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skyofcoffeebeans
Nargothrond
Jan 11 2021, 8:00pm
Post #1 of 32
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LOTR 365 Project
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After taking a full load of courses and working two jobs, I completely crashed over the holiday break, got back into LOTRO, watched the films, listened to BOTH the BBC and NPR audio dramas (what exactly was going on behind the scenes with that NPR adaptation?), watched the Bakshi film (sorry but I love it), and decided that come first of January, I wanted to wake up to two or three pages of Tolkien's book for all of 2021.
What this meant was that I opened my ePub of LOTR into Sigil, an ebook publishing client, and divided each chapter into 2-14 segments delineated by Roman numerals that, in the end, correlate to three hundred and sixty five chapters across the 62 chapters. To spruce it up even a little more, I've added artwork from Ted Nasmith, John Howe, Alan Lee, even some fan art, to accompany this read-through. With some final support, I'm also bringing in Rob Inglis to read to me as a supplementary level of immersion, and on some days even Drigesh.
Whenever I normally do a read-through, I'm usually blazing through the book, so it's been very nice to wake up and soak in some of the Shire every morning– though we'll see how well it's working out when Frodo and Sam are trudging through Mordor.
Currently Gandalf and Frodo are hashing some things out in the Bag End study, and I expect we'll be hanging out here for a week or so.
If you don't mind, I'd love to leave this thread for observations that come up while reading. For instance, I've read this passage many times now and still don't quite understand it.
From Book I, Chapter 2: The Shadow of the Past
He refused to go into mourning; and the next year he gave a party in honour of Bilbo’s hundred-and-twelfth birthday, which he called a Hundredweight Feast. But that was short of the mark, for twenty guests were invited and there were several meals at which it snowed food and rained drink, as hobbits say.
I can't make sense of the math. How is twenty guests short of the mark of a Hundredweight Feast? Is the food and drink expected to weigh a hundredweight? It's a very interesting sentence that I just can't make heads or tails of, even after googling the phrase and seeing a conversation from thirteen years ago on this very forum.
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Roverandom
Nevrast
Jan 11 2021, 8:46pm
Post #2 of 32
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One hundredweight is the equivalent of 112 pounds, which jibes with it being Bilbo's 112th birthday. I believe the author is implying that 20 well-fed hobbits would pass that total by quite a bit.
For just as there has always been a Richard Webster, so too has there been a Black Scout of the North to greet him at the door on the threshold of the evening and to guard him through his darkest dreams.
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noWizardme
Gondolin
Jan 12 2021, 4:54pm
Post #4 of 32
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Notes from personal read-throughs have often been a lot of fun and have stimulated interesting conversations here in the past.
I think Roverandom and squire are right about the hundredweight feast.
~~~~~~
"You were exceedingly clever once, but unfortunately none of your friends noticed as they were too busy being attacked by an octopus."
-from How To Tell If You Are In A J.R.R. Tolkien Book, by Austin Gilkeson, in 'The Toast', 2016 https://the-toast.net/...-a-jrr-tolkien-book/
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skyofcoffeebeans
Nargothrond
Jan 12 2021, 6:10pm
Post #5 of 32
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Except to introduce a debate about the merits of exposition. I could see the argument that this entire chapter is an exposition dump, unsuitable for dramatization. And yet it's one of my favorite chapters in the entire book, and a pleasure to sit and listen to for a week at a time. One could view Gandalf's stories here to Frodo as exposition, or take them for what they are: stories in and of themselves, pleasurable and frightening to take in for the sake of those little stories. And this doesn't even take into account how they help the larger narrative.
I guess there's a nugget here: Sauron didn't have a name until this morning, referred to as the Dark Power (if he was ever referenced in Chapter 1) for Chapter 2 so far. It's also interesting to note that when he is first named, Gandalf references a conversation that occurred completely offscreen. The introduction of the titular villain to the protagonist happened outside the scope of the story. I don't know what to make of that, either in terms of what it means for the story itself, what the author's intentions were, or the implications of the book's own frame narrative: when Frodo (or Bilbo?) was writing this chapter, was he simply too frightened to return to that first conversation when Gandalf first told Frodo of the Dark Lord?
