Over at The Notion Club Papers blog; I discuss the life-transforming effect that reading The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings had upon me; such that, from then onward, there was always a strong underlying element or Romanticism in my nature - something that made me identify most with those individuals that Colin Wilson famously termed The Outsiders.
I'm reading The Lord of the Rings right now (about 85% done), and I am truly grateful for the gift that the writer gave to me and every other reader. Of course, he did not do it alone. He was given gifts by his ancestors and other humans, who did the same, and he in turn used this to give gifts to me.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the book is very heavy and dark at times, the deep joy that I have gotten from LotR is comparable to what I feel when I behold the natural world, which is indeed because both of those things are related, in that the writer partook in divine creation. As he was sewn, he too in turn would sow.
It's also enjoyable to, through the book, get a glimpse of the man himself behind the book, because he does seem like such a lovely chap!