[Formendacil]

Two things struck me this time:

1. What a *long* day this is for the Hobbits: they wake up in a Barrow, they get rescued by Tom Bombadil, run around naked in the grass, march all day over Arthedain's dikes to the East Road, encounter a new village, have the whole crazy adventure of Frodo putting on the Ring *in public*, have two after-hours secret conversations, lose Merry and get him back, find out that the Black Riders are back, and have to change beds (which turns out to be a good things...).

And it feels pretty long to readers too! The twenty-four hours from waking in the Barrow to leaving Bree broach four chapters--I think only the final day or so for Frodo and Sam crossing from Ithilien into Mordor even has a hope of competing.


2. Along the same lines as what Boromir88 says about not approving of the film Prancing Pony, I quite agree that Bree is far too dark and dangerous feeling in the movies--but I think I understand why it had to be that way. In the movie there is no Gildor, nor Maggot, nor Crickhollow, nor Bombadi, so the pattern of "adventure, refuge" that we've been following since Frodo left Hobbiton doesn't hold. We also haven't been away from the Shire long enough (since there's nothing between the Brandywine and Bree, apparently) to relish a return to home-like environs, even if it's not quite as 'safe' as Pippin nearly behaves.


All in all, this is one of my favourite chapters. The snippets of history in the description of Bree and the insight into the wider world of Eriador and beyond is wonderful, mixed in with one of my favourite minor characters (Barliman Butterbur) and an introduction to a favourite main character (Strider).