The Elven change in character - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Formendacil · 06-09-2005, 06:53 PM

It's a matter of protagonist as much as anything else, I think. Bilbo vs. Frodo. And no, I am not talking about the translator conceit.

In The Hobbit, we follow Bilbo. We follow his adventures and his tales. As such, the Elves that we see are the ones that are most likely to make contact with him. In general, those are the happier, more carefree ones. Remember, Bilbo is just a hobbit burglar, a curiosity in which silly elflings, and not great elf-lords, would be likely to place an interest in. In addition, Bilbo's own preference for Elven company seems to lean more to the "tril-lil-lil-lalliers" than to the Glorfindel bunch.

In the Lord of the Rings, by way of contrast, our protagonist carries the greatest trinket in middle-earth. What he does will decide history for millennia. Quite naturally, as we follow his journey, we are going to see quite a few more serious elf-lords than we will dancing elflings. In addition, Frodo's character is such that he gravitates more to the solemn and wise than Bilbo did. (Even in his old age, Bilbo keeps the company of Lindir and such, as well as more rogueish sorts like the Dunadan).

06-09-2005, 06:53 PM	#25
Formendacil Dead Serious Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Perched on Thangorodrim's towers. Posts: 3,328	It's a matter of protagonist as much as anything else, I think. Bilbo vs. Frodo. And no, I am not talking about the translator conceit. In The Hobbit, we follow Bilbo. We follow his adventures and his tales. As such, the Elves that we see are the ones that are most likely to make contact with him. In general, those are the happier, more carefree ones. Remember, Bilbo is just a hobbit burglar, a curiosity in which silly elflings, and not great elf-lords, would be likely to place an interest in. In addition, Bilbo's own preference for Elven company seems to lean more to the "tril-lil-lil-lalliers" than to the Glorfindel bunch. In the Lord of the Rings, by way of contrast, our protagonist carries the greatest trinket in middle-earth. What he does will decide history for millennia. Quite naturally, as we follow his journey, we are going to see quite a few more serious elf-lords than we will dancing elflings. In addition, Frodo's character is such that he gravitates more to the solemn and wise than Bilbo did. (Even in his old age, Bilbo keeps the company of Lindir and such, as well as more rogueish sorts like the Dunadan). __________________ I prefer history, true or feigned.