behind legalese, which is incredibly dry, difficult to discern the meaning of, and mostly devoid of spirit and poeticism. I can imagine Tolkien finding legalese to be the "wraithing" of language. Not dead, but just barely and unnaturally alive.
In an Unexpected Party, I still think the distinction is there. The fact that Thorin thought the song was enough information for Bilbo to go on is clear evidence of that. Bilbo, of course, cannot accept that. He must have it all clear and plain, and essentially, in legalese. But from Thorin's perspective, Bilbo's "plain and clear" probably means "tortured and unclear." He still prefers songs over documents, despite his diminishment in exile.
(This post was edited by Shelob'sAppetite on Oct 3 2012, 2:57am)
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