Home/Register/Login Now Playing/News/My Movies/Games/Boards/Showtimes/Help/IMDbPro
Register/LoginIMDb HomeIMDb Home Now PlayingNewsMy MoviesFun & GamesMessage BoardsUS Movie ShowtimesHelp & GuideIMDbPro
Also available :-
Top
Movies
| Photo
Galleries
| Video/DVD | Browse
IMDb
| Independent
Film
 
Search the database for   More searches | Tips

Main Boards | Search | FAQ | Terms & Conditions | Help
New User | Log In
 
Board:
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The (2002)
View: thread | flat | inline | nestPrev Topic | Next Topic
Hyper-Reality
  by - Aule (Sun Feb 16 18:35:56)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply

I saw on TV, a History Channel show in which someone described Tolkien's works as hyper real. It hit me like a ton of bricks. This is the term I've been looking for to describe the most fundamental reason why I find Tolkien's works to be deep and great. Many on this board have described aspects of this, in relation to specific events, themes, and characteristics, but I think it is more pervasive.

Before I give my opinion on this, I'd like to hear what each of you makes of the term hyper real in relation to Tolkien's works.

Give me your best shot!
Re: Hyper-Reality
  by - athene-5 (Sun Feb 16 18:58:57)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply

errrr....OK, but first I have to think about this. Some thoughts are coming...what an interesting subject!

"I sang of leaves, of leaves of gold, and leaves of gold there grew..."
Re: Hyper-Reality
  by - Aule (Sun Feb 16 19:12:10)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply

Baited breath, athene, baited breath.
Re: Hyper-Reality
  by - Sir_Big_V (Sun Feb 16 23:59:26)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply

Is that why I smell fish?

Old Tom Bombadil is a merry fellow,
Bright blue his jacket is, and his boots are yellow.
Re: Hyper-Reality
  by - Lady-Eowyn (Mon Feb 17 22:52:49)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply

Fissshhhhhh... my precioussss...

lo siento

You are a daughter of kings. A shieldmaiden of Rohan.
Re: Hyper-Reality
  by - Aule (Sun Feb 16 19:13:11)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply

On a side note - how many of you can't wait to hear what Paul has to say about this?
Re: Hyper-Reality
  by - Sir_Big_V (Mon Feb 17 23:18:30)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply

I'll lodge my vote in the affirmative.

Old Tom Bombadil is a merry fellow,
Bright blue his jacket is, and his boots are yellow.
I'll take a shot
  by - ywrose1 (Sun Feb 16 19:05:33)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply

When I read the term, I immediately thought of the Dutch painters that painted every tiny detail in a picture. When you look at the paintings, you have the feeling that you are seeing everything through a "magnifying glass" but not one that makes things larger; one that makes everything "more visible". Does that make sense? You can see details on the far away things as well as the details of the up close things. Tolkien's world (more than just the LOTR stories have to be included in this) is so detailed and specific that many of us know more about it's life forms and history than we do of our own. He has covered every aspect of the world carefully. This allows us in many ways to feel closer and more involved in it than in our own. It also allows us to be more emotionally involved and concerned for the inhabitants and the outcome of their lives.

Hope that sort of made sense!


I've always wanted to be somebody, but I see now I should have been more specific. -Lily Tomlin
Re: I'll take a shot
  by - Aule (Sun Feb 16 19:11:31)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply

It makes perfect sense to me!!! Yet another way of looking at it, which is intertwined with but somewhat different than the way I've been seeing it. Great post, and I totally understand what you mean, but it would be great if you could elaborate on it, maybe with some examples, so that those that don't can see it from your point of view - which is wonderfull! This is why I love this board.
Re: I'll take a shot
  by - ywrose1 (Sun Feb 16 19:17:15)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply

All right- give me a few minutes on the examples. When I read the Hyper reality term I had an instant reaction- it immediately meant "that". Had to post it before it got gone from my mind. That ever happen to you guys? Okay, working on it!

I've always wanted to be somebody, but I see now I should have been more specific. -Lily Tomlin
Re: I'll take a shot
  by - adalheidis (Sun Feb 16 19:39:38)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply

Great post, ywrose1! A wonderful analogy. Now that you've mentioned Dutch painters and the detail it also makes me think of the superb still-lifes and trompe l'oeil some artists did. The thing about those is that not only do they look absolutely real, but they are somehow a better version of reality - the most round and red apple, the most perfect flower, the most exquisite bee. Or, in the case of Harnett, the things he paints may be old and scruffy, but they are somehow precious. You wish you really were standing in front of them.

