Blog Fantasy
Post 18 - The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
The Golden Compass (originally titled “The Northern Lights”) was written by Philip Pullman, a British novelist, was originally published in 1995. This is the first book of the His Dark Materials trilogy.
Some information that I found about The Golden Compass and Philip Pullman can be seen at: (contains biography as well)
http://www.philip-pullman.com/
I have not watched the movie titled The Golden Compass (directed by Chris Weitz). After reading the book, I would like to watch the movie and compare it to the book. Also, I will be comparing the Fantasy World qualities of The Golden Compass to that of The Fellowship of the Ring and The Hobbit (both of these books have been previously analyzed in the Blog). Through out all these future Posts, I will be trying to find new answers to the Focus Questions. The Fellowship of the Ring provides an excellent environment for one to conduct further exploration on Fantasy Worlds.
Therefore, I will read and study the ideas presented in The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
New Book: The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
The Fellowship of the Ring: Final Post and Evaluation
Blog Fantasy
Post 17 - The Fellowship of the Ring by JRR Tolkien
The Fellowship of the Ring: Final Post
Why is one drawn to the Fantasy World discovered within the covers of The Fellowship of the Ring, a book by JRR Tolkien? What are the properties or qualities that this world possesses so as to make it so captivating to one?
Looking back at previous Posts, The Fellowship of the Ring, certainly possesses many qualities that mesmerize readers; these qualities include: The Weak Made Strong, A Quest for the Final Destruction of Evil , Destiny, Dreams Broken, Something Worth Fighting For, and Dreams Fulfilled. The Fantasy World created by JRR Tolkien, named Middle Earth, uses all of these enchanting qualities collectively to reveal a grand, enthralling story.
What separates the world of Middle Earth from the real world?
Middle Earth is nothing like the real world. It possesses a grand variety of things of which the real world does not. Among the most obvious is that Middle Earth’s inhabitants are not bound by society as much as a person in the real world. Very few of the inhabitants of Middle Earth work for a living; the inhabitants either have magnificent, elaborate feasts or go on death-defying adventures. No individual in Middle Earth seems to have any financial worries. On the other hand, in the real world, people work to earn a living; there is little time for unplanned adventures, often because money is limiting factor. Also, the societies in Middle Earth are quite different from the societies in the real world. In Middle Earth, the inhabitants usually stay within the region held in by their nation’s boundaries. As a result, there is very little mixing of races/cultures. These separated races in turn develop very different social norms. For example, Elven Folk live in high trees and thrive on the power of magic, whereas Dwarven Folk live underground and are made wealthy by their mines underground. In the real world, America has the opposite effect. This effect is popularly called the ‘melting pot’, which refers to the mixing of cultures in America. Therefore, Middle Earth is beyond a doubt different from the real world.
Final Evaluation of The Fellowship of the Ring:
The Fellowship of the Ring is a very fast paced book that is full of great adventures and great lore. The plot is very well crafted and is wondrously filled with intricate details from beginning to end. Overall Rating: 4.5/5
The Weak Made Strong
Blog Fantasy
Post 16 - The Fellowship of the Ring by JRR Tolkien
Outside Source:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6tSTO82o9k
Analysis:
This YouTube clips shows the Hobbit main-characters of The Fellowship of the Ring, by JRR Tolkien. This clips shows the hardships that the Hobbits, or “Halflings”, of Middle Earth endure though the course of the book. These Hobbits play a large role in saving their world. This is unusual because Hobbits are generally not “anything of interest”(174) to the other races of Middle Earth.
Why is one drawn to Fantasy Worlds? What properties or qualities do these worlds posses that make them so captivating to one?
The fact that the Weak are made Strong in a Fantasy World is one of the many reasons why Fantasy Worlds are so appealing to readers. In The Fellowship of the Ring, by JRR Tolkien, Frodo, Sam, Pippin, and Merry, all little hobbits, all take on grand tasks in their great journey to destroy Sauron, an evil warlord who threatens to bring the entire Middle Earth into his iron grip. In general, Hobbits are peace-loving creatures that rarely pay attention to the world beyond their borders. Tolkien as characterizes hobbits as beings who are “accustomed to eating, drinking, and sleeping… not worth special attention, for the most part”(12). Yet, these tasks that are undertaken by the Hobbits are unmistakably worth special attention because they decide the fate of the world. As Gandalf, the wise wizard, said, “It is often true that the weak make all the difference in the world while the eyes of the great are elsewhere” (298). This massive amount of respect given to mere Hobbits is what makes the Fantasy World of Middle Earth so captivating, because it gives the reader a boost of morale. This boost in morale is given by the message conveyed in The Fellowship of the Ring that states: even the weak can become powerful. This message gives the reader encouragement to engage in any troubles with the idea that no matter how weak he/she may be, he/she has the potential to become great, just like the Hobbits in The Fellowship of the Ring.
