The writer who wrote Lord of the Rings. J. R. Tolkien "The Lord of the Rings"

01.05.2019

Sixty years have passed since the return of the hobbit Bilbo Baggins to the Shire. He is one hundred and ten years old, but outwardly he does not change at all. This leads the wizard Gandalf to a frightening thought: the magic Ring stolen by Bilbo from Gollum is in fact the Ring of Power. Thousands of years ago it was forged by the evil sorcerer Sauron, the owner of the Dark Kingdom, forged, then lost and now longs to get it back. And this will turn into the death of the world, because, having mastered the Ring, Sauron will become omnipotent. The ring cannot be destroyed by fire or iron; it subjugates its temporary owner - under his influence, Gollum became a merciless killer; it is impossible to part with him voluntarily; if Bilbo had been a man and not a hobbit, he would have become an incorporeal ghost over the years of owning the Ring, like the nine vassals of Sauron, who were granted nine "younger" rings subordinate to the Ring of Power. The knights became the Ringwraiths, the Nazgul. Hobbits are a different matter, they are stronger than people, but still, only under the pressure of Gandalf, Bilbo parted with the Ring, leaving to live out his days in Rivendell, the valley where elf wizards live.

Bilbo's heir, his nephew Frodo, remains in the Shire. He now has the ring, and Frodo sometimes uses it for jokes and pranks: hobbits are a cheerful people. Another sixteen years pass. During this time, Gandalf is convinced that Gollum visited the Dark Kingdom and Sauron, under torture, got the truth from him: the Ring of Power from a hobbit named Baggins. Gandalf convinces Frodo to leave the Shire and follow Bilbo to Rivendell. There, the wise mages will decide how to proceed with the Ring of Power so that Sauron does not get it.

Frodo is going to go - alas, without haste. And nine Ringwraiths have already invaded the Shire. These are riders in black, on black horses; at their approach, horror seizes all living things. Sauron sent them for the Ring, and they begin to pursue Frodo as soon as he leaves his "burrow". With Frodo goes his servant Sam and his two friends, the merry fellows Pippin and Merry. The black riders pursue them, the hobbits almost die in the Old Forest, among the predatory trees, then - on the grave mounds inhabited by ghosts. But just outside the Shire, they are met by a brave warrior and sage Aragorn. Hobbits do not know that he is a descendant of the ancient king of the West, who took the Ring from Sauron millennia ago, that he is destined to return to the throne when the lord of the Dark Kingdom is defeated. Aragorn and his kinsmen have long protected the Shire from the servants of Sauron, and now he must help Frodo carry the Ring to Rivendell. The hobbits set off again, again they are pursued by the Black Riders and finally overtake them. Aragorn manages to drive off the Nazgûl, but Frodo is wounded by a poisoned witch's dagger. The company miraculously breaks into Rivendell, and just in time: another hour or two, and Frodo would have died ... In Rivendell he is cured, and then the council gathers. There Gandalf for the first time announces publicly that Frodo has the Ring of power, that the Ring cannot be destroyed or left; it cannot be hidden either, for it will find its bearer. There is only one way: take it to the Dark Kingdom and throw it into the mouth of the volcano, in the fire of which it was once forged.

“But you can’t get out of the Dark Realm alive!” thinks Frodo. And yet he rises and says: “I will carry the Ring, only I don’t know the way ...” He understands: this is his destiny.

With Frodo come representatives of all the forces of light. This is the magician Gandalf, the elf Legolas, the dwarf Gimli, from people - Aragorn and Boromir (the son of the ruler of the southern kingdom of Gondor, which is at the very borders of the Dark Kingdom). From the hobbits - Sam, Pippin and Merry. Nine, as many as the Nazgûl, but Frodo is chief among them, for the Ring is entrusted to him.

At night they move to the east, to the mountains, in order to cross them and get to the Great River, beyond which lies the Dark Kingdom. In the foothills they feel: the servants of Sauron - birds and animals - are already waiting for them. On the pass, black forces create a snowstorm, and the company has to retreat. Below, werewolves await her, from which she can hardly escape. And Gandalf, contrary to the misgivings of Aragorn, decides to lead the company under the mountains, through the caves of Moria. Once the caves were owned by the dwarves, now they were filled with the army of Sauron's non-humans, the orcs. At the very door to Moria, Frodo is almost dragged into the lake by a monstrous octopus, and in the dungeon the company is attacked by ferocious orcs. Thanks to the courage of the company and the magic of Gandalf, the non-humans are repulsed, but just before the exit from the caves, an ancient powerful spirit appears, and in a fight with him, Gandalf falls into a bottomless gorge. The Ringbearers lose their leader, and their grief is deep.

Even in the caves, Frodo heard spanking steps behind him, and in the forest beyond the mountains, at the border of the kingdom of the elves, Gollum appears for a second - the Ring irresistibly attracts him. It is not clear how he manages to follow the company everywhere, but when Frodo and his comrades, having rested with the hospitable elves, having received their magic boats, cloaks and supplies, set sail on the Great River, something like a floating log flashes in the water. The orcs are also chasing them: in a narrow rapid they are showered with arrows, and, even worse, one of the Nazgul is shown in the air, now saddled with a giant winged creature; the elf strikes her with an arrow from his mighty bow.

End of sailing; on the right stretches the land of freeriders, Rohan; on the left - the northern approaches to the Dark Kingdom. Aragorn must decide where to go next, but then Boromir falls into madness. The ring of power is the cause of madness, with the help of the Ring Boromir wants to save Gondor from Sauron. He tries to take the Ring from Frodo by force, he escapes and, having ceased to trust people, he decides to go to the volcano alone. However, he fails to deceive the faithful Sam. Two little hobbits are heading towards the limits of the Dark Kingdom.

Here ends the first book of the trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring, and begins the second book, The Two Towers.

The companions search for Frodo and Sam in the forest and stumble upon an ambush of orcs. Boromir dies in the fight, Pippin and Merry are kidnapped by non-humans, and Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli rush in pursuit of the orcs. However, it is not they who overtake the kidnappers, but the horsemen of the country of Rohan. During a night battle, young hobbits elude their tormentors and find themselves in an ancient forest, where the human trees, the Ents, have been hiding for many centuries. The leader of the Ents picks up the hobbits and, on his arms like branches, carries Saruman to the fortress. This is a powerful magician, a former associate of Gandalf, and now a vile traitor; he, like many before him, was seduced by the Ring and sent the orcs to kidnap Frodo. While the Ents are destroying his stronghold, Aragorn and his friends get to the forest and meet not just anyone, but Gandalf! He is not a man, he is one of the ancient demigods, and he defeated the formidable spirit of darkness. The four friends take part in the battle between Rohan's cavalry and Saruman's army and reunite with Pippin and Merry in the ruins of his fortress. But there is no joy: the battle with Sauron himself is ahead, and the terrifying winged Nazgul flies overhead.

Meanwhile, Frodo and his faithful servant Sam, in hard work, overcome the rocks on the outskirts of the Dark Kingdom; here, already on the descent from a height, Sam manages to catch Gollum chasing them. Frodo, by the power of the Ring, makes Gollum swear that he will serve the hobbits, show them the way to the Land of Gloom. And Gollum leads them through the Swamp of the Dead, where the witch's fires roam, and the faces of the once dead warriors can be seen in the water, then along the mountain wall to the south, through the flourishing country recently captured by Sauron. They meet with a detachment of warriors of Gondor (later they will bring news of the meeting to Gandalf, which will do good service). They pass one of the strongholds of Sauron and, trembling with horror, see how the leader of the Nazgul leads an army of orcs to war with Gondor. Gollum then leads the hobbits up an endless staircase to a tunnel leading to the Dark Realm and disappears. This is a betrayal: the giant spider Shelob is waiting for the hobbits in the tunnel. She bites Frodo, wraps her web around him like ropes. Seeing this, Sam rushes to the rescue. The little hobbit gives battle to the monster, and it, wounded, retreats, but Sam's beloved master is dead... The faithful servant removes the chain with the Ring from Frodo's neck, leaves the body, and in desperation trudges on to fulfill his duty instead of Frodo. But as soon as he leaves, Orcs stumble upon Frodo; Sam overhears their conversation and learns that Frodo is not dead: Shelob paralyzed him to eat him later. The orcs must deliver him alive to Sauron, but for now they take him to the fortress, and Sam is left alone with his despair.

Here ends the second book of the trilogy, The Two Towers, and begins the third book, The Return of the King.

Meanwhile, the young hobbits split up. Gandalf took Pippin with him - he rushes to the aid of Gondor, to which the army of Sauron is approaching, Merry remains a page under the king of Rohan; soon he will march with the army of this country to the aid of the besieged Gondor. Aragorn with Legolas, Gimli and a small detachment also goes to Gondor, but in a roundabout way - through the terrifying Road of the Dead, a tunnel under the mountains, from where no one has yet returned alive. Aragorn knows what he is doing: he, the returned king of Gondor, incites the army of ghosts languishing here (they once backed down from the oath given to his ancestors).

