Is Lord of the Rings too short? - Page 2

06-22-2001, 06:59 PM

Three volumes too long? Try reading the Wheel of Time, 9 books so far with at least 3-4 more to come and each over 600 pages. Or the Deathgate Cycle, that was 7 books with each one at least around 400 pages.

06-22-2001, 07:17 PM

well yeah, WoT is much longer, but... I actually read the 9 books in not much longer than it took me to read LotR... They don't make you want to take your time reading in the same wat tolkien's works do.

07-27-2001, 09:48 AM

Yeah, I know... I spent one week on each of the WoT books, approx... Not much more for the LoTR if I read actively, if I just read in bed and such it takes much longer... I think it could have been longer, but I don't really know what could have been used to make it longer... it's so... brilliant... the way it is...

07-27-2001, 07:34 PM

I still shudder when the Wheel of Time is mentioned. When I started reading them, it had been several years since my dad had, and he was still waiting for the next book. The first three books were awesome, and the fourth was okay. From there, they went down hill. The fifth wasn't that good, and the sixth was bad. The seventh was worse and the eighth was so unbearable I couldn't finish or even make a good start on the ninth. And the series continues. It got too dark and too boring. I read Harry Potter after that, it was really refreshing.

hiku747 · 08-16-2001, 01:39 PM

the length of lotr is perfect, then there is always every thing else he wrote to go along with it, of course, id like the story to be longer, but that's because i never wanted it to end.

hiku747 · 08-16-2001, 01:41 PM

Inoldoni, do you find that harry potter is a lot like lotr? my friend ellen loooooooooves harry potter and i jsut got her to start reading the hobbit and then lotr, she says they are a lot alike. i have never read them, but if they are, i was thinking about starting to read them...What do you think?l

Idril Celebrindal · 08-16-2001, 02:37 PM

hmm... I can't say I see the similarity, really. Did your friend say anything specific that was similar? I love both LotR and HP, but they're pretty different.

hiku747 · 08-24-2001, 01:42 AM

Idril, no she didnt i guess iwill have to ask her. she just read the hobbit and has begun the fellowship. i will ask her what shet hinks the similarities are....

hectorberlioz · 07-23-2003, 06:00 PM

Perfect length, need more anyway, unfortunately professer tolkien cant give us any more...

Dreran the Green · 07-23-2003, 07:01 PM

It is weird how all of a sudden extremely old threads are getting brought back up to the top of all the forums...

But yes! IT MUST BE LONGER! AHAHAHAHAHAHA! MORE! MUCH MUCH MORE!

Yeah, I want there to be more stories about Gandalf, escpecially an elaboration on what happened while he was spying in Dol Guldor(sp?)

***IronParrot*** · 07-24-2003, 01:50 PM

Thank goodness LOTR - the core story - wasn't longer than it ended up being. By having a clearly defined curve - beginning, middle and end - over a very specific length, it managed to keep a good sense of pacing, structure and unity. Most of all, it had focus - something that is often sacrificed when trying to achieve completeness.

Tolkien made the right choice in relegating extraneous matter to the Appendices. I count The Silmarillion as one big extraneous Appendix as it is, but that's a different matter.

I'm glad somebody brought up The Wheel of Time, my favourite example of needless length and fluff. I'll grant that it has its brilliant moments every few hundred pages, but sometimes you begin to wish Robert Jordan would just shut up.

Lalaith · 07-24-2003, 01:52 PM

Of course it is too short ... or better said .... I would have wanted to know what happened after the war of the ring and more details about the earlier ages ... therefore not LotR should be longer but Tolkien should have lived longer to complete his work.

katya · 07-25-2003, 11:59 PM

I think it's the perfect length. There's plenty to read. But at the same time I didn't want it to end. the thing is thought would you have wanted it to end even if it was 1,000,000 pages long? (well, maybe...) so i guess no, i don't want it longer.

kiwi52291 · 07-26-2003, 01:51 AM

If anything was short it was the hobbits!

(just kidding)

In the forward of FOTR Tolkien said this:

"The Lord of the Rings has been read by many people since it finally appeared in print ten years ago;* and I should like to say something here with reference to the many opinions or guesses that I have recieved 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."

I also have to quote something he said in the forward that was kinda funny:

"Some who have read the book, or at any rate have reviewed it, have found it boring, absurd, or contemptible; and I have no cause to complain, since I have similar opinions of their works, or the kinds of writing they evidently prefer."

Lalaith · 07-26-2003, 04:36 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by kiwi52291
"Some who have read the book, or at any rate have reviewed it, have found it boring, absurd, or contemptible; and I have no cause to complain, since I have similar opinions of their works, or the kinds of writing they evidently prefer."

Yah, that was good!

kiwi52291 · 07-26-2003, 09:07 PM

I'm glad you like it too! Nobody else I know thinks it's that funny!

durin's bane · 07-29-2003, 11:05 AM

Lol, Tolkien's a genius!
I noticed that "too short" thing when I read the foreward last night, and, no, I don't think LotR is short. It's perfect length.

