It feels different near the Shire....

[Child of the 7th Age]

Here I am, on the very tale end of this discussion. All of the things you have said are very true and insightful, but I'd like to add one more possibility that's been overlooked.

The faery that exists in the Shire and Bombadil's house has a very special origin. For, unlike much else in Middle-earth, it is a faery that derives from the soul of England herself. And it is the England that Tolkien wanted to resurrect, that which preserved the ancient ways and threw off the influences that came from France and the remnents of the Roman Empire, and even the Celts. The same could be said of Wooten Major. This gives these pieces a flavor very different from the later parts of the story.

It's very interesting to me that this entire discussion could take place, and no one latch onto this point, particularly regarding the Shire. For it reinforces my personal opinion that one of the things we're in danger of losing in "recent" discussions of Tolkien is the sense of how he rooted it in the soil of England.

T.A. Shippey was probably the critic who was best at searching out these hidden roots, and explaining how Tolkien was consumed with the desire to recapture a past that had been lost.

I'd better stop myself here, as I hope to do a separate thread on this question-- the English roots of the Legendarium, since I feel it merits far more attention than it's recently been given, both on the Downs and elsewhere.

sharon, the 7th age hobbit

[ September 30, 2002: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]