Gondor is besieged, its White Keep is on fire, the fortress gates have collapsed from the spells of the king of the Nazgul. At this moment Rohan's horsemen rush into the field; the black army retreats. When the king of the Nazgul descends on the horsemen from the sky, Merry wounds him, and the niece of King Rohan kills. But victory is about to turn into defeat - there are too many enemies - and that's when Sauron's battle fleet appears, captured by Aragorn with the help of an army of ghosts. After the victory, the defenders of Gondor decide to send a small army into the heart of the Dark Kingdom. This suicidal decision is made to divert Sauron's attention from Frodo bearing the Ring.

An unequal battle begins at the walls of the Black Fortress. Orcs and giant trolls smash the army of Aragorn and Gandalf; Pippin delivers the final blow and passes out under a mountain of corpses...

But back to Sam and his trouble. He sneaks into the tower where Frodo lies, and sees that the orcs have fought and killed each other. Sam again shows miracles of courage and saves the owner. Suffering from hunger, thirst and eternal darkness, the hobbits sneak into the depths of the Dark Realm. Here the Ring hanging around Frodo's neck becomes unbearably heavy. Finally they reach the volcano, and here, on the slope, they are again overtaken by Gollum. It is not possible to drive him away; together with Frodo and Sam, he climbs to the mouth of the volcano. It's time to give the Ring to the fire that gave birth to it, but the power of the sinister talisman over Frodo is too great. The hobbit in madness shouts: "It is mine!", puts the Ring on his finger; Gollum rushes at him, invisible, bites off his finger along with the Ring and, stumbling, falls into the fiery vent.

The Ring of Power has been destroyed, the Lord of the Rings is dying - the world is finally free. Giant eagles, flying to the aid of Gandalf, carry Frodo and Sam out of the sea of lava. Aragorn returns to the throne of his ancestors and escorts the hobbits to the Shire with great honor.

There, at home, a new misfortune awaits them: the traitor Saruman has penetrated into the country of meek hobbits and is mercilessly destroying it. Pippin and Merry, now seasoned warriors, raise their people against Saruman's men. The traitor-sorcerer dies at the hands of his own slanderer. So the last point is put in the War of the Ring, the country returns to life, but here's the strange thing: Sam, Pippin and Merry are highly respected, and main character, Frodo, seems to be in the shadows. He is often ill - the obsession of the Ring remains in his heart and body. And the humble savior of the world sits down with Gandalf and the kings of the elves on the ship - their road lies beyond the sea, to the land of blissful immortality.

Correctly, others write here that without The Lord of the Rings, there would be no fantasy. This work is the foundation of the genre.

No one will say that The Lord of the Rings is like any other work. But about other works, you can easily say: “Nothing new, it looks like The Lord of the Rings.” Because they always compare with the master, with the classics, with the one who was the first.

Perhaps later they will write something better. But it will still be a classic!

If I could give 100 points, I would...

Tolkien is a master without question. His world is maximally thought out: he has a history and morphology, peoples, etc.

Because of this thoughtfulness, the world really seems real, not fictional. How many other authors have written various studies on the world of Tolkien? It's like exploring a truly existing world!

Powerful work, very impressive.

Some say the book is big. On the contrary, for me it is small. It ended so quickly, so sorry, so I would read and read.

You read, maybe not very fast, you just don’t notice the time, because it’s insanely interesting! Big books are those that are boring and uninteresting to read.

The book touches on really serious things, it is not just a fairy tale (although, as they say in Russian folk tales: “A fairy tale is a lie, but there is a hint in it. Good fellows lesson.")

This book is about a feat, about love for one's people, for one's Motherland, for one's home. I think it's a very patriotic piece.

This is a book about duty and heroism, about sacrifice for a great goal, about what a person (a dwarf, a hobbit, an elf - it doesn’t matter) can go through, realizing that no one else will do it otherwise.

A book about true friendship and love, about loyalty to the word, a book about Good and Evil, a book about real heroes. In a book there is an image, in a book there is a thought, in a book there is power!

I would suggest including it in the school literature curriculum!!! Although, maybe it’s not worth it the other way around: children begin to fundamentally hate half of the wonderful works from the school curriculum because they are forced to read it.

The Lord of the Rings has its own well-developed and well-thought-out philosophical concept, almost religious. It is no coincidence that Tolkienists appeared long before the film was released.

So many people run through the forests considering themselves elves, hobbits, gnomes, orcs!!! This is already later, and people began to play in other fantasy worlds. This is a serious indicator.

I have also seen bearded uncles of thirty-five years of age and older, who have long had two children each. And they stubbornly play elves and dwarves, write treatises on how to properly bring characters to life.

And they also complain that young Tolkienists do something wrong, they “live” in the wrong way. Some really go into Tolkienism with their heads - they are, in a way, "radical Tolkienists."

Sometimes such attachment to the fantasy world is even scary. Seems like an abnormal addiction. In general, I am also considered a Tolkienist, apparently moderate, if I may say so.

There are many other good books and not only fantasy. I’m saying that you saw people (not actors, but ordinary people) play Faust, Evgeniev Onegin, Andreev Bolkonsky, Rodionov Raskolnikov and Evgeniev Bazarov?

Or maybe Hamlets, Chichikovs and Oblomovs? Perhaps they are playing in the world of the Divine Comedy? Or the Decameron? They are remarkable, but did not please the phenomena similar to "Tolkienism".

These works are undoubtedly one of the greatest in the history of literature! But how many people want to be in these worlds, to become participants in the events, to try to restore them?

Such an impact as had "The Lord of the Rings" (together with "The Silmarillion", etc.) books rarely have on people!!!

Although, "Tolkienism" - I consider it not an acquired, but an innate state of mind (in short, there is a kind of predisposition to "Tolkienism", I think so).

The book is truly captivating.

Who has not read - read it, the book will definitely not teach bad things. If you don’t like it, it seems boring and tedious, consider that you didn’t have a “predisposition” or you have “immunity”.

Many do not like this book. she is in recent times, has become, it seems, like "fashionable." The fashion for books annoys me too.

But if you read it and then decide to look for a sword for yourself, to sew a raincoat and pull irresistibly into the forest, then the book touched you very deeply, no matter how you deny it.

Score: 10

I will make a reservation right away that I have absolutely no prejudice to big thick books, so I gave 4 points to The Lord of the Rings not because it is big and scary. And because of the banal - he is boring. The first time these books fell into my hands at the age of 14, and, to be honest, there was little left after reading in a small child's head, except for hobbits and Gollum. The second time I sat down to re-read the works of the respected Tolkien about 5-6 years later, when the creation of Peter Jackson appeared on the screens. Personal conclusion: the genius is not Tolkien, but Jackson and his screenwriters, who managed to make a script and an amazing movie based on such material.

Impressions from the book: blazing awe before the monumental work, gradually descending to the strained turning of the pages and increasing drowsiness. I realize that I'm talking like a hot dog lover at a gourmet meeting now, but the characters are kind of flat, and the only thing that interested me in Tolkien's world was the entertaining geography. Hobbits are just like... hobbits. Villains are like... well, villains. Elves - one word, it is immediately clear, elves. Gnomes are gnomes. There is nothing more to add.

PS. Watch the movie.

PS. PS. The second time I read the book in the original, in English, although to be honest, the translator plays an important role for me only when I am going to read Pratchett in Russian. Works that do not belong to the genre of “humorous fantasy / science fiction”, for my perception, cannot be spoiled by poor-quality translation. It's boring, because it's elementary - the book does not catch on, there is no regret left after it that everything is over, and you don't want to return back to the heroes in Middle-earth. At least for me and some n-th part of her readers.

Score: 4

Perhaps I was unlucky. I was unlucky to read The Lord of the Rings at one time (although I first read it not at the age of twenty, and not even at fifteen - at twelve), I was unlucky to fall under the charm that this work captivated so many ... Otherwise it would have been in my library there would be another favorite book that you re-read over and over again, experiencing all the same emotions. The Lord of the Rings did not conquer me. Absolutely.

Yes, it's undeniable that Tolkien created a large, well-written world. And he writes by no means boring - not in heavy language. To read such works, you need to be familiar with the novels of the nineteenth and early twentieth century. All the same unhurried narrative, enriched with many details, not immediately throwing the reader into the maelstrom of events, but slowly leading him into the world described by the book. Therefore, those who write that the Lord is incorrigibly boring are wrong. No, Tolkien's narrative itself is not inherently boring or boring. But then what is wrong?

The fact that the Lord is put in his highest dignity - his world, for me is his main, crushing shortcoming. Strange, isn't it? But this is so, if you like, the main thing is not even what kind of writer created the world. "Universe" may not be original, but it will captivate the reader. The main thing is the "liveness" of the world. When you feel what is written while reading, you literally live the story along with the characters. But Middle-earth is not a living world. It is dead, like the Rest described in it. He is pale and inexpressive, he is not at all exciting. And I'm not talking about the cheap fascination of countless "adventure" literature, if I may say so. I'm talking about the charisma of the world, about pulling the reader into your pool, which gives rise to a desire to live in this world, or at least see all these events with your own eyes. This is not. He is completely uninteresting. Inanimate heroes, or even images, it would be more correct to say, because here each hero is not a multifaceted personality, but a quality. This is loyalty, this is bravery, this is viciousness. Faceless and stupid evil, completely indistinct, not causing even a shadow of fear. Why the enemy is so terrible remains unclear. Throughout the epic, the heroes confront nine photophobic ghosts, orcs, whose only purpose, apparently, is to die by the hundreds at the hands of the main characters, and a certain Enemy who simply exists. A threat is only terrible because it is a threat. The ancient peoples, which should arouse interest and attract with their secrets, seem like cardboard decorations, a background, and constantly repeating, without any differences among themselves. Even what may at first seem interesting and attracts attention, like defiled Moria immersed in eternal darkness or the ancient forest of disappearing Ents, as soon as it begins to open, freezes and remains an inexpressive void. The abandoned city of the gnomes... Good. What's next?

