Just a quick heads up to let people know what’s coming up in Hall of Fire over the next fortnight. This weekend we’ll be finishing Book 3 of The Two Towers with a discussion of the chapter “The Palantir”.
Then over the weekend of August 31 – Sept 1 we’ll be having a special discussion:
“Is the Hobbit a worthy precursor to Lord of the Rings?”
The literary styles of the Hobbit and LoTR vary wildly, and where LoTR has been hailed as the Book of the century, the Hobbit often is overlooked. Is this because of a deficiency in the storytelling of the Hobbit? Is it simply a less worthy and interesting tale?
Does the simplistic style and the seemingly childish hobbits/dragons/dwarves trivialise this as a prelude to LOTR, or do the hints of deeper waters, larger stories, wider lands, and myths, give the Hobbit an extra dimension that works as a springboard to a more complex story?
Don’t forget to brush the dust off your copy of the Hobbit and re-read it beforehand! Hope to see you all there for what should be a cracker of a discussion.
Many, many thanks from TheOneRing.net to Barliman’s regular maegwen for putting together a fantastic Barlibash 2002 section! If you didn’t make it to Barlibash this year, a quick glance will let you know how much fun was had by all, and it might even convince you to join us next year. If you were with us in Seattle, the section is a great collection of reflections and memories of all the good times. Either way, you won’t want to miss browsing through! [More]
Throughout the first half of The Two Towers, Tolkien shifts narratives constantly from Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas plight to save their friends and to assist the Riders of Rohan to Merry and Pippin’s escape from their Uruk-hai captors and their new friends the Ents. However, there finally comes a chapter after the events of Helm’s Deep where the two groups are finally reunited and by recounting their own adventures, fill in any gaps in the story that the reader may have missed along the way:
Book III, Chapter IX: Flotsam and Jetsam
Flotsam and Jetsam is a chapter which finally gives us a chance to take in the events of the previous chapters which moved at such a quick pace and introduced us to one of the most innovative races in the history of literature. The chapter also sheds light on the things unsaid in the previous passages, such as how the Ents arrived at Isengard and how they went about wrought the incredible damage and havoc they did.
It has often been said that you don’t truly understand a character and the strife they go through until you hear them recounting the experience itself. In this way, listening to the characters in The Two Towers describe their journeys themselves, along with the thoughts and emotions they had at the time, only heightens our understanding of the characters themselves. This chapter has something for everyone, from Ent fans to Hobbit fans, so join us this weekend for what should be a great discussion!
Upcoming Discussions: Aug 18 & 28: TTT Chapter Chat – The Voice of Saruman
Place: #thehalloffire on theonering.net server; come to theonering.net’s chat room Barliman’s and then type /join #thehalloffire .
Saturday Chat: 5:30 pm ET (17:30) [also 11:30 pm (23:30) CET and 7:30 am Sunday (07:30) AET]
Sunday Chat: 7:00 pm (19:00) CET [also 1:00 pm (13:00) ET and 4:00 am (04:00) Monday morning AET]
ET = Eastern Time, USA’s East Coast CET = Central European Time, Central Europe
The HoF transcripts page is one of the more popular sections of TORn; we receive many e-mails from people who say they enjoy reading them. Of late, those e-mails have been wondering when the logs of recent chats would be posted.
Unfortunately, real life interruptions, and important maintenance on other parts of the site, has meant that the HoF page has fallen way behind.
However, we can finally announce that this has been fixed and TORn has a whole plethora of previous HoF chats for our avid readers to pore over.
Over the past few days, TORn staffer Arathorn (who deserves more thanks than I can adequately express) has been literally slaving to fix the Hall of Fire page and implement a system to not only bring the chats up to date, but to simplify the process of posting them.
This is good news for us, because it’s only takes 30 minutes to edit a log now, rather than a week! And, it’s good news for you also because you’ll be able to read HoF transcripts virtually right away, instead of having to wait for days and weeks (and sometimes months). You’ll also discover that the HoF page will be more frequently updated with future topics.
On behalf of all HoF staff, I’d like to thanks Arathorn for his sterling efforts, and encourage you all to check out the changes. [More]
In the past, the Hall of Fire has hosted many chats focusing on an individual character; from Aragorn to Arwen, Legolas to Lurtz and Boromir to Bombadil (R.I.P). However, as The Two Towers looms larger on the horizon, and with the recent trailers and sneak peeks it seems only fitting to concentrate on one of the more prominent characters in said previews:
Éowyn, the White Lady of Rohan
Throughout the War of the Ring, Éowyn appears to be one of the most conflicted characters, often torn between desire and duty. She wishes to stand with the men of Rohan to help protect her home instead of being left behind, but is concerned with the duty she has to stay with her people. She also feels a deep attachment towards Aragorn, but by the end of the Return of the King her heart turns towards another. She is a passionate woman who is quick to act and strives to be the one who controls her own destiny.
Éowyn also represents one of the women who helped to create a gradual shift in society as the role of women expanded near the end of 20th Century, something which seems quite remarkable when remembering Tolkien wrote The Lord of the Rings in the 50s. Éowyn also appears to be receiving an expanded role in the film along with Arwen to highlight the plight of a women paralysed by the society around her.
Join us this weekend as we discuss one of the more interesting and deep characters in The Lord of the Rings, as the countdown to The Two Towers continues!
Place: #thehalloffire on theonering.net server; come to theonering.net’s chat room Barliman’s and then type /join #thehalloffire .
Saturday Chat: 5:30 pm ET (17:30) [also 11:30 pm (23:30) CET and 7:30 am Sunday (07:30) AET]
Sunday Chat: 7:00 pm (19:00) CET [also 1:00 pm (13:00) ET and 4:00 am (04:00) Monday morning AET]
ET = Eastern Time, USA’s East Coast CET = Central European Time, Central Europe
Sir Ian McKellen says in the latest The Two Towers trailer, ‘I’ve come back to you, at the turn of the tide.’ Throughout the War of the Ring there were several turning points, but one of the most crucial to the downfall of Sauron was the battle of Helm’s Deep and the defeat of Saruman’s forces. This weekend, the Hall of Fire crew invite you to join us as we discuss the downfall of Saruman, the man who would be Lord of the Rings:
Book Three, Chapter VIII: The Road to Isengard
The battle of Helm’s Deep is over, and the forces of Saruman have been defeated, thanks in no small part to the Ents. With the followers of the White Hand defeated, Gandalf the White travels to Isengard to confront the man who once he called friend. However, the victory was not easy and many Men of the Mark lie dead around their friends and brethren.
The Road to Isengard, though living in the shadow of the chapter before it, tenderly deals with the aftermath of Helm’s Deep and the strengthened bonds of its survivors. We continue to see the relationship of Gimli and Legolas flourish, along with the bond between Aragorn and Éomer forged during battle. It also serves to highlight how evil can corrupt good to the point where it is the device of its own destruction. Join us this weekend at what should be a great discussion!
Place: #thehalloffire on theonering.net server; come to theonering.net’s chat room Barliman’s and then type /join #thehalloffire .
Saturday Chat: 5:30 pm ET (17:30) [also 11:30 pm (23:30) CET and 7:30 am Sunday (07:30) AET]
Sunday Chat: 7:00 pm (19:00) CET [also 1:00 pm (13:00) ET and 4:00 am (04:00) Monday morning AET]
ET = Eastern Time, USA’s East Coast CET = Central European Time, Central Europe
