[davem]

This is an excerpt from an article in the current issue of Amon Hen:

"In brief: Asperger's Syndrome is a type of high functioning autism. Two main features of AS are that people with AS often have a special interest in which they are completely passionate to the exclusion of all else. Also, they may appear to be different or 'apart' from other people. In this respect , Bilbo & Frodo certainly fit the bill. ...

Both Bilbo & Frodo show many characteristics that are synonymous with AS. They are seen as eccentric by their own peer group. In Frodo's case, he prefers to spend time with the younger Hobbits. (Both) like solitary activities, like walking, in contrast to the very sociable Hobbit life. Frodo seems to be more serious than his Hobbit companions & his language is slightly more formal than theirs. ...Frodo is vulnerable to certain types of influences which don't really affect the other Hobbits. Early on in the book, he dreams of Gandalf's capture at Isengard & also of his journey from the Grey Havens, before he actually knows about these things. There are several conditions in which one is more prone to psychic or spiritual experiences: Asperger's is one of these....

Frodo does not seem to form attatchments in the same way as others....

While I am not seeking to diagnose Tolkien, some aspects of his work would be familiar to those with AS. The first of these is a fascination with other worlds. In LotR & The Sil, Tolkien's Middle Earth is intricately & extensively detailed, with its own complete histories & sets of Languages. There is also the attention to small detail & the tendency to get bogged down in this."

OK. I can't say whether any of this is correct, because I've not studied AS. But at the same time, both Bilbo & Frodo are 'outsiders' who find it difficult to make emotional connections with other people. As was Tolkien himself. He clearly felt emotions strongly, or he wouldn't have been so successful in communicating them to us, but he was someone who tended to keep people at a distance (apart from a few close friends), not revealing his feelings to others - Classic British 'stiff-upper lip - or something more?

Certainly, he was an Introvert, & his 'inner' life was more significant than what went on around him - which I think does come through in Bilbo & Frodo.

On a personal note, I'm much the same, & I wonder if this is something others share. Is the Legendarium something that appeals more to Introverts (with AS or not!).