The Lord of the Rings book trilogy.
The Lord of the Rings is a three-volume novel written by John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, better known as JRR Tolkien, British professor and philologist. It is considered one of the great epic fantasy works of the XNUMXth century due to its great popularity and the variety of literary subjects it addresses.
It was published in the United Kingdom between 1954 and 1955, and became popular beyond its borders from the 1960s.. It has given rise to a subculture of fanatics, the formation of readers' societies and the publication of biographies of the author and complementary texts. The work has been translated into more than forty languages and reprinted countless times. And he will not deny, it is not an easy work to read, but it will leave each reader to take on unforgettable and instructive teachings.
A momentous work
The notoriety of The Lord of the Rings it has transcended literature. Both this novel and its prequel, The Hobbit, and the foundational volume that succeeds it, The Silmarillion, have been adapted over the years to radio broadcasts, board games, role-playing games, graphic novels, theater and film plays.
The most successful film adaptation is the trilogy directed by New Zealand filmmaker Peter Jackson, released between 2001 and 2003. These films obtained numerous awards and recognitions at different film festivals, including the Oscar for Best Film for the final delivery, The return of the King, in 2004. It was not expected less, especially since it is an adaptation of one of the best-selling books in history.
About the Author
JRR Tolkien was born in 1892 in Bloemfontein, Orange Free State (today South African territory), but from an early age he settled in Birmingham, England. He served as an expert communications officer in the British Army during World War I. He specialized in English philology and linguistics. He was a professor at the University of Oxford and Merton College.
His extensive knowledge of English, German and the languages that preceded them (among many other languages he was fluent in), as well as his interest in religion, Norse mythology and philosophy, are reflected in the complex universe of The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit y The Silmarillion.
In addition to these works, he wrote numerous poems and stories and he built various languages for the different races of the characters in his novels. He died in Oxford in 1973.
Middle-earth and the founding fable of humanity
The events of The Lord of the Rings take place on a fictional continent called Middle Earth, inspired by the territories of Europe, Africa and Asia. Elves, hobbits, dwarves, men, dúnedain, orcs, among other races coexist on this continent.
The story tells of the battles that are fought to possess and destroy the unique ring. This ring is a very powerful and dangerous item. It was created by an evil god, Sauron, with the aim of dominating other rings of power that were forged by the gods and given to the various races that populated Middle Earth at that time.
By chance that are related in prequels, the unique ring, is in the possession of Bilbo Baggins, a Hobbit inhabitant of The Shire. Bilbo's nephew, Frodo, inherits it along with the mission to bring him to Mordor and destroy him. In Mordor lies the spirit of Sauron, the main antagonist of the story.
In some of his letters Tolkien refers that Middle Earth is an allegory to the real Earth and that all these events are a fiction about the origin of modern humanity.
The events are related in three volumes:
- The Fellowship of the Ring
- The two Towers
- The return of the King
JRR Tolkien quote.
Development of the plot and narrative style
Detailed and synergistic narration
The Lord of the Rings is not a trilogy, since what is narrated in the three volumes is directly related and it cannot be appreciated individually. Rather, it is a long novel in three volumes, each divided into two books, plus a prologue before the first book.
The narrator is omniscient and there are sections and even entire chapters dedicated to describing the environments in detail., events, characters, objects and motives. At first the narrative follows Frodo and the rest of the Hobbits, but at a certain point in the second volume it is divided and follows different events that happen simultaneously. This has made the story very conducive to audiovisual adaptations.
Different themes and influences
The main theme of The Lord of the Rings it is the fight of good against evil and sacrifices for a greater good, which refers to the Catholic religion that Tolkien professed. The main characters are inspired by multiple references from Norse mythology and ancient Anglo-German epics, such as the poem B.
The story has certain parallels with the Icelandic epic Volsunga, same source of inspiration for the opera The Ring of the Nibelung by Richard Wagner. Some readers also find references to Macbethby William Shakespeare and some passages from The Republic of Plato.
