I spoke with someone I dearly love on Sunday and discovered that she's never read The Lord of the Rings.
Now Heaven knows that J. R. R. Tolkien does not need any nod from me, and this book has been reviewed and referenced a thousand times by people who are far more articulate and knowledgeable than me (most notably my hero, C.S. Lewis). But friends do not let friends go through life without reading The Lord of the Rings, so here we are.
The Lord of the Rings is fiction that tells the truth. Tolkien is well known for creating the world of Middle Earth -- filled with beautiful languages and cultures and careful histories seemingly passed down through songs and folklore. But in my opinion the brilliant beauty of this book is not in the world Tolkien masterfully constructs, but in the piercing truths he illuminates about our own world.
As she experiences the valor and cowardice of the characters in the book, the reader may find herself assessing her own life through the lens of that world. When the circumstances are stripped away the realities are the same.
If you have not read The Lord of the Rings, 2009 is your year. I learned more about the world and myself through this work of fiction than through any non-fiction book I've ever read besides the Bible. Go read it!
4 comments:
Tolkien. Tolkiiieeen!!
Ahem. Psycho red-pen moment. I before E, dear. ;)
Apologies. I fixed it.
Crap. I didn't know you still read this. Now I'm all self-conscious! A real writer reading my crappy blog....
In my defense, this blog was written one-handed with a crying baby in my ear.
I have to agree wholeheartedly! I love LOTR - it is one of the best told stories I've ever read! I still have my original books that my parents gave me when I was in 2nd grade!
Let's do the math -- you're keeping up a regular (and well-written) blog. Aside from e-mails, 'writing' for me these days consists of casting wistful, guilt-fueled glances at my laptop. Now who's the writer?
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