And yes, Sauron is named in the Prologue, but I literally have never read the prologue when actually conducting a read-through, for better or for worse. An unsightly tradition, maybe, but the Lord of the Rings for me since I was very young started with the opening of Chapter 1. Knowing some elements of the History of Middle-earth, I would assume the prologue was written later, mostly for the contemporary audiences who had read the Hobbit, as a way for Tolkien to help prepare them for the enormous, completely different book they were about to enter. I've never really found it relevant to my own reading (but I'm totally open to defenses of the prologue– I really don't know it very well).
Below are some desktop screenshots of the ePub I made, but I'm reading them on a tablet, so they aren't necessarily reflective of the medium on which I'm reading.
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noWizardme
Gondolin
Jan 12 2021, 6:26pm
Post #6 of 32
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Oh - Admin opinion needed here, perhaps?
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It's lovely to see the ePub you made, skyofcoffeebeans - it's really beautiful. But you've assembled it from the copyrighted works of others. I'm not supposing that in practice anyone is going to object to this as something you do for your private enjoyment, but it's just possible that it's unwise to publish large excerpts on this forum?
Or perhaps I'm being unduly cautious. So 'admin opinion needed', re any potential copyright trouble you might inadvertently cause this forum (don't worry, they're a really nice and sensible bunch, our admins)! Whatever their ruling, please don't be deterred from letting us know how you get on with your read through.
Sorry to be boring; I hope you don't feel told off and you see the need to check what's OK. I'l try to respond about the joys of Ch2 and about 'exposition' later.
~~~~~~
"You were exceedingly clever once, but unfortunately none of your friends noticed as they were too busy being attacked by an octopus."
-from How To Tell If You Are In A J.R.R. Tolkien Book, by Austin Gilkeson, in 'The Toast', 2016 https://the-toast.net/...-a-jrr-tolkien-book/
(This post was edited by noWizardme on Jan 12 2021, 6:37pm)
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skyofcoffeebeans
Nargothrond
Jan 12 2021, 7:06pm
Post #7 of 32
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I think the admin opinion is warranted
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It's my understanding that a certain level of quotation falls into fair use– but the limits aren't clear to me. I would certainly not be upset if those images were removed, as happy as I am with how it's turned out. Ultimately, this thread will only be relevant to the degree to which it generates discussion about the text itself, not what I've done with it.
In retrospect, 1 screenshot might have been enough. 
(This post was edited by skyofcoffeebeans on Jan 12 2021, 7:09pm)
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Altaira
Superuser
Jan 12 2021, 7:40pm
Post #8 of 32
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Such a relatively small amount of pictures and text shouldn't be a problem
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Of course, I'm not an attorney, but as you said, it's just a small example of what you put together for your morning readings, which I think is a lovely idea and nicely put together too, by the way. I just wouldn't make a habit of posting them every day. However, a bit of text, or an example or two of artwork (crediting the artist) is entirely appropriate.
Koru: Maori symbol representing a fern frond as it opens. The koru reaches towards the light, striving for perfection, encouraging new, positive beginnings.
"Life can't be all work and no TORn" -- jflower
"I take a moment to fervently hope that the camaradarie and just plain old fun I found at TORn will never end" -- LOTR_nutcase
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InTheChair
Nargothrond
Jan 12 2021, 11:18pm
Post #9 of 32
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Maybe if one did it with the Silmarillion...
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Hmm.. Configure ones morning alarm clock, to play a 1/365 part of Rob Inglis readthrough of Lord of the Rings... and then wake up to that every morning... get through the book in a year...
Should be possible with a cellphone and the right software I guess...
I wonder if one would wake up with a start and silently bemoan the morning as is custom anyway... Or if maybe one would not wake up at all if it is too soft spoken...
And how much of the book one would miss...
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skyofcoffeebeans
Nargothrond
Jan 13 2021, 12:26am
Post #10 of 32
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I definitely make sure to have my bearings before turning on the audiobook- I guess I didn’t mean literally wake up to Rob Inglis’s voice so much as wake up, take a sip of water, and eagerly reach for the headphones and ebook.
And so far my enthusiasm has been ‘eager,’ but I’m curious if the habit will hold when the narrative is not as cozy.
