By Ryahn Rahme
The Lord of the Rings evokes different emotions from people. Whether it’s love or indifference you’ll be hard-pressed to find someone who hasn’t heard of JRR Tolkien’s fantasy world.
This year marks 25 years since the release of Peter Jackson’s film adaption of The Fellowship of the Ring, the first instalment of the trilogy franchise.
I was so young when I watched the films I can’t remember the first time I saw them. But this lifelong movie fan, for the first time, has just read the books.
And yes, it’s worth it.
I tried to savour every moment. The thoughtful character details, dramatic landscapes and cautionary tales of ancient mysteries. I read voices of reason and madness, good and evil — and everything in between.
It was an expedition into the human experience: explored at the safe distance of fantasy world “Middle-Earth”.
A philologist professor of the Anglo-Saxon language, Tolkien’s narrative style is unique. In his foreword introducing the series, he explained his goal.
“The prime motive was the desire of a tale-teller to try his hand at a really long story that would hold the attention of readers, amuse them, delight them, and at times maybe excite or deeply move them.”
Written as a chronicle of fictional historic events, agency is given to the reader to interpret the events through the lens of their own mind. It’s a reading experience that’s dignified and refreshing.
I often felt that as I discovered the consequences of the story’s cause and effect, so too was Tolkien.
“But I cordially dislike allegory in all of its manifestations,” he wrote. “I much prefer history, true or feigned, with its varied applicability to the thought and experience of readers.
“I think that many confuse ‘applicability’ with ‘allegory’; but the one resides in the freedom of the reader, and the other in the purposed domination of the author.”
The final product?
A faithful story that dares to echo the courage of its characters: the courage to hope in a successful ending.
Featured image: The epic journey of the Lord of the Rings. Photo: Davidson LUNA/CC/Unsplash
