Blog Fantasy
Post 5 - The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
Why is one drawn to Fantasy Worlds? What properties or qualities do these worlds posses that make them so captivating to one?
Perhaps, one of the properties that Fantasy Worlds posses that make them so appealing is that it generally is: A world without the Dominion of Mankind. In The Hobbit, by JRR Tolkien, Bilbo, the protagonist goes through many adventures and sees many thingys that are completely out of this world. Bilbo’s many dangerous adventures include: fighting goblins and evil wolves, traveling through an ever-changing dark forest, fooling giant spiders, and confronting a powerful, infamous dragon named Smaug. Through these numerous adventures, Bilbo meets many beings of different species. He meets Hobbits, West Elves, High Elves, Wood Elves, Dwarves, Goblins, and Trolls. Yet one race of being that Bilbo has not confronted is Mankind; Mankind is mentioned in the book, but Bilbo is told little about them. One of the first mentions of mankind in the book is found on page 167 which states:
“In the Wide world the Wood-elves lingered in the twilight of our Sun and Moon, but loved best the stars; and they wandered in the great forests that grew tall in lands that are now lost. They dwelt most often by the edges of the woods, from which they could escape at times to hunt, or to ride and run over the open lands by moonlight or starlight, and after the coming of Men they [fled] ever more and more to the gloaming and the dusk. Still elves they were and remain, and that is Good People” (167).
This passage indicates that Mankind is greedily pushing the Wood-Elves “ever more and more to the gloaming and the dusk.” Tolkien seems to suggest that Mankind is a race of glutinous beings that continuously take land and have no regard for any other races other than their own. Although Mankind is not the dominant race of beings in the world, Tolkien seems to suggest that they are becoming so.
What separates a Fantasy World from the real world?
The real world is subjected to the dominion of man. Mankind has control of the world. In a Fantasy World, Mankind is not dominant; of all the race of beings, none is in absolute control. Instead, all of the races of beings contain themselves within their own kingdoms. Power over the world is shared and spread through out the whole Fantasy World.
What makes these properties or qualities so captivating?
The thing that makes a world without the Dominion of Mankind so interesting is the fact that man has little or no power over the Fantasy World. Compared to the real world, Man has little to no power. This quality of Fantasy Worlds suggests that man is a negative force in the world; man is dangerous. I connected this idea to the ideas of the Enlightenment Ages. In the passage in line 167, Tolkien writes, “after the coming of Men they [fled] ever more and more to the gloaming and the dusk” (167), implying that Mankind is an evil domineering race. This view on human nature is similar to the Cartesian view of mankind, which states that man is born innately evil and greedy. In a Fantasy World with little or no Mankind, the amount of problems that they cause and the troubles that plague themselves would decrease, and the world would be a better place.
A Fantasy World without the Dominion of Mankind is so interesting to one, because it allows a reader to escape from a world run by Mankind.
Mankind: Reduced to Little or Nothing
Continuity and Frequency of Adventures
Blog Fantasy
Post 4 - The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
Why is one drawn to Fantasy Worlds? What properties or qualities do these worlds posses that make them so captivating to one?
Continuous and frequent adventure is one of the properties that Fantasy Worlds posses. In The Hobbit, by JRR Tolkien, Bilbo, the protagonist goes through many adventures. Bilbo’s many adventures include: fighting goblins and evil wolves, traveling through an ever-changing dark forest, fooling giant spiders, and confronting a powerful, infamous dragon named Smaug. An important thing to note is that all of these adventures ensue one after another with little if no breaks or pauses. Bilbo is always described as tired or out of breath as if he “was being slowly suffocated” (141) by all the adventure. Through out all of these adventures, when Bilbo manages to get through them alive, he is “ever cheerful and glad to have survived it” (150).
What makes these properties or qualities so captivating?
The thing that makes constant adventures in a Fantasy World so interesting is the fact that it allows one to experience a grand scenario without having to physically be there. This is exactly the reason stated in post 3. One is able to experience the constant adventure in a Fantasy World without having to literally be the character in the Fantasy World. In addition to that, the thing that makes adventures in a Fantasy World so interesting is the fact that it is continuous and flowing; the adventures follow one after the other in a way that allows no room for one to breath. In other words, the fun keeps going! A Fantasy World journey is so interesting to one, because it allows a reader to experience the thrill of continuous adventures.
What separates a Fantasy World from the real world?