A story that could turn into a great saga about the path to a land of secrets and horrors, when the end is already near and inevitable, and the chance of salvation is illusory, when the enemy is great, and the swords of the defenders have long been lost or blunted, the main character at this time is forced to fight with external fears and own desires, slowly burning his soul under the pressure of the monstrous temptation of power and might... Tempting? Three times yes! But no... It won't. There will be a description of the path from point A to point B, in which the stilted heroes endure terrible trials - however, what they are, only they and the Professor know.

Many talk about the phenomenon of "closing the last page and immediately opened the first." But not only the desire to read again can make it happen. And the expectation that “this leisurely introduction is about to end and the real one begins - a real, dramatic plot, real experiences, real complex characters...”, which degenerated into dreary bewilderment - “what was it all about”? So much potential was transformed into a mediocre work, torn between a serious saga and a fairy tale, without becoming a masterpiece in either the first or the second (although I may be wrong in the second. Like a fairy tale, The Lord of the Rings is so fantastically popular. But then he got into not your vale). And this is the saddest thing that upsets the most - unrealized potential! A bird that spread its wings, but immediately fell to the ground. If the idea were banal, and the idea was funny, it would not only be so insulting, but the impression would be even better.

The rest is pointless to talk about. Tolkien founded fantasy? Dismiss me. Even before him, many better authors wrote, now half-forgotten. The same Robert Howard wrote before Tolkien, and the universe created by him (by him, and only by him! And not by countless hordes of mediocre followers) is much brighter. Philosophy? It does not go beyond ordinary edification. Language? Again, there are works with much more interesting linguistics. And no need to refer to the time of writing the book! And before him they wrote much more impressively. Is he epic? Yet again. There are sagas whose scope and power make The Lord of the Rings seem like a shadow.

This is my first review. Perhaps he will somehow offend ardent fans of Tolkien's work, but I described everything without lying. Without inventing unnecessary flaws that do not exist.

Score: 6

To be honest, it is extremely difficult to write a fairly objective review of such a well-known work, which has probably already entered the category of "untouchable classics of the genre." However, I will try.

I read The Lord of the Rings after meeting Zelazny and Le Guin, Efremov and the Strugatskys. Accordingly, my opinion was built in comparison with the above authors.

What to say? This is a fairytale. Good, with a strong mythological basis, easy to read (albeit a bit boring on initial stage) - but, nevertheless, it is a Tale. Because only in this genre there is a clear and unquestioning division of the world into black and white, into Good and Evil (and even then, by the way, this is not present in all fairy tales - just most of them “work” precisely according to this principle).

In addition, the novel is very difficult with psychology. She, IMHO, practically does not go further than describing the features inherent in a particular people or race. All elves are talented and sublime, all orcs are evil and cruel, and Aragorn's kindred are proud. Practically the only character ambiguous in this regard is Boromir, however, and his problems stem from the notorious "national trait".

This cycle is for the young. For those who have not yet forgotten how to be a maximalist. A world where a wandering traveler could be a future king, women are sweet and beautiful, and villains can be identified by dark cloaks, whistling voices, and bad breath... (okay, that last one was already a joke, sorry).

This is a legend, a ballad, a myth, slightly corrected for the present. It is epic and beautiful, and many have “sick” and “sick” with this work, just as it used to happen with The Three Musketeers. It was he who radically turned the prevailing in folklore different countries images of elves and dwarves, added such a "promising" race as orcs to the treasury of the genre. It is from this "myth of modernity" that many authors have drawn and still draw their inspiration, developing and supplementing it...

That's just, growing up, you begin to understand that this is just a fairy tale ...

Score: 8

read a few negative feedback to The Lord of the Rings and... I'm glad. Everyone shouldn’t like the book, it just doesn’t happen, and the fact that there are people who don’t find anything interesting in VK says only one thing - the book was not completely spoiled by the “fashion”, “trend” that appeared after the release of the film adaptation, In other words, the book didn't go wrong. As it unfortunately happened with many great things like "The Master and Margarita", which became "good form" to love. In addition, extremes are not viable - what everyone likes, and what no one likes - this is either conjuncture or outright slag.

And so time put everything in its place. There are those who like the book, there are those who are indifferent to it, and there are those who are annoyed by it. And this is more than half a century after the publication. This means that we are definitely not in a conjuncture and quite obviously not slag.

Personally, I give this book 10k for a frosty March morning in 2001, during which I, a 12-year-old boy, lay in bed until lunch, literally “swallowing” the first volume. I could also say about the impeccable literary language of the original, and about the breath of antiquity, and about the genuine mythology ... But why? all this has been said thousands of times before me, those who like the book know it themselves, and those who do not like it did not see it in it, why argue? - for me reason enough for this, 10s are the subjective delight of 12 teenagers in whose imagination one of the greatest tales told by man unfolded.

Score: 10

For a long time I did not dare to write a review, because it is not clear what to write, because everything that can be said has already been said, but I did not want to repeat the same thing for the thousandth time. Even the words “everything that is possible has been said” have become commonplace. But on the other hand, how not to write? I will not retell the plot, do an analysis, I will simply write what The Lord of the Rings is for me, as best I can.

It was in 2001, I was 11, and it all started, in fact, with the film. I went to him rather for the company, because I didn’t like the trailer at all, I didn’t even hear about Tolkien and thought that this was some kind of another “Robin Hood”. I remember we went into the hall, and there was a crowd of people, there was nowhere to push through, there were no empty seats. Extinguished light, darkness and female voice says “The world has changed...” and at that moment I turned to my neighbor and said that now this is my favorite movie. I don’t know why I decided that, even then I could hardly explain, because the screen was still dark and I could not see anything. I already flew out of the cinema on the wings of happiness and with a great feeling of sadness, because the story ended in nothing, and it is not known how long to continue.

And now, a few months after watching and a month before my birthday, I saw a BOOK (ChF volume) on the bookshelf! My family is not rich and the price of the book was high for us, so the next month I didn’t climb on my father’s neck, begging to give me a book for my birthday. And I remember very well the moment when on May 23 I saw him in school corridor with a red volume in his hands. I carried it with me always and everywhere for the next few years. To this day, I think it's the best gift ever.

A few days later I left with my mother for summer camp to the Kinburn Spit, where she worked as a cook. There, among the children, I found a peer who took the same volume of VK from the director of the camp to read, and while we were reading, no one saw us apart. The work was difficult for us, we had not read anything like this before, so things went slowly. But how passionate! While the rest of the children played somewhere, swam and did other things usual in the camp, we sat somewhere under a tree, or on the shore and read. We lived in a small wooden house, in a room for 10 people, with one window, and after lights out we waited for a while, and then covered the window with a blanket so as not to burn, turned on the light and read until we fell asleep with a book in our hands. Neither the heat of the house heated during the day, nor the myriad of mosquitoes buzzing and biting us stopped us (one day I even woke up with my eyes swollen from bites so much that I could hardly open them). This is how we spent our time in Middle-earth, of course, actively discussing our campaign and making guesses. After The Two Towers, I even took a week off for a few Potter parts to stretch my trip to Mordor more in time.

And when the story ended, I could not find a place for myself. I even took The Ring of Darkness from the director for reading, but I couldn’t read it, because it was no longer in any comparison.

As a result, as I already said, I dragged that volume of CHF with me everywhere and everywhere, rereading my favorite places. I killed him so much that now it's just scary to look at. Peeled, frayed, glued several times, scribbled with a pen, but so dearly loved. Of course, I subsequently acquired a new book, but it is only a pale copy of the old one, with which all memories of Middle-earth are connected.

I can’t be objective about The Lord of the Rings for one simple reason - for me it’s not just a great book, beloved characters, an exciting adventure, strong experiences, but also a small piece of childhood. What rating can I give?

Score: 10

It is interesting that the authors of most reviews of The Lord of the Rings are clearly divided into two camps - Tolkien admirers and critics. The former abuse epithets, capital letters and emotions, the latter - with malice and sarcasm, and at times they even pretend that they do not understand that the book was written more than half a century ago and it should be judged accordingly.

What kind of novel is The Lord of the Rings, why did it capture the hearts of readers so easily?

It is no secret that fantasy essentially grew out of the adventure novel of the second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries. Its first sprouts date back to the century before last, and the beginning of the 20th century gave examples of already completely fantasy works (hello to W. Hodgson's Night Earth), although they did not arouse particular interest in the reader - the time has not yet come. Further, the developing author's thought gave rise to such a genre as "Sword and Sorcery", which can be mistaken for fantasy.

But in these novels, swords and monsters can be replaced with "Colts" and Indians without the slightest loss for the plot and the overall impression, and we get an adventure novel. Or on sabers and Lepages, then Napoleonism will come out. Howard, so to speak, is the same Boussenard, only in armor.

What did Tolkien do? He became the first author (or, in any case, the first who managed to bring such a novel to the world level) who created a full-fledged magical reality, a world that lives and develops according to its own laws. The professor added a heroic archetype of behavior to this world, which set the main direction for the development of the genre for half a century.

