Episode 47 Summary

Tony Meade

Active Member
SESSION 47

Comment on nonsense poetry:
  • Is there a connection between the nonsense words in the Rivendell Elves’ song in The Hobbit, and Tom’s nonsense words in The Lord of the Rings?
  • The words in both poems are different on a superficial level but may serve a similar function.
  • The function of the nonsense words in the Rivendell song is primarily rhythmic and onomatopoetic, especially the laughter.
  • The nonsense words of Tom’s song seem to convey meaning and to add substance to the words around them. Only the endings are nonsense, but all of the other words are real words.
  • The Rivendell song primarily makes statement of facts and taking delight in simple things.
  • In a similar way, Tom’s song takes delight in his familiar sights and sounds, including Goldberry.
  • Tom’s song is more focused on details, whereas the Rivendell song is broader and more general.
  • In both, there are unrestrained merriment and jollity, which is being expressed in song.
Comment on cosmopolitanism in Middle-earth:
  • The use of “peculiar” is not a negative judgement of the arrangement between hobbits and men in Bree, as the narrator calls it “excellent”. He is merely drawing attention to it being unusual.
  • Note: Diversity is generally something that is praised in the modern primary world. However, in Tolkien’s secondary world, the difference between peoples, such as Elves, Dwarves, Men, and Hobbits, is not racial or ethnic, but by species. In our world, we only have humans.
  • Tolkien emphasizes that the difference between Elves and Men especially is the difference between types of species with different fates and natures.
  • Within the individual communities, there is much diversity, such as Gondolin, Rivendell, and Doriath, who were mixes of different races of Elves.
  • Gondor is also very cosmopolitan, with many different groups of people coming together, and the Shire is a mix of the three different kindreds of Hobbits.
  • However, the individual species tend to keep to themselves, while still interacting. This is a fundamentally different situation from the primary world.
  • Tolkien does warn against the dangers of isolationism and hostility between peoples.
  • The Lord of the Rings is told from a mortal (hobbit) point of view, but we are invited occasionally to experience the immortal Elvish point of view, which is very different.
  • In The Silmarillion, we see a lack of understanding of mortal life among immortal Elves.
  • It is hostility and suspicion between the different peoples that is seen as corrupt, but not their different physiological, psychological, and cultural lives.
The Bree-hobbits’ view of the outside world:
  • It’s unsurprising that the people of Bree don’t travel much, just like the Shire-folk. They rarely visit each other, even though very close together in geography.
  • Note: This is another place where we are reminded that in pre-industrial societies most people did not travel more than 20 miles from home. This is due to the difficulty and danger involved.
  • The lack of travel and contact is what engenders this xenophobia and distrust, even though it turns out that these peoples are very similar.
  • People’s fear of the Rangers is due to their differences, and they may assume they are brigands.
  • Being landlocked, this restricts travel. Riverine and seafaring cultures tend to be more open.
  • There is some travel within the Shire, as Sam’s siblings have relocated to the North-farthing.
  • This is why it was such an important event when the original settlers of the Shire left Bree, and when the Oldbucks relocated outside the Shire in Buckland.
  • There is some trade between the Shire and Bree, such as pipe-weed, and possibly with Dwarves.
  • Sam is the least traveled of the hobbits; Frodo grew up in Buckland, and Merry and Pippin have traveled all over the Shire and are known. This is partly due to their socioeconomic status.
  • The faraway news is coming through Bree, even from as far away as Mordor, on the East Road.
  • There are cultural assumptions, considering a tramp’s existence to be a negative thing shared among the Hobbits of both the Shire and Bree.
  • It’s again important to remember that Hobbit society has a judgmental flavor based on their ideas of properness and respectability.
  • Hobbit society is focused on the domestic, including land, plants, and animals. Things that exist outside of that domesticated realm lack in standing. This isn’t necessarily about wealth.
  • Note: The class-based society of the Hobbits would not be foreign to people in England in Tolkien’s time, and not even today, though it may be foreign to Americans.
  • Note: The role of the narrator changes over the course of The Lord of the Rings, from being more intrusive and consciously looking back from the future to being more transparent.
  • There is a comparison between the “tour guide” style here and upon arriving in Buckland.
On the geographical importance of Bree:
  • Bree presents itself as a defensible city. It is a walled town with a moat, which shows that it was meant to be a stronghold in times of trouble.
  • This does not sound like a construction of Arnor, as the defenses are not of stone.
  • At the same time, Bree is set up to be an open town at a crossroads and a meeting place.
  • While the crossroads is very important, it is outside the town. Bree preexisted the crossroads, and the focus is on the Hill, which the town was built around.
  • It’s possible that the crossroads grew at Bree later, because of Bree’s location on the East Road.
  • The East Road was primarily constructed by Dwarves and possibly Elves for their own use.
  • The Greenway was constructed later by Gondor and Arnor, which benefits Bree, though the Bree-folk may have mixed feelings about the passage of foreigners in the town.
  • It’s interesting that there is a suggestion that the Shire-hobbits used to travel more during the time Arnor, but we don’t know when that stopped. The road may have been safer in those days.
  • The Shire-hobbits may have thought of themselves at that time more as part of a wider kingdom, which is shown in their participation in the wars with Angmar.
  • The time when hobbits traveled more may be a memory from many centuries ago, even as far back as the fall of Arnor, which is preserved in their sayings.
  • Also, travel has become more dangerous even in the last couple of decades since Bilbo left.
A meeting at the West-gate:
  • Harry starts with his normal greeting for strangers, but changes when he understands that there are four hobbits from the Shire. He may have known something in advance about them.
  • Note: The vision of the hobbits’ arrival in Bree is very different in the film, and though it works to have the scene raining and threatening, it is described differently here.
  • It’s important that Harry recognizes that the hobbits are from the Shire by their accent, though Tolkien chooses not to represent that in the text. This also happens with Pippin in Minas Tirith.
  • Sam’s dialectical difference is represented in the text, but that is mostly a class-distinction.
  • Note: In Britain, differences in accent are very clear and distinct and carry lots of baggage. This is also true in some American cities. This type of dialectical difference is something Tolkien loved.
  • There is a clear indication from Harry’s speech to himself he is remembering something that he has been warned of in advance, so he was probably on the lookout for them
  • Harry would only know the sound of the Shire accent if he had met Shire-hobbits before. Merry says that Bucklanders do come do Bree occasionally.
  • He may be taken aback by the fact that the hobbits are continuing east after leaving Bree.
  • Note: Harry may have met Bilbo on his final journey east, and Thorin and company must have stayed in The Prancing Pony on their journey.
  • Frodo’s revelation of their journey east shows their naiveté. Frodo is not good at this.
  • Frodo has no reason to suspect that Harry is working for the Black Riders, but he was also put on his guard by Gandalf against all strangers as possible agents of Sauron. Gildor supports this.
  • They’ve already heard of Black Riders attempting to bribe or threaten others into helping them.
  • Harry may be the first Big Person that most or all of them have ever met and spoken with. For Sam, probably, though Big Folk almost certainly have been seen in the Shire on the Road.
  • Why do the hobbits feel safe to drop their guard as they enter Bree? This may be related to the notion of leaving the faerie world of Tom Bombadil and re-entering the familiar world.
END OF SESSION
 

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