In a Fantasy World, adventures occur at a continuous rate. In the real world there are not many who can experience that luxury. Often times, one finds oneself in a pattern of life caught between work and play. This tension of forces often prevents the continuity of adventures in one’s life. Also this tension of forces may lower the frequency of adventures in one’s life as well.
The continuity of numerous adventures, therefore, is a quality that The Lord of the Rings has that draws one to its Fantasy World.
Vicarious Journey
Blog Fantasy
Post 3 - The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
Why is one drawn to Fantasy Worlds? What properties or qualities do these worlds posses that make them so captivating to one?
A journey is one of the properties that Fantasy Worlds posses. In The Hobbit, by JRR Tolkien, Bilbo, the protagonist goes on a journey with a party of dwarves to obtain riches. According to How to Read Literature Like a Professor, by Thomas C. Foster, “Every Trip Is a Quest” (How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Foster 1). Foster also says that every journey is meant to be a quest for self-knowledge. This can be seen in The Hobbit, as Bilbo and his companions say that they felt “that the adventure was far more dangerous than they had thought, while all the time, even if they passed all the perils of the road, the dragon was waiting in the end” (The Hobbit, Tolkien 133). In these lines, Bilbo explains the danger of the road ahead of him. As the book goes on, Bilbo gains the respect of dwarves as well as self-respect by enduring the harsh challenges of his journey. Therefore, Bilbo gains a sense of self-knowledge by learning about his own strengths during the course of his quest.
What makes these properties or qualities so captivating?
The thing that makes Fantasy World journeys so interesting is the fact that it allows one to experience a grand scenario without having to physically be there. One is able to gain the sense of the self-knowledge that the quester in a Fantasy World experiences without having to literally be the character. A Fantasy World journey is so interesting to one, because it allows a reader to experience the adventure vicariously.
What separates a Fantasy World from the real world?
The obvious difference is that a Fantasy World has the elements of a realistic world as well as the elements of an unrealistic world. On the other hand, a realistic world is bound by limits cast by the laws of Physics, Thermodynamics, etc. In terms of journeys, the realistic world’s journeys are limited to the possibilities of reality. The journeys of a Fantasy World are literally limitless. Therefore fantasy worlds are not bound to reality like the real world.
A limitless quest for self-knowledge, therefore, is a quality that The Lord of the Rings has that draws one to its Fantasy World.
The Impossible Made Possible
Blog Fantasy
Post 2 - The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
Why is one drawn to Fantasy Worlds? What properties or qualities do these worlds posses that make them so captivating to one?
Beyond doubt, one of the factors that draw one to a Fantasy World is the fact that anything can happen. In The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien, Gandalf, a wizard, casts spells that allow him to do many impossible things. In one instace, “he sent one [fire ball] alight with bright blue fire, and threw it whizzing down among the circle of the wolves” (Tolkien 103). In this case, Gandalf uses magic to send fireballs at his enemies. In the real world, magic is little more than trickery and slight-of-hand. Also, in The Hobbit there are rings that turn people invisible. The ability to turn invisible is only found in fiction and imagination – not the real world. The closest thing to invisibility on earth is camouflage, but even camouflage cannot completely hide a person the way invisibility can.
What makes these properties or qualities so captivating?
These occurrences of impossibilities are so captivating to the reader, because they give a reader a sense of wonder and awe. It gives people such a feeling, because it defies their original understanding of the humanity, the laws of physics, and essentially the entire universe. Fireballs cannot be conjured out of thin air, and people cannot just turn invisible by putting on a ring. JRR Tolkien as well as other creators of Fantasy Worlds make these impossibilities ‘real’ in their works (novels, art, movies, etc). These impossible yet ‘real’ things are figuratively ‘mind-blowing’!
Where do these qualities originate?
Perhaps, these illustrations of impossible realities are the product of dreams. After all, “people tend to dream about things that are not of this world” (Denise f3), and therefore the crafting of dreams into ‘reality’ inspires a sense of wonder and awe. Making dreams a reality is truly amazing.
In support, the article, A Collection of Laws and Theories, by Zamitide Inyedai, states, in a rough translation, that “imagination and new ideas or not original, but instead are distortions of many, different old ideas” (Inyedai 212). For example, the whole idea of mathematics is built on simple arithmetic; multiplication is the result of many additions, and exponents are the result of many multiplications. The theories and postulates of geometry are proven by previously proven theories and postulates. In relation to Fantasy Worlds, the defying of impossible things most likely originated from dreams that ‘distorted’ impossibilities.
A possible impossibility, therefore, is a quality that The Lord of the Rings has that draws one to its Fantasy World.