Aragorn can't be replaced by the Captain Break the head, it will destroy the whole idea of the novel. Tolkien's heroes are not the axis around which the whole story revolves, as it was in the adventure novel, but an organic and natural part of the author's universe. This is what made Tolkien the pioneer of fantasy. He connected the previously separate tendencies and forged a new direction from them.

In the world of Middle-earth, heroes don't just operate in pre-industrial settings. Their psychology, values and mode of action differ from the modern author. Moreover, they do not fit into medieval patterns of behavior, which would be logical to expect. Their inner world was created by Tolkien completely from scratch.

If we conduct a reverse experiment and give Tolkien's heroes rifles and locomotives, and even tanks, we will not get a western or a war novel. The book is still fantasy.

Simply put, the main literary merit of The Lord of the Rings is that the author managed to create a completely new world where everything is arranged differently. It was this that became the source of success, and not external manifestations such as dashing sword cuts or magical actions.

By the way, this is what distinguishes The Lord of the Rings from modern mass fantasy, in which tabloid authors lack neither the skill nor the desire to create the world. Most modern authors believe that “creating the world” means inventing a dozen races (or even “disguising” real cultures or mythological creatures as them), drawing a map and coming up with fifty more or less pronounceable names. The heroes of today's stamped fantasy think and act for the most part like our contemporaries, in extreme cases the author sews on them some interesting character traits, but that's all.

In reality, the creation of the world is, first of all, the study of the thinking of its inhabitants, the differences in their morals, values, self-awareness. This is the creation of a new spiritual layer.

This is exactly what fantasy literature lacks. recent years. We are annoyed by ingrained types, standard patterns of behavior and the general sameness of works.

Well, let's hope that Tolkien's legacy will continue to inspire as yet unknown authors, and the stagnant classic fantasy genre is yet to flourish.

Score: 10

I wonder if Tolkien himself imagined how much his The Lord of the Rings would affect the world? And I'm not talking about role-players, rabid fans and the fantasy genre, no. This is all in general, but I suggest taking a look at least at the particulars:

Translation. I'm serious, there are dozens of translations of this novel. I had the impression that Tolkien is someone like Nostradamus in terms of texts, that is, he is also very difficult to decipher, which is why there are so many attempts. And yes - all translations differ ("And Boromir, overcoming death, smiled." - Translation by V. Muravyov, A. Kistyakovsky; "The shadow of a smile flashed on Boromir's pale, bloodless face." - Translation by N. Grigorieva, V. Grushetsky ; "The lips of Boromir were touched by a faint smile." - Translated by M. Kamenkovich, V. Carrick; "Boromir smiled." - Original.). But it has already become the talk of the town.

In general, I will not talk about the genre, I will talk about its individual representatives. N. Perumov, having started writing his fan fiction based on The Lord of the Rings, could not stop and released a huge fantasy epic. V. Kamsha once came to N. Perumov just to interview ... After this conversation, she herself began to write huge fantasy epics. Even about George R.R. Martin, spiteful critics say that it is not for nothing that he has “J. R.R.

Sir Christopher Lee - an English actor, listed in the Guinness Book of Records as an actor whose name was indicated in the credits of the largest number of films (290 films), was also accused by some not entirely bright personalities that he got the role of Saruman mainly due to personal acquaintance with Tolkien. That is to say, as a friend. Christopher Lee himself knows nothing about such accusations, and, obviously, this is deeply indifferent to him.

Peter Jackson - was the director of almost the best trash movie, started filming The Lord of the Rings and still cannot stop.

Christopher Tolkien is the son of the creator of Middle-earth. For more than a dozen years, poor Christopher has been poring over the works of the late dad, looking for previously unpublished, unknown, important works, which need to be edited, annotated (larger than the most unknown work) and donated to the eager reader.

"My prelllessssst..." - this is without comment.

Ordinary people. Remember how it was? I read a volume of Tolkien - People's Commissar ... in the sense of a fantasy fan, eager to read something similar. I watched the film adaptation - I served everything I could, well, at the same time I was imbued with epicness.

I don't see the point in dwelling in detail on the plot, the characters, the world, the language of the author. This has already been done more than a dozen times, both for free (that is, on a fantasy lab) and for money (see numerous guides). In conclusion, I will only say that I like The Lord of the Rings as a whole, so I decided to write a review on it, albeit not quite a serious one.

Score: 8

“Give us more power, and we will solve all your problems,” we hear every day from all sorts of officials and deputies, justifying their inaction and anxiously listing what prevents them from working.

“Give us even more power, and you will feel safe always and everywhere,” a variety of law enforcement officers repeat, explaining their inability to stop the rampant crime.

“Why do you need to delve into these intricate issues of management, small details of supply, give us a little more Power, and you will not even notice how things will get much better,” whisper the voices of numerous managers. Give us power! - they shout, pray, convince .... And after all, we give, what can I say.

This is what I will always like about The Lord of the Rings. Its relevance, despite the fact that this is a classic heroic fantasy with noble kings, wise wizards, a little arrogant elves and simple craftsmen-dwarves, good-natured peaceful hobbits and ancient treasures, with an epic journey to save the world, written in sometimes pretentious "sublime" style .

Almost the entire book is about being tested by Power. Here it is - the Ring of Omnipotence, designed to find and bring together all the other symbols of Power scattered around the world. Oh, of course, it is made by the enemy for evil deeds. But after all, you can use it to gather armies and punish the Great Enemy and his many minions, convene associates, and establish, albeit through violence, the world that you dreamed of ... What a temptation: you just have to stretch out your hand - and there will be no need for a magician Gandalf to go on a hopeless campaign, and the wise Elrond - to leave his beloved Middle-earth, Galadriel - to leave the forests of Lorien dear to the heart, Aragorn - to lead a dead army into battle, Baromir - to give life in a land far from his native Minas Tirith ... You can solve everything by one the only one - "My ring!".

But time after time heroes refuse such Power. Most - out of fear of the consequences, that they will not be able to resist the temptation of the Power and become the same Evil as the one they have been fighting against all their lives. Others are simply helped by chance, fate, although they themselves would not mind trying their hand at a new field. But there are only a few, very few of them, who renounce Power simply because they do not want to rule, rule, punish and pardon. Faramir, whose essence is loyalty and duty, service, not rule. And Sam, an inconspicuous and silent gardener, standing firmly on the ground, though not crawling out to the fore, but stubbornly moving towards his goal. And then there are Merry and Pippin, Gimli and Legolas, who are so attached to their friends and Middle-earth with its simple joys - shady forests and sparkling caves, green hills of the Shire, that they do not think of any power, even if the Great Rings are scattered in heaps . Heroes without whom none of this would have been possible.

By the way, what's interesting. The trilogy is called The Lord of the Rings. But the Lord himself is only rarely mentioned, we see only his deeds: servants and minions, a destructive effect on people. An impersonal absolute Power, which does not even have a material appearance, but vigilantly monitors all its vigilant bloody eye.

Here is a book about Omnipotence. An eternal novel on an eternal theme. Still relevant: every day thousands and thousands of voices shout, pray, demand and whisper: “Authorities, Authorities, Authorities!” And we give it to them over ourselves. As if they had not read and re-read this great book. We read it, but anyway, let's ...

Score: 10

I've been meaning to do this for a long time and now I'm done. It's not about a particular edition, but about the desire to talk about translation in general and about its role in the perception of the book.

My favorite and best in my opinion is V. Muravyov, he is very old, still almost Soviet. It is distinguished by a completely real literary Russian language and the most accurate detailing.

It is in him that Aragorn is Strider, and not the idiotic Kolobrod, as it became later.

In it, the house of Bilbo and Frodo is Bag-on-the-Hill, not Bag-on-the-Hill.

Bilbo himself is in it - Baggins, not (ugh, bad) Sumkins ...

And so on. By the way: I read the second translation and found it boring! It's the translation. When the translator is not interested, he has deadlines, and then one strange name runs into another ... That's when it becomes more and more flat. And an important second plan leaves. Those who have not seen him - they are bored. The second plan for me is the Second World War and even the First World War, the shadow of which fell on the generation of the author. And also depression, the fight against communism - by the way, very relevant for the environment of intellectuals. No wonder it was from this book that the "Empire of Evil" grew ...

And the third plan. This is England of the 19th century, which is receding into the past, nostalgic for the author. With "elves" - tribal nobility. With their endangered, ever going into oblivion style of life. Unhurried, created for the eternal. Jane Austen's novel gave me a lot for a late reading of VK. After him, the elves ceased to be cardboard, I finally understood why they did not stay in Middle-earth.

You can also look for a fourth one. In any good book, not only "downhole" dialogues are important. But also a lot of free space between the lines. And your inner “I” will consider this place empty - or will it fill it with thoughts.

More about translations.

And even more wonderful poetry!

