by contra mundum » June 27th, 2006, 4:37 pm
The first Tolkien I read was The Hobbit--it was assigned reading in fifth grade. I didn't much care for it until the walking party reached the Misty Mountains. By the time Bilbo found the Ring and met Gollum, I was hooked. That summer, I devoured The Lord of the Rings. Afterwards I was sad, thinking I'd read all there was to read of Tolkien.
But then, two years later, to my great delight, I discovered The Silmarillion, and then Unfinished Tales. To this day, I think the story of the children of Hurin is the most amazing fictional story I have ever read.
Most recently I've been re-reading The Lord of the Rings. I've been struck by the richness and beauty of every single sentence--which is especially amazing for a work of its size and scope. You'd think it would contain at least a few throwaway lines, but not so with J.R.R.T.
“Doubt no longer, then, when you see death mocked and scorned by those who believe in Christ, that by Christ death was destroyed . . .”
Athanasius