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SESSION 299 Pale-green and luminous and wet: There is a pattern of evil or corrupt creatures emitting their own pale light, such as Gollum. This attack comes just after the pause in the prior tense moment, and it is only when Gandalf steps forward to enter the gates that the attack comes...

SESSION 298 Gandalf taking no notice: Being completely out of step with the Company, Gandalf is lost in anxious thought as he sits. By assuming that Gandalf might be in despair instead, the point of view of the hobbits is shown. Gandalf does seem to be unaware of the threat of the pool, rather...

SESSION 297 Great rippling rings: The strong sibilance is evocative of the sound of the water moving from the rock Boromir threw. There is evidence of something else moving that is not directly caused by the thrown stone, because the ripples caused are larger than what a handheld stone could...

SESSION 296 The doors stood fast: There is a contrast emphasized between the changing scene, due to the passage of time, and the unchanging doors, and is done so in the active voice, even though nothing is happening. Gandalf is feeling the rising danger as time passes and shows this in his...

SESSION 295 We shall soon see: One reason for Boromir’s bewilderment could be that these gates are operated solely using magical means, which would be completely abnormal to a practical man like Boromir. Boromir would be no stranger to great works of architecture and engineering from Gondor...

SESSION 294 Not silent and unmoved: Rather than speaking alone, it seems that Boromir is singled out by Gandalf to respond, as what Boromir says seems to give voice to the rest of the Company, with the exception of Aragorn. Boromir’s earlier appeal to a vote shows that he is actually in step...

SESSION 293 Speak the password: Gimli seems to agree with Gandalf’s dismissiveness of the actual words on the inscription, though Merry picks up on the fact that only “speak, friend, and enter” is not self-labeling. Since either the doors would have originally been open, or anyone who...

SESSION 292 The Drawing of the Door: The drawing that is in the book was not done by Tolkien but was done by the publishers based on the drawings that Tolkien had done, but as sketches rather than a final approved design. The printing blocks were made before Tolkien had a chance to approve...

Hey Avi, you should post these in the comments in the main class discussion forums, as I'm sure that I've said before. This forum is really a n access point for the episode summaries, and isn't checked by the participants for new comments.

SESSION 291 The Doors of Durin, Lord of Moria: This is the first mention of Fëanor in The Lord of the Rings, and he is not mentioned in The Hobbit, though Gandalf will speak further about him later after the taking of the palantir. Tolkien’s names for the various realms changed over time, and...

SESSION 290 Not a secret known only to Dwarves: The revelation of the letters on the Door is like an overlay of the moon-letters from The Hobbit on top of the “on the doorstep” situation of Bilbo and the Dwarves at the Lonely Mountain. In that case, it was the moon-letters that had guided them...

SESSION 289 Naturalizing The Hobbit: There are several moments in which Tolkien seems to be trying to recast elements and incidents in The Hobbit in light of the tone and the world of The Lord of the Rings, given that relationship. As the evolution of The Lord of the Rings, from a simple...

SESSION 288 Words of guard and guiding: It’s not clear if what is said in the hearing of all the others is all that Gandalf says to Bill, or if he first speaks in a low voice, possibly in another language, and only for Bill’s hearing before this. There is a parallel with the blessing that...

SESSION 287 A bubbling noise: The hints that we have gotten about the lake thus far is about its unwholesomeness, but this is the first evidence that there is something living in the water, though unknown at the time. While the interpretation of it being a fish is somewhat optimistic and even...

SESSION 286 The slithering of something slimy: There is a strong sibilance in the text that draws attention to itself, mostly through alliteration. This sibilance has been a strong trend in the description of this lake as they approach the edge. Though impossible to prove, there is a sense...

SESSION 285 A way round the northern edge: It is clear that we have now entered into Gimli’s point-of-view, as we have been shown his excitement leading up to the arrival at Moria, and it is he who takes the practical stance. This is new for Gimli, as he is not the leader or guide of the...

SESSION 284 Final and impassable: Alliteration again becomes strong in the description of the landscape, with “s” alliteration most noticeable and sets the pattern, along with “f” and “g”, and draw our attention to their pairs. The fricative alliteration usually does not always occur in pairs...

SESSION 283 Footsore and tired: There is more emphasis on the Company’s actual movements than before, when the focus was primarily on their experience of the landscape and weather and its relative effects on them. From the point of view of the hobbits, they have been thinking about the journey...

SESSION 282 Back towards the mountains: As before in Hollin, the Company is able to see or hear any other living things around them, which they had found so ominous, though in this case there is not even the flock of crows. There is a sense that all the water has either died or fled, just like...

SESSION 281 Reach the doors before sunset: The reason that Gandalf knows that Aragorn is unable to guide them is because they seem to have discussed this during their journey when deciding which paths ahead of them to take. Going as straight as they can to reach the doors before sunset is due...