Here are some links.

http://www.nga.gov/feature/artnation/still_life/index.htm
http://www.mfa.org/handbook/portrait.asp?id=338.5&s=1

"Hyper real" is a great description of Tolkien's work in a couple of ways. One is that he goes into such detail about the physical settings that after you read the books over and over, you build up the whole world in your mind. In many cases the images are clearer to me than places I've seen which become fuzzy in memory. It's like having a slideshow in my mind. And it all has the same art-like effect of being that much more intense than reality. The mountains have that perfect craggy pointedness. The trees are fuller, the colors richer, the mud deeper, the rivers more musical.

The other thing is that his characters are easy to build into sort of these archetypes. I can hang on Gandalf every trait I want that's consistent with what Tolkien says about him. So if I want to make him Odin and my great-grandfather and everything else I want an old man to be, I can. What I end up with is built around a Gandalf frame, but resonates with all sorts of other associations.

____________________________
They are fierce folk when roused.
Re: I'll take a shot
  by - Aule (Sun Feb 16 19:50:17)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply

Wonderfull!!
YES YES Thank you!!!
  by - ywrose1 (Sun Feb 16 20:46:03)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply

That's it. Thank you- you have a wonderful way with words and descriptions. I love those paintings. I remember in art history class looking at each one for a very long time. It just doesn't seem like you can ever see everything that they include in the pictures. When I looked at them at first it was hard to figure out what was "wrong" with what I was seeing. It takes a little while to realize that if you were looking at this setting through just your own eyes, you would not be ABLE to see all of the details that you can make out in the painting. Wonderful!

Once again, I'm off topic here, can't seem to stop. But about the stories. Just the fact that there are indices and books of extra historical material for these stories lets you know that this is a full, "real" world. It comes totally intact with a history and it's own beings.

Each setting and scene and character is given in detail. Whether that detail is noticed or not is up to the reader and what is important or interesting to them. For example, in the prologue to FOTR there is an indepth description of hobbits and their history and their different groups and tribes. This quote has always stuck with me and sets the stage for the "past" from which the four hobbit adverturers began.
"The Hobbits named it the Shire, as the region of the authority of their Thain, and a district of well-ordered business; and there in that plesant corner of the world they plied their well-ordered business of living, and they heeded less and less the world outside where dark things moved, until they came to think that peace and plenty were the rule in Middle-earth and the right of all sensible folk. They forgot or ignored what little they had ever known of the Guardians, and of the labours of those that made possible the long peace of the Shire. They were, in fact, sheltered, but they had ceased to remember it."
Now, this could have been said as, "They lived a very sheltered existence and knew little of the outside world." But this gives you more than that. You have the feeling of the darkness settling in the outside world, of the effort behind the protection of these Hobbits, and that the Hobbits might partially be responsible for their ignorance. There is a lot of information in these sentences but there is also a lot of emotion there as well.
The description of the hobbit homes is amazing. There is a whole description of hobbit architecture. I could describe a general hobbit's home probably better than I can describe the houses that surround my own.

As I said before, the large amount of detailed information is consumed differently by different people. It depends on what is interesting for you. I never really was too interested in orcs or uruk hai. However, there was a posting a while back on the boards all about their history and procreation and everything. I was amazed. That's all out there and available whenever. As most everyone knows I love horses. One of my favorite details in the books is when Eomer gives the Three Hunters their horses.
"A great dark-grey horse was brought to Aragorn, and he mounted it. 'Hasufel is his name,' said Eomer. 'May he bear you well and to better fortune than Garulf, his late master!'
A smaller and lighter horse, but restive and fiery, was brought to Legolas. Arod was his name. But Legolas asked them to take off saddle and rein. 'I need them not,' he said, and leaped lightly up, and to their wonder Arod was tame and willing beneath him, moving here and there but with a spoken word: such was the elvish way with all good beasts."
It would have been shorter to say "Eomer gave them two horses. Legolas could ride without reins and saddle." But I would have missed what the horses looked like, that they were called by name and thus were important to the men who gave them to the Hunters, and that Legolas was able to "speak" to horses (and all animals) and was better with them than even the Riders of the Mark. (I am sort of anxious to see if they show Legolas speaking to Arod in ROTK. It is one of my personal favorite parts and I hope it is included.)

