Tolkien and everyday life

[Lyta_Underhill]

Great topic, Rilwen! I understand exactly what you mean. I think the idea of Middle Earth touches a common thread within many people who seek a deeper connection to their world. To have a sentient forest is especially satisfying, even when the residents are sometimes not too nice (i.e., Old Man Willow). The idea that the land is alive and, in some cases, interactive brings far more possibility to a simple landscape, tree or stone structure. There is a deep feeling of history, not only in the doings of the Men, but also in hidden realms of otherworldly beings--Elves, Dwarves, Ents, Trolls, even talking birds! [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

It sort of anthropomorphizes and aestheticizes the entire universe, so that one not only sees an old tree or hears the winds, but can imagine the inner life of the tree and the Music of the Ainur wafting in its endless iterations along a random winter breeze.

For my own part, I read the LOTR in 1991 at the behest of my husband, who had been a fan in the 1970's. I inhaled it, reading rather too fast, but I enjoyed it, fell in love with Sam for his faithfulness and plain Hobbit-sense, and basically treated it like one in a series of good books I had read in my life. I didn't really think about it consciously for a long time. But years later, I had an experience that made it clear to me that Middle Earth had been stirred inside me and ruled parts of my subconscious that I was totally unaware of. In 1998, I had an "Ent encounter," and became attached to the small nuances of nature, the sounds of trees, the feeling of outdoor spaces, etc. Even then, it took me awhile to pick the books up again and re-explore the world that seemed to be boiling up out of my subconscious despite my obliviousness. I must thank the movies for prompting me to take the books up again and immerse myself irretrievably in Middle Earth.

I would say more, but there is so much more to say that I can't think of any of it at the moment!
Cheers!
Lyta