Researching vs. Reading

I'm a huge Tolkien fan. In case you didn't realize, I absolutely adore LOTR and The Hobbit.

I can quote whole conversations from both the LOTR trilogy and the new Hobbit trilogy films. I can spout out random facts no one but other Tolkien fans care to hear. It's intense and I don't regret my obsession one bit.

Does this mean I've read every shred of text Tolkien had written and was later dug up and edited by his son? . . .  No. I'm ashamed to say but also a little uncaring to claim that I've only read two of Tolkien's works: The Hobbit and The Silmarillion. The first most people have at least heard, the second, not so much. Part of the reason being The Hobbit and LOTR are the only truly completed works of Tolkien set in Middle Earth. Everything else was published posthumously and by his son, who edited and tried his best to piece together chunks of text that his father had left behind. The other bit of reason being that Tolkien couldn't make up his mind about certain characters and plot points; he changed the backstories of some characters several times, leaving them unfinished when he died in 1973.

Okay, there's my lecture on Tolkien for the day. See what obsession does? Anyways, I have not read The Lord of the Rings books. I grew up with Peter Jackson's magnificent films; I loved them ever since I was a kid and I am determined to have my nieces and nephew love them too. I still watch them on a regular basis. I dreamed and made up stories where I was the main character in Middle Earth as a kid. You would think this love of LOTR and Middle Earth would have gotten me to read the books as soon as I was able, and I did try. I was in the seventh grade, and did not fully understand LOTR. I didn't really begin to understand the epic until I entered high school. So, when I was twelve or whatever age you are in the seventh grade, I didn't even get through the first book of the trilogy.

And I've a tried a few times since. I never get past the first few chapters of The Fellowship. Why? For one, have you seen the actual books? They're mini bibles in shape and detail. That's another reason: detail. Tolkien writes detail like nothing you've ever seen. He spends several paragraphs and/or even several pages describing one scene and or thing. Info dumps everywhere. I appreciate this a lot more as a young adult than as a kid; a twelve year old cares more about the action than the masterfully crafted sentences and beautiful prose. Despite this new appreciation, I find myself regarding the trilogy and other Tolkien works with caution.

The main reason is not the thick plotline, size of the books (even though I've read HUGE books before), or lack of understanding. It's laziness. That may seem shocking, since I've obviously put a lot and time and effort to participating and learning about Middle Earth.

 

But the medium I've used to learn so much about Middle Earth, its inhabitants and its stories is the Internet.

 

I'm not here to rant against the web; I might in another post, but not here. Even so, I can't ignore the fact that the internet and the infinite amount of information it makes accessible has a huge impact on my reading life. With the internet, I can delve deeper into a fictional world and join others. With the internet, I can discover things I never would have otherwise. Still, all that information found in Tolkien's books can be found online. On several sites. By many people who are more obsessed than I am (no, seriously). Anything I wanted to know about The Hobbit and The Silmarillion can be found on the web. If there were things I wanted to know more about or needed clarified from those two books, I searched it in Google, Youtube, and specific Tolkien websites.

 

I already know quite a bit about Tolkien's other works; I've spoiled myself silly. And I feel kind of guilty, especially when I get with other Tolkien enthusiasts. Does this mean I'll disconnect the web and read the five or so other works by Tolkien before I connect it again?

 

 

I am going to continue to obsess over and learn about Middle Earth with the internet, but I'm determined to pick up more of Tolkien's works. I hope I succeed in reading all of LOTR, I really do, but the internet may prove just too easy for me to ignore.