Sorry so long! But the stories are full of these types of very important "small" facts that make you feel that you are there. Maybe you are seeing even more than you would if you WERE there.



I've always wanted to be somebody, but I see now I should have been more specific. -Lily Tomlin
Re: YES YES Thank you!!!
  by - Aule (Sun Feb 16 21:05:18)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply

Re: YES YES Thank you!!!
  by - Goshzilla-1 (Sun Feb 16 21:23:26)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply

I was thinking that the term "Hyper Real" meant that Tolkien drew parrallelisms with everyday life, but exaggerrated them slightly(hence the term 'hyper') to get across his point that The Lord of the Rings could have happened.
Re: Hyper-Reality
  by - Shicashu (Sun Feb 16 19:39:47)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply

Hi there, interesting question...
the term Hyper reality, for me, could relate with the fact that tolkien's work, from a rational point of view, is evidently fantasy, kind of a fairy tale (please dont kill me for saying that!), a story that could never have happened, i mean, obviously you're never going to meet an elf in person, or know someone who has, there are no immortal wizards walking around the streets, however, when you read the books, you sense that this stories might be true, that this silly fairy tale is more believable than what you imagined. Maybe it's the amazing descriptions of the places, the moments, the characters, that makes you wonder if Tolkien wasnt just imagining this events, that he witnessed them, that they occured.
Also, the characters seem so real that you make the entire journey with them, you feel affection for the characters, you would like to know them in person (specially Legolas!!. (no!!, bad girl, serious post!!, sorry about that! )), and an admiration such as the one you would feel for a national hero or something like that.
That's just my humble opinion, anyway.
Re: Hyper-Reality
  by - Aule (Sun Feb 16 19:53:13)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply

Yes, the feeling that it is historical in nature is quite compelling. It is ultra-believable because of the richness and detail, along with the applicability of the themes to our own situations, among other things.
Re: Hyper-Reality
  by - Sir_Big_V (Mon Feb 17 00:08:41)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply

That is on target, although we know the story is not true, and could not be true given the physical laws of our world, etc, Tolkien has created a world in which I have vacationed almost every year for more than 20 years. I read the books, and I am there. I am watching the Fellowship in Moria, seeing and feeling the atmosphere and everything around. The stories are vivid, and REAL.
The characters are archetypes, but are almost people you know. Wouldn't you love to sit in a bar with the Hobbits, or Gimli? What would it be like to see a forest through the eyes of Legolas, or walk in a park with him. Picture trading stories with Gandalf or seeing the majesty of the elf lords. Imagine having Gimli at your back in a bar fight...never mind.
I guess the point is that the characters become so real in the books, that they become friends.

"So, what are you doing tonight?"
"Well, my wife is in school, so I will probably sit down and have dinner with the Frodo, Strider and the gang."

Those messages on the walls of the London Underground were true in so many ways..."Frodo lives." In fact, all of the characters do, in the hearts and minds of the fans.

I have travelled the paths, mountains, mines and woods of Middle-earth with my friends, the Fellowsip, Elrond, Fangorn, even old Bombadil. Each has been a part of my life, guiding and shaping, supporting when no one else could. They are always there, anytime I need to visit.

I guess this is why "hyper-real" makes sense and applies in a deep and true way.
Frodo lives.

Old Tom Bombadil is a merry fellow,
Bright blue his jacket is, and his boots are yellow.
Re: Hyper-Reality
  by - adalheidis (Sun Feb 16 19:40:54)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply


Aule, what was the show called?

____________________________
They are fierce folk when roused.
Re: Hyper-Reality
  by - Aule (Sun Feb 16 19:49:02)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply

It was called "The Legacy of The Lord of the Rings".
Re: Hyper-Reality
  by - adalheidis (Sun Feb 16 20:02:20)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply

Thanks. I'll keep an eye out for it.

____________________________
They are fierce folk when roused.
Re: Hyper-Reality
  by - paul hawthorne (Sun Feb 16 20:34:22)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply

Hyper reality, in a sense could be viewed as a heighten awareness of values expressed so passionately and altruistically that it can’t help but enhance our sense of "certainty in an uncertain world."
It could be said that (LOTR) amplifies the qualities or state of observable ethical truths to us.
Hyper real pertaining to an observable reality of all things possessing moral and transcendental certainty that we all aspire too. Like some of the Dutch paintings that ywrose mentioned. This existence, or essence is what (LOTR) displays on so many levels. It is what fundamentally inspires and satisfies us to the beauty of Tolkiens creative imaginative literature.