Composition of different vocabularies
For the different races and clans of the characters that exist in the work, its author created different vocabularies and lexicons, slightly inspired by real languages but very different from each other.
For example, the gnomic, the language of the gnomes; Sindarin, of the gray elves; the Quenya, of the elves of Noldor and the Telerín, of the sea elves. Each of these with its own grammar, which Tolkien was polishing as he progressed with the writing of the novel and its subsequent revisions. For many critics and readers, the conformation of these languages notoriously enriches The Lord of the Rings.
The single ring.
Characters
Frodo
He is the main protagonist of the story. He belongs to the hobbit race, and is a descendant of Bilbo Baggins, from whom he inherits the unique ring.
In addition, he is in charge of carrying and taking the ring to Mount Doom in Mordor to be destroyed., in the company of Samsagaz and the rest of the members of the Fellowship of the Ring. During the journey he is influenced by the ring, which torments him and makes him crave power. He finally fulfills his mission and leaves Middle-earth towards The Undying Lands.
Aragorn
He is a dúnadan, that is, belonging to a superior race of men, stronger and more long-lived. He is the captain of the northern Dúnedain and the rightful heir to the throne of Arnor, in northern Middle-earth.
He led the Fellowship of the Ring after Gandalf's apparent death and fought the battle at the gates of Mordor so Frodo and Sam could destroy the ring out of Sauron's sight.
At the end of the battles he was crowned king of Arnor and Gondor and married the elf Arwen.
Samsagacious
Samsagaz, or simply Sam, is a hobbit inhabitant of The Shire. He is Frodo's best friend and accompanies and protects him throughout the trip towards the destruction of the single ring.
Gollum
He is a hobbit corrupted by the power of the one ring. His name was originally Smeagol. He found the ring before it came into the possession of Bilbo, Frodo's uncle, and it was under his rule for many years.
He is obsessed with getting it back and follows Frodo during the journey to Mordor, in which they had several confrontations. Finally he cuts off his finger where Frodo is wearing the ring and falls along with it to the flames of Mount Doom. It is the portrait of the ravages produced by the ring and the desire for power.
Frodo and Gollum in the movie version of the book.
Boromir
It is a dunadan of Gondor. He went to Rivendell after dreaming of the one ring and was part of the Fellowship of the Ring. He was tempted by the ring and almost snatched it from Frodo. He died defending the hobbits in battle and thus washed away his guilt for allowing himself to be seduced by the ring.
Sauron
He is the main antagonist of the story. It is an evil deity and forger of the unique ring. Before the events of The Lord of the Rings, is defeated and the ring is taken from him. His spirit resides in Mordor surrounded by evil creatures.
His ambition is to recover the one ring to dominate the Noldor., a clan of elves who own the rest of the rings, and thus reign in Middle Earth.
Gandalf
He is an ancient magician or istar. He is the leader of The Fellowship of the Ring and guides Frodo's actions for much of the story.. He fights a balrog and falls during the fight in the mines of Moria, allowing the rest of the Fellowship to advance.
He returns later dressed in white and strengthened to continue guiding Frodo and the rest in their mission.
Galadriel
She is a very powerful elf, part of the Noldor clan. She is the wife of Celeborn, one of the most important elves in Middle Earth.. He gave the members of The Fellowship of the Ring various gifts to aid them on their journey. She is the bearer of one of the elven rings, named Nenya.
Legolas
He is an elf of the Sinda clan, son of the elf king Thandruil of the Mirkwood. He is one of the nine members of The Fellowship of the Ring. He guided the Fellowship to Caras Galadhon, where Celeborn and Galadriel lived. He befriends Aragorn and the dwarf Gimli, thereby bringing the three races to which they belong together. Fight bravely in the Battle of Horn Town and in the final battle in Mordor.
MISSING A LOT OF ANALYSIS