As to the point about how much of the book one would miss when half-asleep, so far, I’ve found that my reading has been more acute and painstaking than it ever has, mainly because I’m normally tempted to move at great speed for a high duration. Whereas listening to an audiobook for 10-20 minutes makes me move much slower and analyze the text at a much more granular level.
As far as the software, what I literally did is take the total word count of the entire book (chapters 1-62, but frankly just based on what I googled) and divided it by 365, creating an ideal daily word count of roughly 1300 words or so. Then I measured each chapter’s word count to find ideal daily word counts that corresponded with breaks in the narrative. The most technical element of this project involved ensuring that the audiobook played exactly where I last stopped, which I think is an iTunes setting.
The main thing I would say is that I was perhaps looking for a way to avoid silently bemoaning the morning, as it were, and this was the ritual I devised that so far seems to work pretty well for that purpose- my days will soon be incredibly busy, and in this small way, I can carve out a time to slow down.
And thanks for the feedback, Altaira, I think I’ll just post particularly inspiring pieces of art that may have made it into each day’s reading. For instance, there’s a collection of first-edition Russian illustrations from Ukrainian artist Sergei Iukhimov that I had never seen before putting this ebook together. This different view of Middle-earth was nothing short of extraordinary to discover.
https://www.theverge.com/...-rings-illustrations
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noWizardme
Gondolin
Jan 13 2021, 5:48pm
Post #11 of 32
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~~~~~~
"You were exceedingly clever once, but unfortunately none of your friends noticed as they were too busy being attacked by an octopus."
-from How To Tell If You Are In A J.R.R. Tolkien Book, by Austin Gilkeson, in 'The Toast', 2016 https://the-toast.net/...-a-jrr-tolkien-book/
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noWizardme
Gondolin
Jan 13 2021, 6:00pm
Post #12 of 32
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Is often a headache for writers, I believe. How to avoid the contrived "As you know, your father the King..." scene in which two characters discuss something they both should know already. And how to avoid boring readers who want action already.
As one of those family jokes that get going somehow and remain amusing for all that they're lame, the WizKids and I traditionally react to clumsy exposition (e.g. in a TV show) by throwing our arms and legs wide into an X-position). Not necessary here, I think.
One could view Gandalf's stories here to Frodo as exposition, or take them for what they are: stories in and of themselves, pleasurable and frightening to take in for the sake of those little stories. And this doesn't even take into account how they help the larger narrative.
I like that idea, and the stories keep me engrossed too.
One day I might try a real close reading of this chapter, taking it apart to try and see how it's done. Perhaps the next time the Reading Room does an LOTR readthrough. Or perhaps I'll see it all done masterfully if the famous before-my-time 2005 read-through by 'a.s'. ever rises again from beneath the waves that consumed older posts here at the end of the TORN '1st age'.
I notice that Tolkien smuggles in a few mentions of things that will matter later, such as the Nazgul and the Dunadain. But I think you'd have to be a much more attentive reader than me to relate the Nazgul to the Black Riders when those first turn up.
One subtle thing do notice is that there's an exact point where 'the ring' becomes 'the Ring'. Nice.
And a cleverer reader than me would also realize the significance of Frodo being able to risk harming his Ring - if he can't even chuck it in the Bag End fireplace, how can he hope to succeed in his quest?
~~~~~~
"You were exceedingly clever once, but unfortunately none of your friends noticed as they were too busy being attacked by an octopus."
-from How To Tell If You Are In A J.R.R. Tolkien Book, by Austin Gilkeson, in 'The Toast', 2016 https://the-toast.net/...-a-jrr-tolkien-book/
(This post was edited by noWizardme on Jan 13 2021, 6:03pm)
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skyofcoffeebeans
Nargothrond
Jan 14 2021, 4:49pm
Post #13 of 32
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... in regards to how Tolkien constructs this chapter is just how similar the structure of Gandalf's stories are to how various film adaptations handle the "Prologue," meaning it's always the history of the Ring, except Gandalf goes further, sticks with Gollum, and follows him to Mordor.
One other thing that's sticking out to me is Gandalf's description of how mortals become possessed by the Ring. Except he's not just describing the Ring. He's presumably describing *any* Ring of Power, meaning if Gandalf decided to hand Frodo his Ring, it would hold similar consequences for Frodo.
