• CitizenKong@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    50
    arrow-down
    2
    ·
    8 months ago

    Nice interpretation but he really was just a character from unrelated stories by Tolkien he liked so much he reused him in LOTR. He’s just a remnant of the initial version of the book which had a lot of elements later editions revised like Strider being a hobbit.

    • Sylver@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      20
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      8 months ago

      I think that’s what makes Tolkien such a talented writer. Sure, he just wanted a nice character reference, but he managed to make it fit in such a way that truly did expand the horizons of Mordor to near infinity.

      • CitizenKong@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        4
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        8 months ago

        Well, objectively he’s not a very good writer. He’s a great storyteller though, maybe the best of the entire 20th century.

    • Telodzrum@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      11
      arrow-down
      3
      ·
      8 months ago

      It doesn’t really matter what Tolkien said or where Tom came from, mechanically in the work. Once it’s on the page, that’s the story.