Paul
Re: Hyper-Reality
  by - Aule (Mon Feb 17 08:12:00)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply

I passionately and altruistically agree!
Re: Hyper-Reality
  by - Ptero-valley (Mon Feb 17 09:58:53)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply
UPDATED Mon Feb 17 10:35:53

I believe Tolkien was writing a modern myth. Myths delve into the higher truths of human existence, minus all the fog and confusion of everyday life.

So, in fact, myths are hyper-reality. To me, hyper-real means to delve into the world of the spiritual plane, the world where "The Lord of the Rings" actually takes place.

For example:

On the hyper-real spiritual level, everyone innately understands that the golden ring which seduces and corrupts is a strong part of every human's experience. We all experience it within our spiritual beings, but Tolkien's myth actually gives it a form that we understand instantly.

Or take Gandalf the Wizard. He represents the part of our spiritual plane that is wisdom and compassion. We all have a Gandalf within us who sees that the glitter of the ring will ultimately lead to our doom if our higher spiritual nature is defeated by its power.

So I think Tolkien's Middle Earth is really the hyper-real spiritual plane, minus confusing clutter that usually clouds our perceptions. What makes it so powerful is that our everyday lives, if viewed through Tolkien's myth, feature the very same swirls of metaphysical energy to which LotR gave physical form.

So we are ALL living in Middle Earth AT THIS VERY MOMENT!

When you give spiritual truths a physical form, you have created a very powerful mythic reality.
Re: Hyper-Reality
  by - Broc (Mon Feb 17 13:58:21)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply

Thank you, pterodactyl, for your post.

Couldn't agree with you more!

~ Broc
Re: Hyper-Reality
  by - Dirtrum (Mon Feb 17 10:47:27)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply

Aule,

Ooooohhh, that's good, hyper-reality! I can tell I'm going to be using that a lot in the future, it's a perfect term for something that's very hard to describe, that feeling I get sometimes when I've read certain passages from Tolkien's work. I still remember when I started delving beyond just the Hobbit and LotR books, and I started to realize there was more to these books than just good stories. Specifically, the first time I got that "hyper-reality" feeling was when I learned about Numenor. I was like a flash of understanding, pieces of a puzzle came together in my head..."Wait, so this was an island...off in the ocean..that sunk like Atlantis...so if that ocean is the Atlantic ocean, Middle-Earth is..." and I've been caught ever since, learning about the myths and histories that Tolkien based his works on, the way he tied ancient languages into the names of every place and character he wrote about, the immense internal history he created, the myth of creation, everything ties. It is reality as much as it is fantasy, it's the fantasy of what could have been.

I also am a steward.
Sorry
  by - ywrose1 (Mon Feb 17 13:47:05)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply
UPDATED Mon Feb 17 14:16:49

Sorry guys,
Posted a message that was for another thread. Been a bit preoccupied as of late, I guess. Anyway, lunch is over for me, I will post it tonight. Sorry to bother you!!

I've always wanted to be somebody, but I see now I should have been more specific. -Lily Tomlin
Beyond-world, Real-time world
  by - athene-5 (Mon Feb 17 18:05:54)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply

Sorry to be so delayed, Aule. It took a while to sort out my thoughts on this and get them in order. The impaired response time hasn't helped, either. I love the posts on the hyper-reality of art, but I guess my thoughts were going in a different direction. I agree, though, that that would be one really good way to look at it.

I was thinking about what 'hyper-real' means. 'Hyper' is the beyond-world, that which exists in a space of more than 3 dimensions. Combining the two, 'hyper-real', to me, would be a place in which reality co-exists with a the place beyond reality, or a real place in which the rules of the hyper-world operate, a sort of gateway world.

You can see a lot of this in Tolkien, for his world is very different from the usual fantasy world of wizards and magic. Tolkien has created a very real place, a very earth-like place, yet it is populated by very hyper-real beings with hyper-real powers. I see this as a place where the spiritual realm, the hyper or beyond-world is manifest in the earthy or real world. The beyond- world characters and powers in Middle Earth are representations of powers, values and forces that occur in the spiritual plane. I think that Ptero-Valley and Paul have been following the same train of thought.