Here is a prophecy of 9 rings from Muravyov (translation of Kistyakovsky's poems):

“Three rings - to the wise elves - for their proud good, Seven rings - to the piedmont dwarves - for their mountain labor,

Nine - to the people of Middle-earth - to serve the black

And fearlessness in battles deadly hard,

And one - all-powerful - to the ruler of Mordor,

To separate them all, to deprive them of their will

And unite forever in their earthly vale

Under the dominion of the all-powerful Lord of Mordor"

Real old-sounding and rhythmic, preserving the style and syllable of the original. By the way, it is in this version that the first book is called "The Keepers of the Ring"

In the later and wretched she is already "The Fellowship of the Ring"

Translation here N.V. Grigoriev and V.I. Grushetsky, lyrics by I. Grishpunin

To help you understand the difference, here is a verse from there:

"Three - to the elven lords in the substellar limit,

Seven - for the gnomes reigning in the undermountain expanse,

Nine - to mortals, whose term and destiny are verified,

And one thing - the ruler on the black throne.

In Mordor, where eternal darkness:

To find everyone, to convene together

And forge with a single black will

In Mordor, where eternal darkness

There are other versions. So I sincerely advise: first make sure that the translation is adequate for your perception, and then enjoy it)))

I personally love the little things. I prefer Muravyov's Hobbitania to the indistinct Shire (are they expanding?) Grigoriev. Especially when reading to children, you know.

Score: 9

Why is The Lord of the Rings so popular? Why is he loved, why is he remembered after half a century, while many others are covered with oblivion? If you ask me, I will answer: "my versatility." Tolkien's novel is simple and complex at the same time, both old and young will understand it, with the only difference that some can formulate their impressions, while others only feel it intuitively. Wrong are those who say that The Lord of the Rings is bad because it is straightforward and naive. "The Lord of the Rings" is a hymn to human values, it cannot be different! He sings of those elementary rules that sometimes turn out to be too complicated for us. About the right to judge and advise, about the fact that sometimes you have to decide and bear the burden yourself, about the strength and price of love and friendship, about the strength of despair and the power of hope. This is a kind of fantasy Bible, containing its Testaments, from which others are repelled.

Tolkien also created a huge, bewitching world inhabited by various peoples. About the peoples of Middle-earth, it is worth mentioning separately. Many of them are still used in the works of science fiction authors to this day and have become a kind of synonym, a "brand name" of fantasy. Why is this so, why are these peoples of Tolkien and not others? The fact is that the peoples of Middle-earth are not just a “outlandish miracle”, but the embodiment, the quintessence of human traits and characters. Hobbits - laid-back fun and carefree optimism; elves - wisdom, nostalgia and light sadness, craving for magic; gnomes - diligence and worldly stinginess, practicality; orcs are human vices. People got the very essence of the human soul - not black, but open to dark promises. To overcome and reject them is the highest virtue of people. tinker89x, January 10, 2018

I had read The Lord of the Rings before, back in school. Impressions faded over time, but in adulthood I re-read it and I'm just delighted. It is clear that this is a kind of standard of the fantasy genre, all books and cycles are somehow compared with it. Fans of different fantasy cycles are very happy when they think that their favorite work is somehow better than Tolkien's epic. And often you can hear a phrase like:

compared to The Witcher, The Lord of the Rings nervously smokes on the sidelines...

Compared to A Song of Ice and Fire, The Lord of the Rings nervously smokes on the sidelines...

compared to The Order of the Manuscript, The Lord of the Rings nervously smokes on the sidelines...

Compared to The Prince of the Void, The Lord of the Rings nervously smokes on the sidelines...

compared to the "Black Squad" ... and so on.

Well, what can I say, my brothers? You're not right. Compared to the scope of The Lord of the Rings, Geralt's adventures or the struggle for the Iron Throne look like something frivolous, secondary and completely optional. The heroes here are fighting for something far greater than glory, revenge, power, or anything else. And against someone much bigger. Well, which of the villains can compete with Sauron? Night King? Wizard Vilgefortz? Demon army? Pfff, I'm begging you!

And the scale, scope, epic! Just as the Battle of the Blackwater from the TV series Game of Thrones looks like a gathering of reenactors compared to that described in the books, so the battle on Pellenor Fields from the film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings looks like a pale shadow against the background of what Tolkien described. Here are the black hordes of orcs going on the attack. Here the fearless Faramir rushes into a heroic and hopeless sortie. Here the Nazgûl circle the battlefield, sowing terror and doubt in the hearts of the warriors of Gondor. Now the Witch-king of Angmar rides through the breached gates of Minas Tirith. It would seem that there is no hope. But now the battle horns are blowing with might and main, and the invincible Ristanian cavalry at full gallop cuts into the enemy ranks. And somewhere, ships are already rushing to the rescue under the banner of the returned Sovereign. And you say Peter Jackson.

And with all this, The Lord of the Rings is a book for the widest range of readers. Everyone will find something of their own here. Romantics will love elven songs, descriptions of nature and magic. Gloomy lovers will be delighted with the wastelands of Mordor, burial grounds, swamp fires and the gray squad. Fearless hearts give adventure and epic battles. Psychologists will appreciate the complex moral choices of heroes, difficult characters and relationships. And so it turns out that "Lord" is loved by everyone, children and adults, professors of philosophy, simple guys and even hardcore Norwegian black metal. And if you don't like it, you just haven't read it yet.

But when the child is 12 years old, I will definitely give it a read.

P.S. Request to the fans.

Minus the review immediately, in a deep minus. And then you have been suffering for two years now, putting a minus every three months. Gather yourselves, and slap it like that - 10. For not agreeing with my opinion.

I have the honor.

Score: 3

I once thought that The Lord of the Rings was a story about the struggle between good and evil. “Yes, Tolkien’s evil turned out to be too absolute, not real,” I said to myself, “But, in the end, he was a pioneer and then this technique did not bother everyone to the point of soreness ...” And only recently I realized that “The Lord Rings is a story about war. And in this perspective, the scorched Mordor and Sauron (not for nothing they call him the Enemy!) appear before us not as the embodiment of evil, but as the embodiment of war. After all, what does war leave behind? Scorched fields, felled trees, hidden malice... She, like Sauron, can only destroy. From this point of view, Frodo, Sam, Mary and Pippin are mere soldiers. They did not want to fight, only to protect their home - like many people who went to the front in World War II.

The Lord of the Rings is the story of little people who changed the fate of the world. Please note that in the center of the story is not the warrior Aragorn, not the sorcerer Gandalf, but the hobbits. Hobbits who do not know how to fight, who consider the fate of the world to be distant and unimportant compared to the new harvest ... It is they who change the world thanks to the strength of their spirit, courage and bravery. Frodo carries the Ring to Mordor; Sam helps Frodo all the way; Pippin and Mary encourage the Ents to fight; Pippin saves Faramir; Merry helps Eowyn defeat the Witch-king of Angmar... Without all these deeds, would humans and elves have been able to defeat the Enemy?

The Lord of the Rings is the story that started fantasy. Of course, even before Tolkien there were books close to fantasy - the same "Daughter of the King of Elfland" by Lord Dunsany. However, if we compare them with The Lord of the Rings, we will notice that Tolkien's story is more realistic. Tolkien's merit is that he uses the symbols of fairy tales and myths (for example, the broken sword of Aragorn), but rethinks them and creates a new world. When reading The Lord of the Rings, one should take into account that the book stood at the origins of the genre and many of the trends set by it have already been studied many times by other authors. The symbols have faded, the ideas have faded... although they were revolutionary for their time. For example, the image of the elves, whom Tolkien turned from tiny men into almost people. The Lord of the Rings has long been a classic of heroic fantasy. But the fantasy genre is developing, and the themes of heroism and war are being replaced by the themes of everyday situations. For example, weddings (romantic fantasy) or investigations (magic detective).

Mandor, September 8, 2008

Alas, I can not share the enthusiasm of the fans. And against the backdrop of successful 9-10 reviews, I probably look like a retrograde. I admit that the thing is SIGNIFICANT, but personally it caused me an attack of chronic yawning, to say the least ... I don’t want to criticize, but this story seemed to me just boring, INCREDIBLY BORING. I read it to the end only out of PURE stubbornness, having collected the remnants of patience, will, TOLERANCE, finally ...

From time to time, I get angry (and not so) questions that come down to one thing - “why is it still 1 point, well, at least 2-3-4 ...” Corrected, put 3 - purely for literature (no complaints here! Everything is on the level!

However, here's the thing: since there are no strict rules regarding assessments, I set them INTUITIVELY, focusing not so much on the QUALITY of the performance of a literary work, but on my own FEELINGS, emotions when reading ... nevertheless, I can not quit. I really wanted to understand what I'm wrong about and why this thing seems FUNDAMENTAL to others ... I didn’t UNDERSTAND, I didn’t find it ...

So, VK, this is the case when I was unspeakably tormented while reading it. It was already as soon as 15 years ago, but the sensations are still alive in the memory. Torture, you can't say otherwise. +1 for the plot and only for the literature +2. That's exactly why (+3) What a paradox!. Once again I ASK FOR FORGIVENESS from the fans, I understand you, but I do not SHARE and this is honest.

(which is actually the novel The Lord of the Rings). However, on November 15, 1937, during a lunch with the owner of the publishing house that published The Hobbit, Stanley Unwin, he received an invitation to submit other works for consideration. The publisher's reviewer rejected the submitted Silmarillion, although he spoke favorably of it. Encouraged by this, Tolkien began writing a sequel to The Hobbit, and already on December 16, 1937, in a letter to the publisher, he announced the first chapter of the new book.

