Goldberry - Framed in light

[Kevin McDonald]

I see a difference between 'framed IN light' and 'framed BY light'. Framed by light means to me that the source of light is behind the subject. Framed in light would seem to me to indicate that the light source is in front of the subject.

 

[Tungol]

I agree with this interpretation. I think the light that is framing Goldberry is from the candle she is holding. She is framed in the light, and behind her is darkness. There may still be stars in the background, but there is no firm evidence of this.

 

[Harnuth]

*blink* I would have thought the same idea, but reversed:

• Framed IN light -- the character is inside the light, appearing to have a lighted aura. That is, backlit, as perhaps by light from a door behind the figure.
• Framed BY light -- a light in front of the character, such as a candle, lights the figure but not the background, creating a cameo frame.

 

[Tungol]

*blink* I would have thought the same idea, but reversed:

• Framed IN light -- the character is inside the light, appearing to have a lighted aura. That is, backlit, as perhaps by light from a door behind the figure.
• Framed BY light -- a light in front of the character, such as a candle, lights the figure but not the background, creating a cameo frame.

Under normal circumstances, you're right, that way makes more sense. However, in this case I remain convinced that Tolkien meant it in the sense of framed BY light (i.e. lighting the character, in your words).

Why did Tolkien choose the word IN? I think it might be because he wanted to emphasize the lightness pervading Goldberry, contrasting it with the "dark under the stars when it was fearless".

Not only is she lit up, but she has a candle that is like sunlight. It's like sunlight is metaphorically coming back into the world to combat the darkness that Tom was describing.

Aside from this, I don't see any evidence that Goldberry is backlit; she clearly comes in from outside where it is dark (her shadow passes the window, and she shields the candle from the draught, among other evidence).

 

[Kevin McDonald]

I can understand Harnuth's point but as Tungol points out, Goldberry is holding a candle. She is clearly lit by the candle in her hands. So, what does Tolkien mean by 'framed'? I don't think he means there is a literal frame of light around her. That would indicate a source of light behind her. It is now night, as 'new waters are running downhill, under the stars.' Tom lights a candle before he goes through the door. The same door Goldberry entered from? It seems so.

Is Tolkien referring to the aura that the candle puts up in front of and around Goldberry?

 

[Tungol]

Tom lights a candle before he goes through the door. The same door Goldberry entered from? It seems so.

The wording here confuses me, because it's "the" door, but Tom returns quickly with a laden tray. This to me suggests that he went to the kitchen, and not out the front door.

Before Tom goes out he dances around the table, and we also have this passage later: "Yet in some fashion they seemed to weave a single dance, neither hindering the other, in and out of the room, and round about the table; and with great speed food and vessels and lights were set in order."

To me this suggests that Tom and Goldberry are dancing around the table and going back and forth to the kitchen, which is what Tom did the first time to get the tray.

Anyway, we know that there are multiple doors off the main room, and maybe Tolkien was just a bit imprecise with his wording.

Is Tolkien referring to the aura that the candle puts up in front of and around Goldberry?

That's a very interesting interpretation. Is she framed, in the sense that she has a glow around the outside of her body? That's kind of what I was suggesting above with the light "pervading" her.

Just as the candle is a source of light "like sunlight through a white shell", is Goldberry herself glowing with light? If this is the case, it's hard not to notice possible religious connections.