The integration of the real world with the hyper-world is very seamless in LOTR. The points of connection are the actual elements of the real world, for example water (you knew I'd get around to this!). Consider Galadriel's Mirror, which is active in the beyond-world when filled with water and allows one to see the potential futures waiting in the spiritual realm for fulfillment - a fulfillment which requires the catalyst of action in the real-time world.

If you want to talk about characters, there is of course, Frodo- whose life is a manifestation of a spiritual journey. While he walks the paths of Middle Earth, he is also taking the spiritual paths of the beyond-world. He is the ultimate connection point between the two kinds of worlds, because his actions in one world will affect the destiny of both.

So, summing up- for me Tolkien's world is 'hyper-real' because it is a place where the spiritual plane or 'beyond-world' can be seen to operate directly in the material or 'real-time' world. I'm eager to see what Val, Paul and others think about this.

"I sang of leaves, of leaves of gold, and leaves of gold there grew..."
Re: Beyond-world, Real-time world
  by - Ptero-valley (Mon Feb 17 22:48:24)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply

Wonderful reference to Galadriel's Mirror, Athene. Just reading your description of that almost transported me into spiritual hyper-reality! Go ahead and talk about water symbolism as much as you want, I love it.

I think this is why I can watch LotR over and over and not get tired of it. I sometimes feel like I'm attending a Catholic Mass, where occasionally one pops beyond the physical ritual of the ceremony and into its more spiritual dimensions. (Rare, but it happens ...)

What I wonder is why most mythic epics don't really get to me like Tolkien's story. I've read the Greeks and the Romans, and some of the Native American mythic stories, but none of them really comes anywhere near the heightened spiritual realm I feel like I enter with LotR.

Is it because I have Scandinavian ancestry? Are spiritual epics like LotR culture-centric? Why am I so inspired by Tolkien and not by Homer?

And in reference to the "beyond-world" ...

Is it not possible that Tolkien's spiritual realm is profoundly the "real-time" world, and what most of us experience a lot of the time is actually fantasy, or mutually shared delusions?

(I'm sort of thinking about television right now ... )
Re: Beyond-world, Real-time world
  by - athene-5 (Tue Feb 18 12:59:14)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply


What I wonder is why most mythic epics don't really get to me like Tolkien's story.


I wonder about that myself. I love myth, have studied them all my life, yet LOTR has an immediacy about it that speaks to me. Perhaps its just the style of the story-telling. Myths tend to be "reported"- then Zeus did this, did that, Ledo did thus" but LOTR is "told", in great detail. I've also wondered if, because the Gods do take a back seat in the story, the fact that it's about 'real people' who are struggling through life like we do, makes it easier to identify with. Anyway...

I'd like to think that a hyper-real world is more real than a world that does not connect to the spiritual plane, wouldn't you?

"I sang of leaves, of leaves of gold, and leaves of gold there grew..."
Re: Beyond-world, Real-time world
  by - Ptero-valley (Tue Feb 18 15:59:57)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply

There is a popular television show right now called "Real World" which is totally fake.

(And you're right, Homer did not have Tolkien's flair for telling a good story.)
Re: Beyond-world, Real-time world
  by - paul hawthorne (Tue Feb 18 17:52:05)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply
UPDATED Tue Feb 18 19:00:35

Hi Athene, great clarity to your thoughts!


I was thinking about what 'hyper-real' means. 'Hyper' is the beyond-world, that which exists in a space of more than 3 dimensions. Combining the two, 'hyper-real', to me, would be a place in which reality co-exists with a the place beyond reality, or a real place in which the rules of the hyper-world operate, a sort of gateway world.
You can see a lot of this in Tolkien, for his world is very different from the usual fantasy world of wizards and magic. Tolkien has created a very real place, a very earth-like place, yet it is populated by very hyper-real beings with hyper-real powers. I see this as a place where the spiritual realm, the hyper or beyond-world is manifest in the earthy or real world. The beyond- world characters and powers in Middle Earth are representations of powers, values and forces that occur in the spiritual plane.


Interestingly enough I believe there is a link between this new definitive term and elements of the dimensional reality post that we discussed. Perhaps the hyper reality term is representative of an Archetypical reality. In the deepest recesses of the mind, the world of middle earth isn’t that far fetched. At a certain point in history it would not have been considered illogical for some to perceive the possibility of wizards, elves etc. in a real-world context. As we all recognize that there are archetypical characters, then it is possible to hypothesize the possibility of an archetypical reality or plane. Some add on thoughts to consider.
Re: Hyper-Reality
  by - willow213 (Mon Feb 17 18:30:34)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply

Well, Aule, certainly "hyper-real" means to me what it means to many--that Tolkien had such a sense of detail, and desire to create such a real-seeming world, that the stories of Middle Earth seem more like history than fiction.

