[amyrlis]

Ionia, I know what you are going through – as far as losing the images you once created in your mind. I am almost done re-reading FOTR (for the umpteenth time), and I am having to fight very hard to try to retain my own ideas of the faces of the characters. The thing is, I am also looking forward to the movies and am so thrilled that these books are finally being brought to film in such a fantastic way. Some of the previous posts on this site talked of how anyone who has not read the books, but decides to after the movies, may only be able to picture Peter Jackson’s cast, rather than form their own images. I don’t want to become one of those people!! It wouldn’t be fair! I’ve been a ring-freak for almost 15 years! I didn’t think this would happen to me, I even rebutted one of those posts stating that John Howe or Ted Nasmith’s drawings had not hindered, but enhanced my own Tolkien images. What was I thinking?!? My problem is that the images I formed as a teenager of the Fellowship were never concrete, just shadowy glimpses, ideas, feelings. I would never be able to draw a picture of exactly what one of these characters looked like in my mind. But I know that Boromir was darker, more slender, younger; and Frodo older and more portly. Alas, my images are so fragile that they are slipping and making way for the Hollywood version. I guess I fight because it is kind of an end to my private Tolkien world. If I don’t fight as I read the last chapter of FOTR, I will no longer be in MY Tolkien world, the one of dreams and make-believe. It has suddenly become a real world, with real faces, faces I will soon see in other movies and magazines. Ah, at least I’ll always have Finrod, Maedhros and Cirdan. So, as I eagerly anticipate the coming of the movie I also struggle to stay true to my own creativity. It is a sweet sorrow! <P>Also – I must agree with the others that your post was written very well!