Rereading The Return of the King

[birdienl]

Last week I finished my reread of Lord of the Rings with The Return of the King (and parts of the Appendices). I'm not a very quick reader, so I spread out rereading Tolkien's masterpiece over three years; first The Fellowship of the Ring, then The Two Towers and now The Return of the King. And though I've enjoyed every page of this reread and 'discovered' many new gems of scenes and  quotes, it wasn't until The Return of the King that I was really wowed again by just what an amazing feat this work of Tolkien is.

My thoughts in a few bulletpoints:
- As mentioned, this was my second reading of LOTR and I've watched the movie trilogy multiple times. I know exactly what's meant to happen, how the story is going to end. And yet, I was completely enthralled again while reading about the siege of Gondor, my feelings while reading moving with the tides of hope and despair the characters feel, reading in a full bus during morning rush hour and completely forgetting my surroundings. These sort of reading experiences are a testament to really, really good writing.
- I was struck by how real Middle Earth felt, how much while reading you believe it is a world you can just step into, a world you are a part of somehow. I'm usually easily annoyed with a book when reading a scene and thinking: 'That would never happen in reality', so it is wonderful that a world full of dwarfs, elves and wizards can feel so real. I think it is because the characters feel so very human (even if they are a hobbit or an elf). Their thoughts, fears, hopes and relationships are recognizable, even though they live in a world so unlike our own.
- Ofcourse, the 'realness' of Middle Earth is also due to the great amount of detail Tolkien used in portraying it. That's why LOTR doesn't stop at the end of The Return of the King for me, the Appendices are a vital part of LOTR as a whole. In it, you can discover even more about all the characters, discover where they came from, how the history of their families made them who they were when you first read about them in The Fellowship of the Ring. And of course you will learn facts which will make you sigh happily, such as Sam having a big family with 13 children and Eomer marrying a princess from Dol Amroth. But most of all, you will be stunned by the enormous amount of thought that Tolkien put into creating LOTR and creating Middle-Earth!
- Even though the LOTR movie trilogy is wonderful and overall a great adaptation, it is no match to the complexity and intricacies of the book. One example of what stood out to me in this reread was the role of Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth. He is very important during the siege of Gondor and the Battle before the Black Gate. He is mentioned as one of the Captains of the West, alongside Aragorn and Eomer. Yet in the movie he is not mentioned and we barely see him (apparently he is in the cast list, but only in a few shots). Lesson learned: books as rich and complex like LOTR can simply never fully be condensed into a movie (even if those movies are > 9 hours...)

Now, I think I'll put a reread of The Silmarillion on my list next. I'll simply never tire of Middle Earth!

Comments

[richyl88.livejournal.com]

I have not read lotr is such a long time. I bought the box a few months back but as always I have more books to read then I have time for!

[birdienl.livejournal.com]

Ugh, I know all about it. Especially with rereads, they almost feel like reading time 'lost' when there are some many new books to read!

[richyl88.livejournal.com]

Exactly!

[msantimacassar.livejournal.com]

Your reactions sound much like mine when I finally read the entire trilogy! It is truly magical! And actually feels like a real world!

[birdienl.livejournal.com]

Great minds think alike (hehe)! And what a lovely and fitting icon you've got!

[msantimacassar.livejournal.com]

For sure! And thank you :-)

[ever-maedhros.livejournal.com]

I think I'll just sit here starry-eyed for a minute. I haven't read Return of the King for a few months, and yet I feel swept back to the battle of Pelennor Fields.

You're absolutely right about Tolkien manages to create a fantastic world that still feels grounded and real. Oh, to be able to wield that same power!

[birdienl.livejournal.com]

It's so powerful, I felt the need to blink back tears or stifle a wide grin while I was reading in public. I hardly ever feel these emotions when reading (I do when watching a movie or tv show, I'm a real crybaby that way)

[ever-maedhros.livejournal.com]

Tolkien's imagery and characterization is so vivid. It makes sense that his writing affects you the very same way that movies and tv shows do. :)

[plumeriandeity.livejournal.com]

Oh, I LOVE "Return of the King." Definitely my most favourite of the three books in the LOTR series.