But what has struck me lately about the stories, and I think this is what is important to me about them, is that in many ways, I have gotten out of Middle Earth what I brought to it. In different times of my life, different aspects of the story have been important to me.

I am much older now than when I first read the books, and I can really appreciate how the meanings of the characters and the events have changed for me over the years. Several of the lessons of the characters have been important to me in my own life, and I have always learned from what Tolkien had to say through them.

I suddenly thought of the LOTR stories as sort of a prism--what you see in it depends largely upon your perspective.

Great post, BTW

Willow

If we send our sons & daughters to fight our wars
Is there anything left home worth fighting for?
Re: Hyper-Reality
  by - Ptero-valley (Mon Feb 17 23:08:22)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply

Hi Willow,

You're right about how the story changes emphasis over time. The first time I read LotR, I was a little miffed that we were being sidetracked from the hobbits' adventure by the story of the humans.

But today when I read it, I find Aragorn and the story of men to be at least as compelling as Frodo's quest. I think part of this is because good ol' Viggo has created such a compelling Aragorn that I can really relate to him now.

But I think it's also because as an older person I can really understand the desires of men -- and their weaknesses and strengths -- much better than I could back then.

It's really amazing that people of all ages can be turned on to Tolkien's story in such different ways.

Re: Hyper-Reality
  by - sean-molloy (Mon Feb 17 18:50:17)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply

Hey Aule,

Is Tolkien's work hyper-real? I think so, in the same way that any great work of fiction is hyper-real. It has a reality all of its own, and what's more it seems a lot more interesting than our world a lot of the time! A wonderfully rich other world, where you only feel you're being shown a small section of what's going on in that world at any given time, and then there's all that history and future... What a world to play in! For me, there's only one comparably rich other universe, and that's Frank Herbert's Dune - though at the age of seven I might have included George Lucas' Star Wars universe in there.

What's the secret of hyper-reality? I think it's that Tolkien knew the power of our own imaginations, and that he could ignite our imaginations by firing up the power of his own. Tolkien's world is rich in detail. We all know this - it comes up in countless threads. But I reckon the detail ain't as important as the things he leaves out.

Tolkien is the man because he knows how to suggest things, and doesn't tell us everything. He lets us imagine them ourselves. It's like Sam and the oliphaunt - he has this wonderful mental image that he's formed in his own head. Much as I loved people's pictures of Tolkien's work, I'd always be somewhat disappointed because I had my own impressions. We all do, in our own heads. This really shows the majesty of Jackson's accomplishment with the films - that so many of us have said "Yip, that's Middle-Earth."

We give Tolkien's world our own hyper-reality; Tolkien is the master storyteller who lets us do this.

Sean :)
Re: Hyper-Reality
  by - paul hawthorne (Wed Feb 19 14:52:06)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply

hyper real bump.....
Thanks Everyone
  by - Aule (Fri Feb 21 09:17:07)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply

Well, there have been some great responses here, and all of them apply, some of them in ways I hadn't considered. What I was thinking was quite broad, and encompasses much of what others have pointed out.

I think that Tolkien's imaginary world serves to highlight reality for us in many ways. Because it is not set in our own world, it allows us to put aside, to some degree, preconceptions and prejudices and see and realize things from another perspective. In doing so, we can apply these realizations to the real world. In other words, we delve into this other world, forgetting about our own, and this enables us to bypass our mindsets. Once bypassed, we can then apply it back to reality. The fact that it is not reality, and the way it is portrayed allows us to discover things about reality that we normally wouldn't.

The characters, races, nature itself, etc. are somewhat simplified, in and of themselves, but many aspects of the human condition, religion, culture, and the environment are portrayed clearly and are intertwined. lkalliance has said that it is about institutions rather than characters, and I agree with him to a large extent, but that covers only a part of it. Everything is presented to us for our consideration and personal application to what is happening in our lives and the world around us, and it is not impeded by our already formed opinions and viewpoints.

