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Child of the 7th Age · 01-20-2003, 12:16 PM

Littlemanpoet and Aratlithiel,

So my link actually worked! Usually they don't.

Artlithiel, what a wonderful story. Third generation Lord of the Ring fans! That is quite something. And the books you have...drool, drool.

We're only working on second generation here. My parents were definitely the Gamgee types in terms of class and interests. A very loving family, but books were hard to come be. They would never have dreamed of opening up The Hobbit or LotR. But my father's family came from Lancashire and Cornwall (first Cornish miners, then Michigan's copper mines) so I grew up with a love of foods, folksongs, tales, etc passed down from grandparents that could loosely be defined as'English'.

When I read about the Shire, it absolutely struck a nerve, and I have been hooked ever since. (Ah, Littlemanpoet, now you can see why I am enamored with the idea of Tolkien's 'mythology for England.') I was in the rare situation of being able to use fantasy and Tolkien as a way to "rebel"--to define my own identity and yet to keep something of my family's values.

My parents definitely did not understand their daughter's interest in Elves or dragons, but their ideas about community, loyalty, hard work, simple creature comforts, etc. were close to those of the hobbits in the Shire.

Plus, I had the added incentive of being part of the 'Frodo Lives' generation who went to college in the late 60s, with posters, buttons, etc. festooning our dorm rooms. We trotted around in long skirts, looking like hobbit girls. I even remember being in an undergraduate Ecology class (something new back in those days!), and the teacher letting us compare the atttudes of our 'modern' world concerning the environment with the ideas expressed in LotR. I felt as if I had been admitted into a secret club!

Good seeing you both on this thread!

sharon

01-20-2003, 12:16 PM	#163
Child of the 7th Age Spirit of the Lonely Star Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 5,133	Littlemanpoet and Aratlithiel, So my link actually worked! Usually they don't. Artlithiel, what a wonderful story. Third generation Lord of the Ring fans! That is quite something. And the books you have...drool, drool. We're only working on second generation here. My parents were definitely the Gamgee types in terms of class and interests. A very loving family, but books were hard to come be. They would never have dreamed of opening up The Hobbit or LotR. But my father's family came from Lancashire and Cornwall (first Cornish miners, then Michigan's copper mines) so I grew up with a love of foods, folksongs, tales, etc passed down from grandparents that could loosely be defined as'English'. When I read about the Shire, it absolutely struck a nerve, and I have been hooked ever since. (Ah, Littlemanpoet, now you can see why I am enamored with the idea of Tolkien's 'mythology for England.') I was in the rare situation of being able to use fantasy and Tolkien as a way to "rebel"--to define my own identity and yet to keep something of my family's values. My parents definitely did not understand their daughter's interest in Elves or dragons, but their ideas about community, loyalty, hard work, simple creature comforts, etc. were close to those of the hobbits in the Shire. Plus, I had the added incentive of being part of the 'Frodo Lives' generation who went to college in the late 60s, with posters, buttons, etc. festooning our dorm rooms. We trotted around in long skirts, looking like hobbit girls. I even remember being in an undergraduate Ecology class (something new back in those days!), and the teacher letting us compare the atttudes of our 'modern' world concerning the environment with the ideas expressed in LotR. I felt as if I had been admitted into a secret club! Good seeing you both on this thread! sharon __________________ Multitasking women are never too busy to vote.