The Ordinary People of Bree-land - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Boromir88 · 08-02-2020, 06:08 PM

I'm in the midst of a Lord of the Rings re-reading and finished Book I today. The movies sort of muddle a lot details, which makes more of a mess of things than I remembered.

One part that I did remember well, because I wasn't ever quite happy with the movie portrayal of it, is Bree. The town of Bree feels right. The Hobbits are no longer 'home and safe' in the Shire. Sam doesn't like the look of things and says they should try to find a hobbit family to stay for the night.

The Prancing Pony however, is full of light and energy. There's Big Folk and Little Folk and dwarf travelers. Is this the only place in Middle-earth where people of different races co-exist and live in the same town/area? The homely feel of the inn puts our hobbits in a false sense of security. They get too comfortable and chatty as if they were at the Green Dragon and forget they're in the Prancing Pony.

I don't quite know the purpose or if I have any question in this thread, more observations that I'd be interested to read comments on.

This time reading I'm just struck by how ordinary Bree is. Its people (and their family names!) and its potential problems or threats. It's sort of a view of what a place can become that's outside of Sauron's influence. What I mean is when we get to Rohan, it's been corrupted by Saruman. Gondor's been wearied with nearly constant war, either with Sauron, or by people they previously conquered. The Elves have pretty much gone into cocoons. The Shire has mostly been ignored by Sauron and also been protected/kept untouched by the Dunedain that remain.

Then there's Bree...sort of a look at a place in Middle-earth that isn't touched by Sauron (at least not yet), but not necessarily 'guarded' in the same way the Shire's been. Full of good and bad people. It's a refreshing look after the strangeness in 3 chapters in Bombadil's world. I'm either just realizing or remembering something I forgot but Bree is unlike any place in Middle-earth.

And it has me wondering why, but also how is there this quite ordinary place in a fantasy world?

08-02-2020, 06:08 PM	#1
Boromir88 Laconic Loreman Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: USA Posts: 7,511	The Ordinary People of Bree-land I'm in the midst of a Lord of the Rings re-reading and finished Book I today. The movies sort of muddle a lot details, which makes more of a mess of things than I remembered. One part that I did remember well, because I wasn't ever quite happy with the movie portrayal of it, is Bree. The town of Bree feels right. The Hobbits are no longer 'home and safe' in the Shire. Sam doesn't like the look of things and says they should try to find a hobbit family to stay for the night. The Prancing Pony however, is full of light and energy. There's Big Folk and Little Folk and dwarf travelers. Is this the only place in Middle-earth where people of different races co-exist and live in the same town/area? The homely feel of the inn puts our hobbits in a false sense of security. They get too comfortable and chatty as if they were at the Green Dragon and forget they're in the Prancing Pony. I don't quite know the purpose or if I have any question in this thread, more observations that I'd be interested to read comments on. This time reading I'm just struck by how ordinary Bree is. Its people (and their family names!) and its potential problems or threats. It's sort of a view of what a place can become that's outside of Sauron's influence. What I mean is when we get to Rohan, it's been corrupted by Saruman. Gondor's been wearied with nearly constant war, either with Sauron, or by people they previously conquered. The Elves have pretty much gone into cocoons. The Shire has mostly been ignored by Sauron and also been protected/kept untouched by the Dunedain that remain. Then there's Bree...sort of a look at a place in Middle-earth that isn't touched by Sauron (at least not yet), but not necessarily 'guarded' in the same way the Shire's been. Full of good and bad people. It's a refreshing look after the strangeness in 3 chapters in Bombadil's world. I'm either just realizing or remembering something I forgot but Bree is unlike any place in Middle-earth. And it has me wondering why, but also how is there this quite ordinary place in a fantasy world? __________________ Fenris Penguin