'A mortal, Frodo, who keeps one of the Great Rings, does not die, but he does not grow or obtain more life, he merely continues, until at last every minute is a weariness. And if he often uses the Ring to make himself invisible, he fades: he becomes in the end invisible permanently, and walks in the twilight under the eye of the Dark Power that rules the Rings. Yes, sooner or later – later, if he is strong or well-meaning to begin with, but neither strength nor good purpose will last – sooner or later the Dark Power will devour him.’
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noWizardme
Gondolin
Jan 15 2021, 6:49pm
Post #14 of 32
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which makes me wonder how Gandalf himself is faring
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One other thing that's sticking out to me is Gandalf's description of how mortals become possessed by the Ring. Except he's not just describing the Ring. He's presumably describing *any* Ring of Power... "A mortal, Frodo, who keeps one of the Great Rings, does not die, but he does not grow or obtain more life, he merely continues, until at last every minute is a weariness."
That's what I think too. Which makes me wonder how Gandalf himself is faring:
Gandalf is mortal (I think)
He keeps one of the Great Rings
Therefore...?
Though it is possible to over-apply logic to the story, I think
~~~~~~
"You were exceedingly clever once, but unfortunately none of your friends noticed as they were too busy being attacked by an octopus."
-from How To Tell If You Are In A J.R.R. Tolkien Book, by Austin Gilkeson, in 'The Toast', 2016 https://the-toast.net/...-a-jrr-tolkien-book/
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skyofcoffeebeans
Nargothrond
Jan 16 2021, 4:41pm
Post #15 of 32
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What is the evidence to suggest Gandalf is mortal?
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There is that quote at the beginning of Chapter 2 suggesting he had aged since Bilbo's party, to be sure, but I've always taken that as Frodo sensing the great weight on Gandalf that he's endured recently, and it's showing on his face. There's an artist named Donato Giancola who seems to really nail this in his depictions of Gandalf.
This quote is also an interesting addition to our pieces of evidence about Rings of Power and how they operate.
He knows that it is not one of the Three, for they have never been lost, and they endure no evil.
So the Three endure no evil, but what would happen if a mortal were to bear it? Presumably they would merely continue as Gandalf suggested, until at last every minute is a weariness, but perhaps the One would operate differently on a bearer than the Three, since they "endure no evil."
What I can take away from these passages is that Smeagol might look somewhat different if he had bitten off Galadriel's finger and successfully taken her Ring.
(This post was edited by Ataahua on Jan 16 2021, 9:14pm)
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Ataahua
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
Jan 16 2021, 9:17pm
Post #16 of 32
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A stunning portrait, but the image is oversized.
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Sorry SOCB, I hated to remove the image because it's truly a gorgeous artwork but it's far too big for our discussion boards.
If you like, you can either resize it to the dimensions I'll post below or get a direct link to the image on the artist's website, and post a new message within this thread.
From TORN's FAQ: the maximum size of any picture posted should be 525 wide x 400 pixels high (or a better measure is: 210,000 pixels squared - width x height), but no wider than 670 pixels.
Cheers.
Celebrimbor: "Pretty rings..."
Dwarves: "Pretty rings..."
Men: "Pretty rings..."
Sauron: "Mine's better."
"Ah, how ironic, the addictive qualities of Sauron’s master weapon led to its own destruction. Which just goes to show, kids - if you want two small and noble souls to succeed on a mission of dire importance... send an evil-minded beggar with them too." - Gandalf's Diaries, final par, by Ufthak.
Fantasy novel - The Arcanist's Tattoo
My LOTR fan-fiction
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noWizardme
Gondolin
Jan 17 2021, 12:58pm
Post #18 of 32
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oops - that was me misremembering things
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I checked back on the Istari essay in Unfinished Tales. Nope: wizards arrived looking old and looked older as time went by, but they were not known to die of natural causes. So I don't think they're mortal.
So that line of speculation should be abandoned. Sorry about that.
~~~~~~
"You were exceedingly clever once, but unfortunately none of your friends noticed as they were too busy being attacked by an octopus."