Tolkien created a richly detailed world that enables us to examine our own world without actually examining our own world.
My 2 cents about Tolkien's world & death; reply to Aule
  by - BB-15 (Fri Feb 21 13:21:59)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply
UPDATED Fri Feb 21 14:52:21

First Aule, great thread. I've been sick for a couple of weeks and was pleasantly surpised to come back to the Board and see this thread. I agree with the many good posts about views about Tolkien's concerning detailed description, archetypes and spirituality.

Here's my take. From 1916 to the Hobbit in the early 30's Tolkien was unpublished as a fiction writer even though he was admired by many at Oxford. IMHO Tolkien wrote for himself first and didn't cater to be just entertaining. What I find lacking in popular fiction is that it doesn't grip reality by the throat so to speak. Life is full of extremes; birth & death, kindness & cruelty, materialism & spirituality etc. Popular entertainment in general does not deal well IMHO with those extremes or at least rarely does. Tolkien's world by contrast can deal with the most difficult issues, more than a lot of realistic fiction I've read, without overly upsetting the reader.


How does Tolkien do this? First I believe it is due to his broad experiences at a young age; second, his skill in understanding that myth can make the most serious subjects palitible for an audience and lastly it is due to his brilliance as a writer.

For instance in TTT book and film we see the Dead Marshes. What war film dwells on thousands of bodies rotting in water? But Tolkien handles this brilliantly, first because he experienced this horror in World War 1 but also because he has the skill to blend it into myth to soften the shock.

Tolkien is able to dwell on death and all its ramifications spiritually, philosophically and in a harshly real way (especially in the Silmarillion stories). But he also can make the topic poetic and noble. While myth in general can allow us to see harsh things, Tolkien has included the harsher aspects of life in his art. In a way that is very 'real' in giving a more complete picture of life's experiences.

Again, great thread. Have a good one, BB ;-)
bump + nice post, BB
  by - adalheidis (Thu Feb 27 19:42:08)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply

Wow, never thought so about the Dead Marshes. Great post, BB.

The road may pass, but they shall not! Not while Faramir is Captain.
bump
  by - athene-5 (Thu Mar 20 08:32:21)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply



"I sang of leaves, of leaves of gold, and leaves of gold there grew..."
[Post deleted]

This message has been deleted by the poster
[Post deleted]

This message has been deleted by the poster
Rescue (nm)
  by - Aule (Sat May 3 13:20:15)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply

nm
Re: Hyper-Reality
  by - reinebohemienne (Sat May 3 22:50:06)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply

My first reaction to the phrase "hyper real" was "more than real." This immediately reminded me of Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried, in which he fictionalizes his real experiences in Vietnam. (BTW, I highly recommend it.) In order to "excuse" himself for not recording exact facts about real events, he explains that a story can be truer than history. This is a bit of a stretch, I know, but I trust my intuitive leap. Connecting back to my first reaction, I wondered "what is more than real?" and, thinking of O'Brien, answered, "truth." So essentially my interpretation is that LOTR deals with truth about the soul, which exists on a plane above, but not contrary to, reality. That answer feels extremely simplistic compared to all the wonderful replies I just read, but there you have it. BTW, thanks for "rescuing" this topic.

What news of Boromir the Bold? For he is long away.
Re: Hyper-Reality
  by - Aule (Sat May 3 22:57:22)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply

No, it was a very good response, and I thank you.
Thanks, Aule! (nm)
  by - reinebohemienne (Sat May 3 23:09:44)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply



What news of Boromir the Bold? For he is long away.
Re: Hyper-Reality
  by - Sir_Big_V (Wed May 21 21:20:24)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply



Old Tom Bombadil is a merry fellow,
Bright blue his jacket is, and his boots are yellow.
bf
  by - Bellbird (Fri May 23 22:59:08)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply



...the angels had guitars even before they had wings...
bump
  by - sean-molloy (Fri May 30 15:41:24)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply

Sean :)
Re: Hyper-Reality
  by - Lady-Eowyn (Mon Jun 23 13:24:31)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply

A friendly bump from Sponsor #11593: Lady Éowyn

You are a daughter of kings. A shieldmaiden of Rohan.
Re: Hyper-Reality
  by - Lady-Eowyn 6 days ago (Mon Jul 14 00:17:09)
Ignore this User | Report Abuse Reply

A friendly bump from Sponsor #11593: Lady Éowyn

You are a daughter of kings. A shieldmaiden of Rohan.
 
 
IMDbPro.com: know the future

Back to the top