Nimrodel_White_Lady · 07-29-2003, 11:56 AM

*Waves* Hey Durin's Bane!

Ooo the LotR was not to long, yet, not to short. But when I got to the end, telling of everyone's departure and what happened to them in the end, it was quite sad. Cos everything that you had just read ended, and there was nothing to look forward, but to read it again. Its kinda hard to explain really.

elixir · 07-29-2003, 05:46 PM

The LOTR is just perfect, perfect in every possible way.

Of course I was sad when I finished reading it, I know I can re-read it (which I am doing now actually) but it's not the same as reading it for the first time - being excited how things would turn out, guessing how it ends...

Valaróma · 08-13-2003, 12:32 PM

It should never end. It should go on forever...

I was so sad when it finished.

But then I'd never have any time for The Sil and HoME..
Just a little more detail, but I guess it can't last forever and I'd be sad whenever it finished so just more detail.

I too read it again and again but like you said. its not the same!

And anyway, Tolkien had alot of trouble publishing it because the length as it is!

06-22-2001, 06:59 PM	#21
Morkhon Guest Posts: n/a	Re: Is Lord of the Rings too short? Three volumes too long? Try reading the Wheel of Time, 9 books so far with at least 3-4 more to come and each over 600 pages. Or the Deathgate Cycle, that was 7 books with each one at least around 400 pages.

06-22-2001, 07:17 PM	#22
Idril Celebrindal Guest Posts: n/a	Re: Is Lord of the Rings too short? well yeah, WoT is much longer, but... I actually read the 9 books in not much longer than it took me to read LotR... They don't make you want to take your time reading in the same wat tolkien's works do.

07-27-2001, 09:48 AM	#23
Manwe Sulimo Guest Posts: n/a	Re: Is Lord of the Rings too short? Yeah, I know... I spent one week on each of the WoT books, approx... Not much more for the LoTR if I read actively, if I just read in bed and such it takes much longer... I think it could have been longer, but I don't really know what could have been used to make it longer... it's so... brilliant... the way it is...

07-27-2001, 07:34 PM	#24
Inoldonil Guest Posts: n/a	Re: Is Lord of the Rings too short? I still shudder when the Wheel of Time is mentioned. When I started reading them, it had been several years since my dad had, and he was still waiting for the next book. The first three books were awesome, and the fourth was okay. From there, they went down hill. The fifth wasn't that good, and the sixth was bad. The seventh was worse and the eighth was so unbearable I couldn't finish or even make a good start on the ninth. And the series continues. It got too dark and too boring. I read Harry Potter after that, it was really refreshing.

08-16-2001, 01:39 PM	#25
hiku747 Hobbit Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: ghetto minetto, ny Posts: 29	the length of lotr is perfect, then there is always every thing else he wrote to go along with it, of course, id like the story to be longer, but that's because i never wanted it to end. __________________ What we do in life echoes in eternity

08-16-2001, 01:41 PM	#26
hiku747 Hobbit Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: ghetto minetto, ny Posts: 29	Inoldoni, do you find that harry potter is a lot like lotr? my friend ellen loooooooooves harry potter and i jsut got her to start reading the hobbit and then lotr, she says they are a lot alike. i have never read them, but if they are, i was thinking about starting to read them...What do you think?l __________________ What we do in life echoes in eternity

08-16-2001, 02:37 PM	#27
Idril Celebrindal Sapling Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Gondolin, Norfolk, England Posts: 10	hmm... I can't say I see the similarity, really. Did your friend say anything specific that was similar? I love both LotR and HP, but they're pretty different. __________________ With magic, you can turn a frog into a prince. With science, you can turn a frog into a Ph.D and you still have the frog you started with. Besides, the big worry was that if the Allies didn't get nuclear fission working soon then the Germans would beat them to it. Given the chance between our blowing up the world and the enemy blowing up the world, it was obvious what to do. That is, on reflection, not a happy sentence. ~The Science of Discworld~

08-24-2001, 01:42 AM	#28
hiku747 Hobbit Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: ghetto minetto, ny Posts: 29	Idril, no she didnt i guess iwill have to ask her. she just read the hobbit and has begun the fellowship. i will ask her what shet hinks the similarities are.... __________________ What we do in life echoes in eternity

07-23-2003, 06:00 PM	#29
hectorberlioz Master of Orchestration President Emeritus of Entmoot 2004-2008 Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Lost in the Opera House Posts: 9,328	Perfect length, need more anyway, unfortunately professer tolkien cant give us any more... __________________ ACALEWIA- President of Entmoot hectorberlioz- Vice President of Entmoot Acaly und Hektor fur Presidants fur EntMut fur life! Join the discussion at Entmoot Election 2010. "Stupidissimo!"~Toscanini The Da CINDY Code The Epic Poem Of The Balrog of Entmoot: Here ~NEW! ~ Thinking of summer vacation? AboutNewJersey.com - NJ Travel & Tourism Guide