-from How To Tell If You Are In A J.R.R. Tolkien Book, by Austin Gilkeson, in 'The Toast', 2016 https://the-toast.net/...-a-jrr-tolkien-book/
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skyofcoffeebeans
Nargothrond
Jan 19 2021, 2:16pm
Post #19 of 32
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“Wake up, hobbits!’ he cried. ‘It’s a beautiful morning.’
‘What’s beautiful about it?’ said Pippin, peering over the edge of his blanket with one eye. ‘Sam! Get breakfast ready for half-past nine! Have you got the bath-water hot?’
Sam jumped up, looking rather bleary. ‘No, sir, I haven’t, sir!’ he said.
Frodo stripped the blankets from Pippin and rolled him over, and then walked off to the edge of the wood.”
Excerpt From
The Lord of the Rings
J.R.R. Tolkien
This material may be protected by copyright.
Frodo’s rather aggressive about getting the day started, isn’t he?
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N.E. Brigand
Gondolin
Jan 20 2021, 7:31pm
Post #20 of 32
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Reminds me a little of Gollum.
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In some of his "wake up" interactions with Frodo and Sam.
Treachery, treachery I fear; treachery of that miserable creature.
But so it must be. Let us remember that a traitor may betray himself and do good that he does not intend.
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Discuss Tolkien's life and works in the Reading Room!
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How to find old Reading Room discussions.
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skyofcoffeebeans
Nargothrond
Jan 27 2021, 1:45pm
Post #21 of 32
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“I come from yonder,” he said, slow and stiff-like, pointing back west, over my fields, if you please. “Have you seen Baggins?”
I wonder how long the Riders spent studying local colloquialisms in their journey west. And is the Rider not particularly directionally aware in this passage, or is there something more interesting going on?
(This post was edited by skyofcoffeebeans on Jan 27 2021, 1:45pm)
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Otaku-sempai
Elvenhome
Jan 27 2021, 3:05pm
Post #22 of 32
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“I come from yonder,” he said, slow and stiff-like, pointing back west, over my fields, if you please. “Have you seen Baggins?” I wonder how long the Riders spent studying local colloquialisms in their journey west. And is the Rider not particularly directionally aware in this passage, or is there something more interesting going on?
I think the Wraith was simply indicating his most recent direction of travel (in search of Baggins), not his place of origin.
#FidelityToTolkien
#DiversityWithFidelity
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skyofcoffeebeans
Nargothrond
Jan 27 2021, 4:19pm
Post #23 of 32
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But every time I've ever read that line before, I've read it as some veiled reference to Mordor. But when taken quite literally, it seems to be a reference to the Hobbiton, the Hill, and the Gaffer.
I'm trying to link it in my mind to Numenor, but it doesn't really make sense in context of the actual interaction the wraith has with Maggot, so I think you're right.
(This post was edited by skyofcoffeebeans on Jan 27 2021, 4:19pm)
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Ethel Duath
Gondolin
Jan 27 2021, 10:50pm
Post #24 of 32
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"over my fields, if you please" is a bit of outrage on F. Maggot's part that instead of using the road, like any well-bred visitor, the Nazgul traipsed, horse and all, right over Maggots private fields (and possibly over some choice mushroom beds).
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skyofcoffeebeans
Nargothrond
Feb 3 2021, 5:30pm
Post #25 of 32
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On this readthrough, it occurred to me that the first image and descriptions we get of Old Man Willow are literally through Frodo's eyes as he looks up. It's very cinematic! I have never seen this perspective in paintings of Old Man Willow, and now really want to see this image in my head! You could probably get really close to the description by playing the Old Forest in LOTRO in first person just under Old Man Willow.
“Suddenly Frodo himself felt sleep overwhelming him. His head swam. There now seemed hardly a sound in the air. The flies had stopped buzzing. Only a gentle noise on the edge of hearing, a soft fluttering as of a song half whispered, seemed to stir in the boughs above. He lifted his heavy eyes and saw leaning over him a huge willow-tree, old and hoary. Enormous it looked, its sprawling branches going up like reaching arms with many long-fingered hands, its knotted and twisted trunk gaping in wide fissures that creaked faintly as the boughs moved. The leaves fluttering against the bright sky dazzled him, and he toppled over, lying where he fell upon the grass.”
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