The Lake, the arch, the Deep Arch, Her, the digital cave, the underworld, the womb

[Joseph Tracy]

Beorn is in it but, unlike the book, his hall is surrounded by Orcs, which pulls attention from that discrete place, personality and moment. The unique parts of middle earth are not allowed to work their magic. But to me the heart of the book is the transformation of Bilbo and the revelation of the power of peasant wisdom, friendliness, steadfastness, thinking rather than power.  I think it is a beautiful evocation of the Christian idea of Spirit using the weak things of the world to confound the wise.  Also it is Gandalf's connection to Bilbo and all the living creatures of middle earth that makes his wizardry a thing of heart rather than technology.  I think Tolkien was as concerned with what lives on after the war with Sauron as with the heroism of the battle.    
  

On Jan 23, 2014, at 2:28 AM, Michael Bailey wrote:

> http://www.carthage.edu/live/news/246-carthage-english-major-presents-paper-examining
> 
> Found that while looking for a non- militaristic interpretation of Beowulf.  What I was looking for is some kind of recognition that Grendel, in one or many ways, is the militaristic chickens of Hrothgar's marauding come home to roost! 
> 
> Either Hrothgar or one of his lieges no doubt did away with Papa Grendel and perhaps also impregnated Mama Grendel, breeding resentment.
> 
> Those horrible thanes, easing their consciences with mead - perhaps they all remembered a night of long knives and revelry and rampage when Grendel's mother, will-she nill'd-she, pulled the train...well, they didn't have trains back then...but anyway...to me it seems a distinct possibility that was what the scop or skjald or whatever was driving at but was constrained for obvious reasons
> ...hmmm?...anyway...
> 
> Yeah darn the luck, if they had to make 3 movies out of _The Hobbit_, why can't they put in more of the cool Tolkien touches instead of generic war glorification? 
> 
> Haven't seen it, but do we get Beorn?  Do we get "nobody likes being called 'attercop'"?  And do we get all the songs & poetry verbatim?  Ah well...
> 
> PS ...can't wait for Inherent Vice...
> 

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Pynchon-l / http://www.waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l