Tolkien's goal was to create an English epic. Tolkien was deeply impressed by the First World War, as well as the industrialization of England, in his opinion, which destroyed the England he knew and loved. Therefore, the "Lord of the Rings" is characterized by passeism (longing for the past).

The creation of an English epic was often discussed at Tolkien's meetings with the Inklings (a literary discussion group at Oxford University; Icelandic myths and their own unpublished writings were discussed at this group's weekly meetings). Tolkien agreed with one of the members of this group, Clive Lewis. Clive Staples Lewis) that in the absence of an English epic, it is necessary to create it yourself.

Parallel to these discussions, in December of the year Tolkien began a "new hobbit". After a few failed attempts, the story began to take off, going from a mere sequel to The Hobbit to more of a sequel to the unpublished The Silmarillion. The idea of the first chapter arose immediately in ready-made, although the reasons for the disappearance of Bilbo, the idea of the importance of the Ring of Omnipotence and the title of the novel became clear only by the spring of the year. At first, Tolkien wanted to write another story in which Bilbo, having spent all his treasures, embarked on new adventures, but, remembering the ring and its power, he decided to write about it instead. At the beginning, the main character was Bilbo, but then the author decided that the story was too serious for such a comical and funny character. Tolkien considered sending Bilbo's son on a journey, but questions arose: where was his wife? How did Bilbo let his son go on such a dangerous journey? As a result, Tolkien decided to continue the tradition of ancient Greek legends, in which an artifact with magical powers is received by the protagonist's nephew. This is how the hobbit Frodo Baggins was born.

The Lord of the Rings was first translated into Russian in the year by A. A. Gruzberg. Now about seven different translations of the book have been published (this number does not include free retellings, incomplete translations and unpublished translations), the translation of A. A. Kistyakovsky and V. S. Muravyov is widely known, which, according to critics, has a very juicy, although somewhat vulgarized language and figurative and vivid translation of poetic lines. The book became widely known in the USSR in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Role-playing games on the ground in the USSR also arose among Tolkienists. Now the union of Tolkienists has a very mass distribution, both in Russia and abroad.

Plot

The plot of the trilogy is tied to the events of the story "The Hobbit" and is their continuation.

The Fellowship of the Ring

Return of the King

Gandalf rides to Gondor to warn the knights of Minas Tirith of the coming advance of the armies of Mordor. He finds the weak-willed Denethor, Steward of Gondor, in mourning for Boromir. After and his younger son, Faramir, was seriously wounded, Denethor in his madness decided to commit self-immolation with the body of his son. Pippin managed to pull out of the fire only Faramir. Gandalf takes charge of the city's defenses and asks Rohan for help. Theoden's troops come to the rescue, the king himself dies in battle, but his niece Eowyn, along with Merry, kill the leader of the Nazgûl. Aragorn, bringing the invincible spirits of the warriors of the past, faithful to the oath of his ancestors, completes the defeat of the orcs.

Frodo falls victim to Shelob's poison, but Sam manages to defeat the creature. Thinking that his friend is dead, Sam continues alone with the Ring. From the overheard conversation of the orcs, Sam learns that Frodo is alive and in their captivity. Sam frees Frodo by taking advantage of yet another Orc feud. With the last of their strength, the hobbits reach Orodruin volcano. The exhausted Frodo finally falls under the power of the Ring and announces that he will not destroy him, but wants to be his Lord himself. Sam is powerless to stop his friend. Gollum attacks Frodo, bites off his finger and takes possession of the Ring, but inadvertently falls into the mouth of the volcano along with the "charm", destroying it. Sauron, who ruled the Orcs and Mordor, this time is forever disembodied, his strongholds are being destroyed, his troops are fleeing in fear. Giant eagles rescue Frodo and Sam from the erupting Orodruin.

Aragorn is proclaimed king of Gondor, Faramir healed by him transfers power to him and marries Eowyn. The four hobbits are celebrated as heroes. Upon returning home, they discover that their country has been captured by bandits led by Saruman. The heroes raise the people of the hobbits to revolt and drive out the invaders, Saruman dies at the hands of his own henchman Grima.

Frodo returns to a peaceful life and describes his adventures in the Red Book. Over the years, old wounds and longing take possession of him more and more often. Gandalf decides to take Frodo and Bilbo, the Ringbearers, to Valinor, the wonderful overseas land of the elves, where they could live forever. Elves leave Middle-earth, miracles and magic leave with them, the era of ordinary people begins.

Artistic originality

Mythological and other parallels

A significant influence on The Lord of the Rings was the epic of the Knights of the Round Table. The image of Gandalf as a wise wizard and tutor matches almost exactly the role of Merlin in the epics of Geoffroy of Monmouth and Thomas Malory. Aragorn - the heir to the royal throne, confirming his right with a magic sword, healing by the laying on of hands - is very close to King Arthur Pendragon. Some also see in him an analogue of Jesus Christ, as the heir to a waning dynasty, whose place is taken by the temporary workers and whose appearance is foretold in prophecy.

The image of a ring that gives power over the world, for which it is necessary to give up love, is present in Richard Wagner's opera tetralogy "Ring of the Nibelungs". However, Tolkien himself denied the connection between the works of Wagner and the plot of The Lord of the Rings. A characteristic difference between Tolkien's plot and Wagner's is that, according to Tolkien, the Ring is destroyed not by a hero (Wagner has Siegfried), but by a little hobbit (a fairy-tale version of the image " little man”, common in realistic literature XIX- XX centuries).

It is also possible to draw a parallel between The Lord of the Rings and The Elder Edda, as well as the Volsunga Saga, where there is an image of a cursed ring stolen from the dwarf Andvari and bringing death to its owner.

The novel also has a number of other parallels with Norse mythology. In particular, the appearance of the magician Gandalf, one of the main characters of The Lord of the Rings, in its main features (gray beard, broad-brim and cloak) corresponds to the guise of the Scandinavian god Odin in his incarnation as a cultural hero and god-giver. The negative hypostasis of Odin - "the sower of discord" - is represented in the novel by the image of the evil magician Saruman, and one of Odin's nicknames in his negative hypostasis - Grima ("Hidden") is worn by Saruman's secret servant. The image of a broken sword being reforged (one of the basic storylines of the myth of Sigurd), as well as the image of a warrior maiden (in Tolkien - Eowyn), wounded in battle and immersed in a witch's dream (the image of the Valkyrie Brynhild) refers to Scandinavian mythology.

Space and time

Alleged allegories

Tolkien himself denied any allegorical nature of his works, the duality of interpretations and hidden clues on real events, peoples and countries. According to his preface to the revised edition of The Lord of the Rings, the main motive of the book was the telling of the story, not the subtext:

I should add something to the many theories and conjectures I have heard or read about the motives and meaning of the story. The main motive was the desire of the narrator to try to write a really long story that could hold the attention of readers for a long time, entertain them, please or inspire ...
Concerning different kind subtext, this was not the intention of the author. The book is neither allegorical nor thematic.
Much can be thought out, according to the tastes of lovers of allegories or references to reality. But I have, and have always had, a sincere dislike of allegory in all its manifestations, ever since I was old and lazy enough to notice it. I much more like a story, real or fictional, that interacts with the reader's experience in various ways.

original text(English)

I should like to say something here with reference to the many opinions or guesses that I have received or have read concerning the motives and meaning of the tale. The prime motive was the desire of a tale-teller to try his hand at a really long story that would hold the attention of readers, amuse them, delight them, and at times maybe excite them or deeply move them…
As for any inner meaning or "message", it has in the intention of the author none. It is neither allegorical nor topical.
Other arrangements could be devised according to the tastes or views of those who like allegory or topical reference. But I cordially dislike allegory in all its manifestations, and always have done so since I grew old and wary enough to detect its presence. I much prefer history, true or feigned, with its varied applicability to the thought and experience of readers.

However, there are numerous theories about the hidden message in the book, many of which are popular.

One of the first was the version that the War of the Ring is an allegory of the Second World War, and Mordor, thus - Nazi Germany.

During the Cold War, a version arose about the politicization of the book, transmitted in the form of allegories. So, some in the confrontation between the alliance of Western countries and the evil empire in the east in Tolkien's universe see a reflection of the confrontation between the Soviet bloc and the capitalist powers of the West that exists on earth. In this interpretation, the Ring of Omnipotence can symbolize nuclear (thermonuclear) weapons.

Translations and paraphrases into Russian

The problem of translation into Russian is a special topic. Many names and place names in original text have Old English, Welsh and Scandinavian roots, which are largely understandable to speakers of modern of English language, but for Russian-speaking readers, this connection may not be obvious.

The most famous of the translations of The Lord of the Rings into Russian is the translation of V. Muravyov and A. Kistyakovsky. He became famous for his total Russification of "speaking" names (sometimes for the sake of picturesqueness, even going against the letter of the author, in order to better convey his spirit). So Strider became Strider, Wormtongue became Wormtongue, and Sam Gamgee became Sam Scrombie with a clear allusion to his humble ness. There is also the so-called "Academic Translation" by Maria Kamenkovich and V. Carrick with the participation of Sergei Stepanov. This translation was the first and only Russian-language publication provided with complete (about 200 pages) commentaries by translators. This translation is also different in that it does not Russify the book, but rather adapts it to Russian realities (a vivid example of this is the replacement of the country of hobbits Shire (Shire, Shire, Hobbitania, County) with Zaselye. The first Soviet translation is considered to be the translation of Perm linguist A. Gruzberg made in - Translations are also known:

Translation by L. L. Yakhnin;
Translation by N. V. Grigorieva and V. I. Grushetsky (translation of poems by I. B. Grinshpun);
Translation by V. A. M. (V. A. Matorina);
Translation by V. Volkovsky, V. Vosedy and D. Afinogenov;
Translation by I. I. Mansurov (parts 1 and 2);
Retelling by Z. A. Bobyr (the first in the USSR, made back in the 1960s, published in 1990 by SP Interprint), in which the text is truncated three times and there are no verses. The title of the novel is translated as "The Tale of the Ring".