I really love the movie versions too, but I think Fellowship was the most faithful. Two Towers is actually my favourite of the movie trilogy, and Return of the King was the most disappointing. To me, the thing that really made ROTK the best was the love story of Eowyn and Faramir. They are two of my favourite characters and it's just so beautifully done...and the movie MESSED IT UP! I'm so angry that we get literally four scenes of Eowyn and Faramir, and granted, the actors do their best, but it takes out all the emotion from the book. I was just upset (and the extended edition didn't do it justice either!).

Anyway - I'm done ranting :) I've been meaning to catch up on LOTR. I was rereading ROTK last year, and then stopped when I just got too busy. I'll have to fish my copy out and start reading it again. Thanks for this great post!

[birdienl.livejournal.com]

I don't know if Fellowship was the most faithful. They cut quite large pieces of the narrative out, like Tom Bombadil. Although I understand why they did it. Ofcourse also pieces of ROTK were cut out, like the fighting for the Shire at the very end. And again, from a movie perspective, I understand why. Let's just say you have to enjoy books and movies side by side!

I was actually sort of surprised, upon this reread, to discover my favourite part from ROTK is NOT in the book, the speech of Aragorn before the Black Gate ('I see in your eyes the same fear that belies the heart of me' etc.)That was a good addition, Peter Jackson!

Ah, the romance between Eowyn and Faramir, that's indeed a very lovely part of ROTK. I've not yet seen the extended edition, but I heard there was quite some extra material of this couple. I should really remedy that.

[hamlettethedame.livejournal.com]

I haven't reread these in several years, but I'm planning to do so this fall. I'm getting excited!

Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth is one of my favorite characters, and I've never managed to figure out who he's supposed to be in the movies. Such a shame. I also miss Glorfindel -- he's so awesome in the book! Can ride openly against The Nine -- it doesn't get any awesomer than that :-) It even outdoes my beloved Boromir holding a bridge against a Nazgul.

(In case you haven't figured out, I'm Hamlette from Hamlette's Soliloquy and The Edge of the Precipice)

[birdienl.livejournal.com]

Hello, hello, how nice to see you here! I didn't know you had an LJ. I've been wanting to start a blog for a while now, to repost my stuff from LJ, as I'm following quite some blogs myself already, but haven't had time so far....

Anyway, this is supposedly Imrahil in the movies https://www.google.nl/search?hl=nl&q=prince+of+dol+amroth&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.45512109,d.d2k&biw=1280&bih=709&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=WtpzUe_XEunL0QX754CoCw#imgrc=WudppOfpOXzs1M%3A%3BufXCf8bHPHqANM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fbidwicket.com%252FItem%252FC%252FCollectible_Card_Games%252FLord_of_the_Rings%252FSingles%252FSiege_of_Gondor%252F4375_1M_Imrahil__Prince_of_Dol_Amroth.JPEG%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fbidwicket.com%252FItem%252FC%252FCollectible_Card_Games%252FLord_of_the_Rings%252FSingles%252FSiege_of_Gondor%252F4375_Imrahil__Prince_of_Dol_Amroth.html%3B290%3B403, but he doesn't even speak a line or anything. I've never really missed Glorfindel very much, I'm a big Arwen fan and was glad she got some more space in the movies and rescue Frode from The Nine. 'If you want him, come and claim him!'

[hamlettethedame.livejournal.com]

Yikes! Not at all how I picture him, lol. Maybe I'm glad he's not in the movies much!

I started an LJ blog years ago because my b-i-l had one. In fact, I met one of my best friends on LJ because I was searching the site for other bloggers with similar interests. But I never post anything on my LJ, just keep the account active so I can comment now and then.