JRR
Tolken seems to do an awful lot of telling and not very much showing.
As a writer I know this is a cardinal sin. I mean we all do it but we
also know that we're not supposed to and so we cut it down as much as
possible. I don't recall ever reading any book that 'tells' me quite
so much while actually showing me so very little. As I mentioned in
the last chapter with the interactions between the dwarves and elves,
sometimes what I am being shown directly contradicts what I have been
told!
I'm
quite expecting that fairly soon I will be shown Thorin's strong
chin, even though I have been told he has a long beard and so I
couldn't possibly see his chin.
Having
been told 3 times how dangerous this path through the mountains is
(and chapter 4 begins with a few more warnings) I'm just thinking
it's all just a bunch of silly superstitions and that there actually is
nothing evil lurking just off the beaten path when we meet some
goblins.
Like
the dwarves and elves, goblins also sing, which for some reason makes
them far less menacing despite the lyrics being liberally sprinkled
with words such as 'boom', 'bang' and 'crash'.
Surprisingly,
despite Thorin having a sword, the orcrist, which was used to
'cleave and kill' goblins, he doesn't use it. As far as I can see, no
one even puts up a fight. Except Gandalf, who once again saves the
day and rescues them. It strikes me that the dwarves and the hobbit
are just slowing him down!
The
goblins give chase to our questers but are sent running and shrieking by the sight of
the orcrist and Gandalf's sword, the glamdring. Reminds
me of playground bullies stealing some poor kids lunch then running
scared when the kids fight back.
Unfortunately
the goblins aren't giving up yet; they regroup and after donning some
magic slippers that make them silent, give chase to the dwarves and
take down Dori and Bilbo who are at the rear of the party!
They
can't take down Dori! Thanks to an uncanny resemblance to my Dad,
he's the only dwarf I have any kind of affinity for at the moment!
Haha, I like your read-along! I, too, am very guilty of telling more than showing. And you're right, we know we're not supposed to. Oh well, it happens. I've been noticing it a lot as I'm revising a novel I began in 2008.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes from one blogger to another,
~Zabrinah
Thanks, Zabrinah. Next time someone tells you off for telling too much, just point them to The Hobbit. If it's good enough for Tolken, it's good enough for us! ;)
ReplyDelete