Therefore, a Fantasy World which has the concept of the Weak are made Strong is an exceptionally intriguing world.
A Quest for the Final Destruction of Evil
Blog Fantasy
Post 15 - The Fellowship of the Ring by JRR Tolkien
Comparison of The Fellowship of the Ring to the The Hobbit:
In the book titled, The Fellowship of the Ring, by JRR Tolkien, the protagonist, Frodo Baggins, is given a grand quest to destroy the Ring. This one act would cause the final destruction of evil.
Similarly, in the book titled, The Fellowship of the Ring, also by JRR Tolkien, the protagonist, Bilbo Baggins, is given a grand quest to destroy the Evil Smaug. In doing so, the people of his region would be rid of their greatest fears. In both books, there is a Quest for the Final Destruction of Evil that ultimately helps not only the protagonists themselves but also the people around them.
Why is one drawn to Fantasy Worlds? What properties or qualities do these worlds posses that make them so captivating to one?
One of the many properties that Fantasy Worlds posses that make them so appealing is: A Quest for the Final Destruction of Evil. In The Fellowship of the Ring, by JRR Tolkien, Frodo, a little hobbit, is on a journey to destroy the One ring of Sauron, an evil war lord who threatens to return once he is reunited with the ring. The quest to destroy evil is given to the main protagonist. This is an interesting quality of a Fantasy World because it allows the reader to experience the hopes experienced by the protagonist in the journey. This hope gives the reader a sense of confidence and encouragement in the fact that evil can also be vanquished from the Real World.
Therefore a Fantasy World that has A Quest for the Final Destruction of Evil is an especially fascinating world.
Destiny
Blog Fantasy
Post 14 - The Fellowship of the Ring by JRR Tolkien
Comparison of The Fellowship of the Ring (Book) to the The Fellowship of the Ring (Movie):
The movie titled, The Fellowship of the Ring, directed by Peter Jackson does not go as depth as the book about the idea of destiny. In fact, the foreshadowing of the fall of the Great Evil and the rise of the new king, Aragorn, is little to none. In the book titled, The Fellowship of the Ring, by JRR Tolkien, the rise of Aragorn is greatly foreshadowed. From the moment that the reader is introduced to Aragorn by Gandalf, the wise wizard, the reader is confronted with the first of many foreshadowing lines that describe of the rise of Aragorn. One example of these foreshadowing lines is easily seen as Elrond introduces Aragorn to Boromir as, “Aragorn son of Arathorn… and he is descended through many fathers from Isildur Elendil’s son of Minas Ithil” (240). If the reader has paid special attention to the lineage of nobility, the reader can predict that Aragorn, descendant of Minas Ithil, would be the next “prophesized King of Middle Earth”(212).
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 the idea of Destiny. In The Fellowship of the Ring, by JRR Tolkien, Aragorn, a lone forest ranger, is destined to become the next “prophesized King of Middle Earth”(212). The idea of destiny is clear through the prophecies and many other foreshadowing events through the course of the book. This is an attractive quality because in the world today where nothing is as easily predicted and nothing is certain, one may look for something to turn to for a sense of reassurance and confidence. This sense of reassurance can be found in the idea of Destiny and in a Fantasy World.
A Fantasy World that has Destiny, therefore, is a truly captivating world.
Dreams Broken
Blog Fantasy
Post 13 - The Fellowship of the Ring by JRR Tolkien
Outside Source
http://youtube.com/watch?v=7HOwFuZ_ixY
Analysis
This Final Fantasy VII clip demonstrates many properties of a Fantasy World. The properties include the theme of many of my previous posts: Good and Evil – Defined, The Impossible Made Possible, and a Vicarious Journey. Please see other posts for details. This video clip also reflects the theme of this post.
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: they’re characters break their dreams. In The Fellowship of the Ring, by JRR Tolkien, Sam, a small town gardener, always dreamed about meeting elves. His excitement to go on this journey to see elves is shown as he says, “Me go and see Elves and all! Hooray!’ he shouted, and then burst into tears” (The Fellowship of the Ring, 63). Unknowingly, he breaks his dream of living a simple Hobbit life in Hobbiton, the Hobbit village. This is an attractive quality because it allows the reader to experience the risk of characters as they break their life long goals in search of another. In a way, this idea is similar to living vicariously through the book’s characters (which is a topic on a previous post).
A Fantasy World that has people, who break their dreams, therefore is a truly captivating world.
