"The Lord of the Rings" (#20) Book Four: Chapters IV - VI

[Bernkastel]

#20

Chapter IV: Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit
Chapter V: The Window on the West
Chapter VI: The Forbidden Pool

Assignment #21 will be posted on Thursday, May 9.

What's your opinion on Faramir? How is he different from Boromir?


"Sam and Frodo" by A. K. Eissmann. My favorite picture of hers... "I love him. He's like that, and sometimes it shines through, somehow. But I love him, whether or no."


From the movie. My, how exciting!


"The Mumak of Harad" by Cor Blok


From the movie - a dead oliphaunt.


"Faramir" by A. K. Eissmann ... though I call this "I do not think I shall ever get there"...

[MTC]

Frodo and I were in step in these chapters, which is unusual. I wanted to like Faramir right away, but because of Boromirs behavior, I was also being very cautious (i think i mangled that word). Brothers sometimes are cut from the same cloth and a repeat of what happened before would have been depressing to say the least. Faramir proved to be more trust worthy, a tinge of nobility, and a sense of fatality and sadness. We find out why later (don't get me started! ) which will make for interesting discussion, I hope, down the line. I also got the sense he doesn't really believe that this war can be won, but is still going to give it his all regardless. I ended up liking him very much and not just because some cute guy plays him in TTT.

Good luck on your exams. It's crunch time for me too. Getting the kiddies (and parents) to not spin out of control this close to the end of the year.

[Bernkastel]

I ended up liking him very much and not just because some cute guy plays him in TTT.

Yeah, but that's definitely an asset, huh?



Ugh...slowly coming out of my post-exam jet lag.

[Bernkastel]

Okay, since I seem to not have a braincell left to me, I will instead post some interesting Letters info.

This particular Book (4) was written while JRRT's son Christopher was in S. Africa training as an RAF pilot during WWII. Christopher had been Tolkien's conspirator, best friend, and favorite editor, so Tolkien sorely missed him...hence he went to a great deal of trouble to finish up these chapters, type them out, and send them to Christopher so he could hear his opinion on them. Also, Tolkien and CS Lewis were still very good friends at that time, and he read much of what he wrote out loud to him. It's really interesting reading Tolkien's comments as he writes these parts in particular, because he was so involved in them. Here are some snippets, from chapters before this up to now; I'm not going to put any dates on them as there are so many little bits, but they were all written during 1944, and they are all to Christopher:

"I read my second chapter, Passage of the Dead Marshes, to [CS] Lewis and [Charles] Williams on Wed. morning. It was approved. I have now nearly done a third: Gates of the Land of Shadow. But this story takes me in charge, and I have already taken three chapters over what was meant to be one!"

"I hope to see [CS Lewis] tomorrow, and read some of 'the Ring'. It is growing and sprouting again (I did a whole day at it yesterday to the neglect of many matters) and opening out in unexpected ways. So far in the new chapters Frodo and Sam have traversed Sarn Gebir, climbed downthe cliff, encountered and temporarily tamed Gollum. They have with his guidance crossed the Dead Marshes and the slag-heaps of Mordor, lain in hiding outside the main gates and found them impassable, and set out for a more secret entrance near Minas Morghul (formerly M. Ithil). It will turn out to be the deadly Kirith Ungol and Gollum will play false. But at moment they are in Ithilien (which is proving a lovely land); there has been a lot of bother about stewed rabbit; and they have been captured by Gondorians, and witnessed them ambushing a Swerting army (dark men of South) marching to Mordor's aid. A large elephant of prehistoric size, a war-elephant of the Swertings, is loose, and Sam has gratified a life-long wish to see an Olophaunt, an animal about which there was a hobbit-nursery rhyme (though it was commonly supposed to be mythical). . . On the whole Sam is behaving well, and living up to repute. He treats Gollum rather like Ariel to Caliban."

"A new character has come on the scene (I am sure I did not invent him, I did not even want him, though I like him, but there he came walking into the woods of Ithilien): Faramir, the brother of Boromir - and he is holding up the 'catastrophe' by a lot of stuff about the history of Gondor and Rohan (with some very sound reflections no doubt on martial glory and true glory): but if he goes on much more a lot of him will have to be removed to the appendices - where already some fascinating material on the hobbit Tobacco industry and Languages of the West have gone. There has been a battle - with monstrous Oliphaunt (the Mamuk of Harad) included - and after a short while in a cave behind a waterfall, I think I shall get Sam and Frodo at last into Kirith Ungol. . ."

"I completed my fourth new chapter ('Faramir'), which rec'd fullest approbation from C. S. L. and C. W. on Monday morning. . . "

(skip ahead a bit to when Christopher gets some of these chapters)

"I am v. glad that you enjoyed the next three ch. of the Ring (Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit, Faramir, and The Forbidden Pool). . . Cert. Sam is the most closely drawn characters, the successor of Bilbo of the first book, the genuine hobbit. Frodo is not so interesting, because he has to be highminded, and has (as it were) a vocation). . . C. Williams who is reading it all says the great thing is that its centre is not in strife and war and heroism (though they are understood and depicted) but in freedom, peace, ordinary life and good liking. Yet he agrees that these very things require the existence of a great world outside the Shire - lest they should grow stale by custom and turn into the humdrum..."

That's it for now, more to come in the other threads

[Brijeana]

Faramir is slower to act than Boromir. He’s less intimidating somehow. He’s more… his kindness is more evident. I think the things he says to describe their differences are very accurate. Boromir has more valor, is more of a warrior. Faramir is wiser a deep thinker.

This time around I really became attached to Faramir. I really like him a lot. He’s so kind and wise. I loved the dynamic between all of the characters, Frodo, Sam, Faramir and even Gollum. These chapters were fun to read. Often I noticed evidence of Sam’s growing fondness for Gollum. Despite his suspicions and dislike for Gollum he does sort of try to include him… Maybe I’m stretching it.

MTC’s comments remind me of my first time reading this. I was so suspicious of Faramir! These chapters were very suspenseful. I’d totally forgotten.

The Watercolors are beautiful. Are they all from one source? Can I find an A.K. Eissman book?

Movie Photos! Faramir… mmmmm…

I’ll read your letters later.

[Bernkastel]

No books yet...she's a very young German artist who's just starting to get some exposure. I'm hoping that in future calendars and Tolkien art books she gets some recognition, because I think she's the best new Tolkien artist out there...her work has a few flaws, but I think it's nothing time and practice won't erase.

There's this page about her: http://users.baden-online.de/~ckraem...nn_index_e.htm
And here is something she wrote about her work: http://fan.theonering.net/rolozo/abo..._eiszmann.html