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Old 09-28-2014, 09:54 AM   #10
Galadriel55
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Galadriel55 is lost in the dark paths of Moria.Galadriel55 is lost in the dark paths of Moria.Galadriel55 is lost in the dark paths of Moria.Galadriel55 is lost in the dark paths of Moria.
Quote:
Originally Posted by littlemanpoet View Post
I guess, what I'm coming to, is that I don't see plot as the essential thing about LotR. It's somewhere else. Tone? What does that mean?
The "feel" of it. And, while I also love LOTR for not the plot, if the plot was different, the not the plot would be different too. The tone, or feel would have to be different. It has to have a certain amount of eucatastrophe, or else it would become a tragedy. That's plot. You can't have major plot changes, even if character-wise all the characters remain consistent, because then you can't have that pure, bittersweet, sad and hopeful and wise LOTR. The plot is needed for the not the plot, namely the "tone" or the "feel", to work out too. COH is written like a classical Greek tragedy, or maybe Norse tragedy, or somewhere in between - and the characters belong in a tragedy, literary-wise. It would not be COH if it ended with a eucatastrophe, or even some half-half situation - or even just plain sad. It's made to be a tragedy, and it ends with a bang that leaves you sitting there, shell-shocked. TH is a children's story. While it has both happy and sad moments in the climax - the battle - overall, the ending is about growth, including outgrowing the past conflicts and losses. (Saruman would fit right in there: "you have grown, Bilbo, yes, you have grown very much..." PJ knows what he's doing, putting Saruman into that movie... ). While it does not leave you shell-shocked (not a very good bedtime story), it still leaves you thinking, maybe even getting a bit wiser. If the story and the ending were too happy, there would not be as much growth - it requires a measure of sadness like plant growth requires some water. But add too much, and it becomes bogged down and fades out. LOTR falls somewhere in between on the happilyeverafter<-->tragedy scale. It has a different dimension of sadness than COH, and it retains some of TH's growth. But, on top of that, it adds the question of hope and despair, and the answer is probably closer to hope. The ending is not COH's bang, and not TH's conclusion - rather, the story diminuendos into a niente, leaving only the feeling of mixed feelings that presides over LOTR. It still keeps you thinking for just as long, if not longer. It's just less of a period, and more of an ellipsis. Now, what would happen if the plot changed dramatically? Either not enough saddness, or not enough satisfaction of a work well done and victory hard won, or not enough hope, or not enough despair. The proportions are upset, the ending loses balance and topples off. LOTR would not be the same without it's end - because of it's characters, yes, and its emotion, but neither would end up in Grey Havens if the plot didn't work out.


Pshh. I can't believe I'm defending plot. Plot! That's definitely a first.
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