There is also the book "Tolkien Through Russian Eyes" by Mark T. Hooker, which analyzes all of Tolkien's translations into Russian.

Options for the transfer of names and titles in various translations

Original	Translation by V. Muravyov, A. Kistyakovsky	Translation by N. V. Grigorieva and V. I. Grushetsky	Translation by V. A. Matorina	Translation by A. A. Gruzberg	Translated by M. V. Kamenkovich, V. Carrick	Translation by D. Afinogenov, V. Volkovsky	Retelling by Z. Bobyr
Baggins	Baggins	Sumniks	Baggins	Baggins	Baggins	Bebbins	by name only
butterbur	Narkiss	Maslyutik	medovar	Butterbur	Sunflower	Pivnyuk	only host, innkeeper
Gamgee	scrombie	Gamgee	Gamgee	Gamgee	Gamgi	gougni	by name only
Goldberry	Zolotinka	Zlatenik	Zolotinka	goldberry	Zlatovik	Zolotinka	no character
shadowfax	Svetozar	flash	Greylight	Shadow Runner	Skadufax	Svetozar	Swiftwing
Strider	Strider	Kolobrod	Strider	Skorokhod	Tramp-Wider-Step	Strider	Wanderer
Treebeard	Treebeard	treebeard	woodcutter	treebeard	treebeard	treebeard	only Fangorn
Wormtongue	rotmouth	Wormword	smack	Snake language	wormmouth	Snake language	Black
Entwash	Ontava	Entova Kupel	River Ents	entwash	Entweya	Entawa
Rivendell	Razdol	Doln	Rivendell	Rivendell	Rivendell	Razlog	Rivendell
Rohan	Ristania	Rohan	Rohan	Rohan	Rohan	Rohan	Rohan
weather top	Wrap	wind	Wrap	weathertrop	Cloudy Summit, Cloudy	weathered

"Lord of the Rings" in cinema

The film rights to the books were sold by John to United Artists in 1968 for $15 million. When the company defaulted on making the film, the rights were bought from Tolkien's descendants in 1976 by Saul Zaentz, who owns them to this day.

Various plans for the adaptation of The Lord of the Rings have been going around since the late 60s. The Beatles wanted to star in a potential film. Director John Boorman and producer Saul Zaentz (even before the latter acquired the rights) wrote the script for the film, but never started filming.

Animated film adaptations

The first attempt at a film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings was carried out in the year by the director-animator Ralph Bakshi, in the form of a full-length animated film The Lord of the Rings. The film includes scenes from The Fellowship of the Ring and the beginning of The Two Towers. The film adaptation of Bakshi, which was supposed to be a dilogy, remained unfinished due to financial problems.

In 1980, Arthur Rankin and Jules Bass, the authors of Tolkien's first film adaptation, The Hobbit (1977), filmed the third volume of the trilogy as The Return of the King. The cartoon was designed in the same spirit of a children's fairy tale as its predecessor, The Hobbit.

The Peter Jackson Trilogy

"Lord of the Rings" in computer games

In addition to film adaptations, The Lord of the Rings has served as the basis for numerous computer and video games.

Games that are completely based on the plot of the book

Electronic Arts games

Until December 31, 2008, the rights to develop a game based on the Lord of the Rings films belonged to Electronic Arts, subsequently, several computer and video games were released and published.

The games "Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" and "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" were released in the same year, following the premiere of the films of the same name. Both games used movie footage as cutscenes, and key characters were voiced by the same actors who played them in the movie. In addition, Electronic Arts has developed a series of strategy games in the universe of the Lord of the Rings - "Battle for Middle-earth".

In late 2005, Lord of the Rings: Tactics was released exclusively for the PSP handheld game console by EA, taking players through the plot of all three films.

The company also planned to release the RPG "Lord of the Rings: The White Council", but the development of this game was frozen indefinitely.

Sources

Andrey Gorelik“Soviet lovers of Tolkien suffered another heavy loss ...” (). Retrieved January 20, 2007.
Claire Jardillier Arthurian Legends in The Lord of the Rings. Retrieved April 4, 2007.
J.R.R. Tolkien
Kirill Zlobin On Tolkien's translations. Baggins, Sumniks and Baggins. (). Retrieved June 10, 2006.
168 million for The Lord of the Rings - Laymar's Binder
All Time Box Office
(English) . English Wikipedia. Retrieved March 15, 2009.
The Lord of the Rings Volume One (Russian) . Absolute Games. Retrieved March 15, 2009.
The Lord of the Rings Volume Two: The Two Towers (Russian) . Absolute Games. Retrieved March 15, 2009.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Russian) . Absolute Games. Retrieved March 15, 2009.
No longer the Lord (Russian). Absolute Games. Retrieved March 15, 2009.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (English) .
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Russian) . Absolute Games. Retrieved March 15, 2009.

There are legendary books that have such an attractive atmosphere that you can re-read them endlessly. These works include the famous series "The Lord of the Rings", books in the order of which, unfortunately, not everyone knows correctly. This cycle of novels became famous immediately after the publication of the first volume. Nowadays, the series has experienced a new round of popularity - after its film adaptation by director Peter Jackson.

History of creation

The Lord of the Rings cycle, the books in which order will be discussed further, is actually a continuation of Tolkien's story The Hobbit. It was a great success, the publishers informed the writer that they were ready to consider other manuscripts of the author. Encouraged by this, in 1937 Tolkien set about writing a new novel.

At first, he wanted to tell in the book about the new adventures of the protagonist of The Hobbit. But then the ring of Omnipotence became the center of the whole plot and it took new character. It was Frodo, Bilbo's nephew.

As the story progressed, new faces appeared: Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Boromir and others.

Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings series of novels: books in order

Many mistakenly think that the series consists of three books. Actually it is not. Tolkien himself wrote one novel, but its length was so great that publishers prefer to divide it into three parts. However, occasionally a novel is released as a single volume.

So what does the Lord of the Rings epic cycle about Middle-earth look like? The books are arranged in order as follows:

"The Fellowship of the Ring".
"Two fortresses".
"Return of the Emperor".

First part of the cycle

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is the only book in the series whose title never changes.

The first part tells about the beginning of the wanderings of Frodo Baggins, who, by chance, had to take on a heavy burden - to deliver powerful ring, which belonged hundreds of centuries ago to Sauron. He was one of the most dangerous enemies of all life in Middle-earth and planned to completely subjugate it. United in the Last Alliance, the forces of elves, humans and dwarves were able to defeat the army of evil. Isildur, ruler of Gondor, brought victory. He managed to cut off the finger of Sauron, on which the ring of Omnipotence was put on, with a fragment of the sword of his father who died in battle. The body shell of the latter was destroyed.

Unfortunately, the noble Isildur could not resist magic power rings. Instead of destroying the powerful and dangerous artifact, he kept it for himself. Two years later, on the way home, the king and his squad were attacked by orcs. Isildur died swimming across the river, and the ring slipped from his hand. After many centuries, it was found by the one who later became known as Gollum. Bilbo Baggins found the ring in the dark caves and took it home. From him it came to Frodo.

The magician Gandalf, who has long suspected the ring of Sauron in the ancient relic, having arrived in the Shire, is convinced of this. He sends Frodo and his friends to the only safe place - to the elves in Rivendell.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is one of best books epics. It shows the story of the acquaintance of the main characters, who made up the union of nine guardians, and there is not yet such a gloomy atmosphere of despair, which will be felt more and more strongly in the next parts of the cycle.

Second part of the trilogy

It's called The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Sometimes there are other variants of the title of the book - "Two Strongholds" and "Two Towers".

This part of the trilogy is very different from The Fellowship of the Ring. If in the first book the danger looming over Middle-earth was only mentioned, because the Shire was located far from the center of all events, now Frodo and the rest of the guardians faced with their own eyes how evil had grown stronger and how far it had penetrated deep into the once calm lands.

From the second book, events take on a global scale. The Fellowship of the Ring is falling apart as Frodo sees a dangerous relic trying to take over the minds of his friends. Not wanting to put them at risk, he walks away from them at the end of the first part. Only Frodo, Sam, notices his escape and rushes after him.

The rest of the keepers accept the hobbit's decision, understanding why he did it. Their path lies in the ancient forest of Fangorn, and then - to Ristania.

The final part of the series

"The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the Sovereign" is the most powerful book in terms of intensity of passions. Tolkien managed to create such a work, the reading of which first causes deep despair from what is happening in it, and then pure joy for his favorite characters.

The final book of the cycle tells about the newly emerged alliance of people, elves and dwarves. Like many centuries ago, they again united against the eternal evil of Middle-earth - Saruman. And the life of all living things now depends only on the hobbit Frodo and his determination.