07-23-2003, 07:01 PM	#30
Dreran the Green Lady of Legends Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Missing. Reward if found. Posts: 1,083	It is weird how all of a sudden extremely old threads are getting brought back up to the top of all the forums... But yes! IT MUST BE LONGER! AHAHAHAHAHAHA! MORE! MUCH MUCH MORE! Yeah, I want there to be more stories about Gandalf, escpecially an elaboration on what happened while he was spying in Dol Guldor(sp?) __________________ The end justifies the means, thought Aziraphale. And the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.* *This is not actually true. The road to Hell is paved with frozen door to door salesmen. On weekends many of the younger demons go ice-skating down it. ~Good Omens

07-24-2003, 01:50 PM	#31
*IronParrot* Fowl Administrator Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Calgary or Edmonton, Canada Posts: 53,420	Thank goodness LOTR - the core story - wasn't longer than it ended up being. By having a clearly defined curve - beginning, middle and end - over a very specific length, it managed to keep a good sense of pacing, structure and unity. Most of all, it had focus - something that is often sacrificed when trying to achieve completeness. Tolkien made the right choice in relegating extraneous matter to the Appendices. I count The Silmarillion as one big extraneous Appendix as it is, but that's a different matter. I'm glad somebody brought up The Wheel of Time, my favourite example of needless length and fluff. I'll grant that it has its brilliant moments every few hundred pages, but sometimes you begin to wish Robert Jordan would just shut up. __________________ All of IronParrot's posts are guaranteed to be 100% intelligent and/or sarcastic, comprising no genetically modified content and tested on no cute furry little animals unless the SPCA is looking elsewhere. If you observe a failure to uphold this warranty, please contact a forum administrator immediately to receive a full refund on your Entmoot registration. Blog: Nick's Café Canadien

07-24-2003, 01:52 PM	#32
Lalaith The Elvish Temptress Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Vienna, Austria Posts: 3,055	Of course it is too short ... or better said .... I would have wanted to know what happened after the war of the ring and more details about the earlier ages ... therefore not LotR should be longer but Tolkien should have lived longer to complete his work. __________________ What I am and what I would are as secret as maidenhead.

07-25-2003, 11:59 PM	#33
katya Elven Maiden Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 3,309	I think it's the perfect length. There's plenty to read. But at the same time I didn't want it to end. the thing is thought would you have wanted it to end even if it was 1,000,000 pages long? (well, maybe...) so i guess no, i don't want it longer.

07-26-2003, 01:51 AM	#34
kiwi52291 Hobbit Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Oakland, CA Posts: 43	If anything was short it was the hobbits! (just kidding) In the forward of FOTR Tolkien said this: "The Lord of the Rings has been read by many people since it finally appeared in print ten years ago;* and I should like to say something here with reference to the many opinions or guesses that I have recieved 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." I also have to quote something he said in the forward that was kinda funny: "Some who have read the book, or at any rate have reviewed it, have found it boring, absurd, or contemptible; and I have no cause to complain, since I have similar opinions of their works, or the kinds of writing they evidently prefer."

07-26-2003, 09:07 PM	#36
kiwi52291 Hobbit Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Oakland, CA Posts: 43	I'm glad you like it too! Nobody else I know thinks it's that funny!

07-29-2003, 11:05 AM	#37
durin's bane Lady of Westernesse Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Canada (Help! Our parliament building is melting!) Posts: 761	Lol, Tolkien's a genius! I noticed that "too short" thing when I read the foreward last night, and, no, I don't think LotR is short. It's perfect length. __________________ Yada, yada, yada

07-29-2003, 11:56 AM	#38
Nimrodel_White_Lady Hobbit Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: The Pond Posts: 19	Waves Hey Durin's Bane! Ooo the LotR was not to long, yet, not to short. But when I got to the end, telling of everyone's departure and what happened to them in the end, it was quite sad. Cos everything that you had just read ended, and there was nothing to look forward, but to read it again. Its kinda hard to explain really. __________________ "Your absolutely right! Here's luck to you Will!" "A red sun rises, blood has been spilt on this night" Arrr to the Elven Pirate... savvy? Arrr ye be a muppet -------> =0

07-29-2003, 05:46 PM	#39
elixir Elven Warrior Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: wherever my dreams take me Posts: 356	The LOTR is just perfect, perfect in every possible way. Of course I was sad when I finished reading it, I know I can re-read it (which I am doing now actually) but it's not the same as reading it for the first time - being excited how things would turn out, guessing how it ends... __________________ ~ Time is a drug. Too much of it kills you ~ "We've got a wizard and we're not afraid to use him!" HOBBITS NEEDED! Some dwarves as well !!!

08-13-2003, 12:32 PM	#40
Valaróma Banned Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: In a state of confusion Posts: 50	It should never end. It should go on forever... I was so sad when it finished. But then I'd never have any time for The Sil and HoME.. Just a little more detail, but I guess it can't last forever and I'd be sad whenever it finished so just more detail. I too read it again and again but like you said. its not the same! And anyway, Tolkien had alot of trouble publishing it because the length as it is! Last edited by Valaróma : 08-13-2003 at 12:33 PM.

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