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.
The Impossible Made Possible
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1 comment:
“A possible impossibility, therefore, is a quality that The Lord of the Rings has that draws one to its Fantasy World.” (Timothy P.) This was a very catchy and interesting quote to close the idea of the possible impossibility seen throughout the novel. To give an example of another piece of fantasy literature, in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer of Stone by J.K. Rowling, Harry discovers a mirror that allows him to see his greatest desire and most precious memories; Harry’s most precious memory being his parents who were killed by the evil Lord Voldemort. Your example of Gandalf’s fireballs shares the common trait with Harry Potters mirror in the sense that both are essentially not real. There isn’t a human being today that can create a fireball in the palm of his hand and there isn’t a mirror that allows us to see our future or anything past our own reflection for that matter. The fact of the matter is, this imagery of impossible events, characters, and characteristics entices people because it exists in a world unknown to us. A question I propose is do you think people today, even teenagers and children connect themselves with a fantasy character because these characters are able to do the impossible? To achieve things and create “fireballs alight with bright blue fire” (Tolkien 103) that we as human beings clearly cannot do in this world? Aside from all this, I think the connection with mathematics was interesting in a way I never saw math before. Also, the music adds an interesting touch and gives your page an even deeper sense of the fantasy world.
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