Sometimes there is another version of the title of the book - "The Return of the King".

The Significance of Tolkien's Epic Saga

The Lord of the Rings series of books is the most significant literary work in the fantasy genre of the 20th century. She has been screened multiple times. Based on the saga was created great amount computer games.

Parallel to these discussions, in December of the year Tolkien began a "new hobbit". After a few failed attempts, the story began to take off, going from a mere sequel to The Hobbit to more of a sequel to the unpublished The Silmarillion. The idea of the first chapter arose immediately in finished form, although the reasons for the disappearance of Bilbo, the idea of the importance of the Ring of Omnipotence and the title of the novel became clear only by the spring of the year. At first, Tolkien wanted to write another story in which Bilbo, having spent all his treasures, embarked on new adventures, but, remembering the ring and its power, he decided to write about it instead. At the beginning, the main character was Bilbo, but then the author decided that the story was too serious for such a comical and funny character. Tolkien considered sending Bilbo's son on a journey, but questions arose: where was his wife? How did Bilbo let his son go on such a dangerous journey? As a result, Tolkien decided to continue the tradition of ancient Greek legends, in which an artifact with magical powers is received by the protagonist's nephew. This is how the hobbit Frodo Baggins was born.

Plot

The plot of the trilogy is tied to the events of the story "The Hobbit" and is their continuation.

The Fellowship of the Ring

Return of the King

Gandalf rides to Gondor to warn the knights of Minas Tirith of the coming advance of the armies of Mordor. He finds the weak-willed Denethor, Steward of Gondor, in mourning for Boromir. After his youngest son, Faramir, was badly wounded, Denethor, in his madness, decided to commit self-immolation with his son's body. Pippin managed to pull out of the fire only Faramir. Gandalf takes charge of the city's defenses and asks Rohan for help. Theoden's troops come to the rescue, the king himself dies in battle, but his niece Eowyn, along with Merry, kill the leader of the Nazgûl. Aragorn, bringing the invincible spirits of the warriors of the past, faithful to the oath of his ancestors, completes the defeat of the orcs.

Artistic originality

Mythological and other parallels

The image of a ring that gives power over the world, for which it is necessary to give up love, is present in Richard Wagner's opera tetralogy "Ring of the Nibelungs". However, Tolkien himself denied the connection between the works of Wagner and the plot of The Lord of the Rings. A characteristic difference between Tolkien's plot and Wagner's is that, according to Tolkien, the Ring is destroyed not by a hero (Wagner has Siegfried), but by a little hobbit (a fairy-tale version of the image of a "little man", common in realistic literature of the 19th - 20th centuries).

The novel also has a number of other parallels with Norse mythology. In particular, the guise of the magician Gandalf, one of the main characters of The Lord of the Rings, in its main features (gray beard, wide-brimmed hat and cloak) corresponds to the guise of the Scandinavian god Odin in his incarnation of a cultural hero and god-giver. The negative hypostasis of Odin - "the sower of discord" - is represented in the novel by the image of the evil magician Saruman, and one of Odin's nicknames in his negative hypostasis - Grima ("Hidden") is worn by Saruman's secret servant. The image of a broken sword being reforged (one of the basic storylines of the myth of Sigurd), as well as the image of a warrior maiden (in Tolkien - Eowyn), wounded in battle and immersed in a witch's dream (the image of the Valkyrie Brynhild) refers to Scandinavian mythology.

Space and time

Alleged allegories

Tolkien himself denied any allegorical nature of his works, the duality of interpretations and hidden allusions to real events, peoples and countries. According to his preface to the revised edition of The Lord of the Rings, the main motive of the book was the telling of the story, not the subtext:

I should add something to the many theories and conjectures I have heard or read about the motives and meaning of the story. The main motive was the desire of the narrator to try to write a really long story that could hold the attention of readers for a long time, entertain them, please or inspire ...
As for various kinds of subtext, this was not the intention of the author. The book is neither allegorical nor thematic.
Much can be thought out, according to the tastes of lovers of allegories or references to reality. But I have, and have always had, a sincere dislike of allegory in all its manifestations, ever since I was old and lazy enough to notice it. I much more like a story, real or fictional, that interacts with the reader's experience in various ways.

original text(English)

I should like to say something here with reference to the many opinions or guesses that I have received or have read concerning the motives and meaning of the tale. The prime motive was the desire of a tale-teller to try his hand at a really long story that would hold the attention of readers, amuse them, delight them, and at times maybe excite them or deeply move them…
As for any inner meaning or "message", it has in the intention of the author none. It is neither allegorical nor topical.
Other arrangements could be devised according to the tastes or views of those who like allegory or topical reference. But I cordially dislike allegory in all its manifestations, and always have done so since I grew old and wary enough to detect its presence. I much prefer history, true or feigned, with its varied applicability to the thought and experience of readers.

However, there are numerous theories about the hidden message in the book, many of which are popular.

One of the first was the version that the War of the Ring is an allegory of the Second World War, and Mordor, thus - Nazi Germany.

Translations and paraphrases into Russian

The problem of translation into Russian is a special topic. Many of the names and place names in the original text have Old English, Welsh and Scandinavian roots, which are largely understandable to native speakers of modern English, but for Russian-speaking readers this connection may not be obvious.

Translation by L. L. Yakhnin;
Translation by N. V. Grigorieva and V. I. Grushetsky (translation of poems by I. B. Grinshpun);
Translation by V. A. M. (V. A. Matorina);
Translation by V. Volkovsky, V. Vosedy and D. Afinogenov;
Translation by I. I. Mansurov (parts 1 and 2);
Retelling by Z. A. Bobyr (the first in the USSR, made back in the 1960s, published in 1990 by SP Interprint), in which the text is truncated three times and there are no verses. The title of the novel is translated as "The Tale of the Ring".

There is also the book "Tolkien Through Russian Eyes" by Mark T. Hooker, which analyzes all of Tolkien's translations into Russian.

Options for the transfer of names and titles in various translations

Original	Translation by V. Muravyov, A. Kistyakovsky	Translation by N. V. Grigorieva and V. I. Grushetsky	Translation by V. A. Matorina	Translation by A. A. Gruzberg	Translated by M. V. Kamenkovich, V. Carrick	Translation by D. Afinogenov, V. Volkovsky	Retelling by Z. Bobyr
Baggins	Baggins	Sumniks	Baggins	Baggins	Baggins	Bebbins	by name only
butterbur	Narkiss	Maslyutik	medovar	Butterbur	Sunflower	Pivnyuk	only host, innkeeper
Gamgee	scrombie	Gamgee	Gamgee	Gamgee	Gamgi	gougni	by name only
Goldberry	Zolotinka	Zlatenik	Zolotinka	goldberry	Zlatovik	Zolotinka	no character
shadowfax	Svetozar	flash	Greylight	Shadow Runner	Skadufax	Svetozar	Swiftwing
Strider	Strider	Kolobrod	Strider	Skorokhod	Tramp-Wider-Step	Strider	Wanderer
Treebeard	Treebeard	treebeard	woodcutter	treebeard	treebeard	treebeard	only Fangorn
Wormtongue	rotmouth	Wormword	smack	Snake language	wormmouth	Snake language	Black
Entwash	Ontava	Entova Kupel	River Ents	entwash	Entweya	Entawa
Rivendell	Razdol	Doln	Rivendell	Rivendell	Rivendell	Razlog	Rivendell
Rohan	Ristania	Rohan	Rohan	Rohan	Rohan	Rohan	Rohan
weather top	Wrap	wind	Wrap	weathertrop	Cloudy Summit, Cloudy	weathered

"Lord of the Rings" in cinema

Animated film adaptations

The Peter Jackson Trilogy

"Lord of the Rings" in computer games

In addition to film adaptations, The Lord of the Rings has served as the basis for numerous computer and video games.

Games that are completely based on the plot of the book

Electronic Arts games

Until December 31, 2008, the rights to develop a game based on the Lord of the Rings films belonged to Electronic Arts, subsequently, several computer and video games were released and published.

In late 2005, Lord of the Rings: Tactics was released exclusively for the PSP handheld game console by EA, taking players through the plot of all three films.

The company also planned to release the RPG "Lord of the Rings: The White Council", but the development of this game was frozen indefinitely.

Sources

Andrey Gorelik“Soviet lovers of Tolkien suffered another heavy loss ...” (). Retrieved January 20, 2007.
Claire Jardillier Arthurian Legends in The Lord of the Rings. Retrieved April 4, 2007.
J.R.R. Tolkien
Kirill Zlobin On Tolkien's translations. Baggins, Sumniks and Baggins. (). Retrieved June 10, 2006.
168 million for The Lord of the Rings - Laymar's Binder
All Time Box Office
(English) . English Wikipedia. Retrieved March 15, 2009.
The Lord of the Rings Volume One (Russian) . Absolute Games. Retrieved March 15, 2009.
The Lord of the Rings Volume Two: The Two Towers (Russian) . Absolute Games. Retrieved March 15, 2009.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Russian) . Absolute Games. Retrieved March 15, 2009.
No longer the Lord (Russian). Absolute Games. Retrieved March 15, 2009.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (English) .
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Russian) . Absolute Games. Retrieved March 15, 2009.
The Lord of the Rings: Tactics (English) . gamespot. Retrieved March 15, 2009.