Approaching Tolkien: The Lay of Aotrou & Itroun

Tolkien’s poetic skills are undisputed: eloquent, beautiful, moving.

I am in no way an expert on poetry. However, I like to read the odd verse or two every now and then. So what I look for in a poem is a consistent rhyming pattern, the clever construction of words and meaning in a restrictive format, and all this through an easy and clear read.

This is why I have enjoyed Tolkien’s poems above any other author’s. He is capable of saying so much, in such a beautiful way, without reverting to the abstract or metaphorical that is typical of so many poems. His pacing is progressive and the content itself is both meaningful and straight to the point.

Gimli: Most reproached character in Middle-earth

© New Line Cinema

It’s a tough life in Middle-earth for Gimli the Dwarf…

This is something I’ve noticed whenever re-reading The Lord of the Rings. I find myself thinking that he is the most reproached individual out of all the characters. He often serves as the audience’s bridge to the story, speaking the reader’s mind when interacting with other characters. For that reason, he finds himself reprimanded, sometimes quite severely.

I really empathise with Gimli and his fruitless attempts to try and win an argument or a conversation. His statements and questions are constantly put down by the other characters he finds himself with.

Why I keep reading The Lord of the Rings over and over again

… as well as The Hobbit, The Silmarillion and his other works.

This applies pretty much to any kind of book and book lover out there.

What really compels one to read the same book time and time again, when they already know the outcome?

Since this post also serves as a kind of self-reflective examination, I thought best to write it down as a monologue between myself, to try and understand what moves one to re-read a favourite piece of literature over and over. It reminds me of Galileo Galilei’s Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, in which three individuals discuss differing views on the orbit of the Earth and the Sun.