Comparing Tolkein & JKR

[Aberforth's Goat]

No: HPFGUIDX 1282

[LONG POST]

There's been some Tolkein talk recently, and I thought I'd revise a post I
sent to a different forum some time back.  I've tried to formulate a few
thoughts about how The Hobbit, LOTR, and the Harry Potter books compare in
terms of language, protagonists and plot.

CAVEAT LECTOR: I'm coming at the question both as a raving Potterhead and
the sort of old Middle Earth hand who can't imagine how anyone with a taste
for good books could need more than three days to finish LOTR.  (BTW, Neil:
I've noticed that people who think they're cars are often a little
book-challenged.  Besides, you yourself have also admitted to not liking
Phynigan's Whack [hey MSN, is that better??], which proves a fundamental
aesthetic deficit.)

HP & the Hobbit:

I think HP is on par as an example of classical and compelling (and
nominally children's) literature. They both inhabit a world that's REAL.
Middle Earth and Hogwarts are tangible, full-orbed places that are no less
real than Bronx--even if they are "unplottable." You simply know that you
could step out of the story and go for a walk without bonking (err, banging)
into stage props.

They're very different, of course. Tolkein's language is much more complex.
My wife, who is a German speaker, had a lot of trouble wading through the
Hobbit but consumes HP almost as fast as I do. I happen to love Tolkein's
language--it's relaxed, almost avuncular, yet has the controlled and
polished tone only a Cambridge Lit. professor can get. But that's who JRRT
was. JRK is a different person. I think JRK writes prose that perfectly fits
the person she is and the story she's telling--and JRRT did the same. I
might add that though you chuckle with JRRT, you ROTL with JRK.  I think the
Hobbit is more carefully polished, though.  (Of course, it's shorter.)

As far as protagonists go, I find both heroes very compelling. They're
exciting & charismatic, yet ordinary, too. But I find Bilbo more so. He's
more complex: there's a deeper tension between his flaws (he really does
start out boring and he really is a little dishonest) and his virtues (he
really is brave, resourceful, and generous). His transformation through the
book locks into that tension and makes for one thick plot. Harry (at *this*
point in the story--but we're only half way through!) doesn't seem to have
that same level of complexity. Yes, he's got the ordinary side, and
sometimes he's scared and makes unwise choices--but where are the clearly
delineated character *faults* that he needs to face to become a complete
person? (I think that may be coming, tho. I thought his fight with Ron in
GoF was the most emotionally moving part of the book.)  At this point in ths
HP series, Snape is the only person showing a really compelling inner
dynamic.

But HP has a more complex story line than the Hobbit. I mean--we're talking
6 books to 1, and those 6 books are telling a single story. Of course, the
Hobbit is part of a bigger story--but in terms of its significance to LOTR,
it's just a sort pastoral prologue.

HP & Lord of the Rings:

LOTR has a very different tone from the H. I miss the light-heartedness of
either the Hobbit or HP. There isn't much chuckling left (at least following
the first section), and I don't find it as polished, either. LOTR has a BIG
story to tell, and does so. But I miss the leisurely pace. BTW, I thought
GoF was also less leisurely than HP's 1-3--although the humour is still
brilliant.

Protagonists: I like Harry better than Frodo. For some reason, in all my 6
or so readings of LTOR, I never managed to find Frodo inspiring. I care
about him, and I recognize the depth of his struggle, but he just doesn't
have the pluck and luck--the charisma--that either Harry or Bilbo have.
(Maybe that's my fault, but so be it.)

Plot: Well they're both very complex. But LOTR has an undertone of sorrow
and loss that effects me more deeply than the HP series (so far!) With each
step Frodo takes towards the chasm, the beauty and glory and wealth and
magic of Middle Earth are a little closer to their death. And yet, that
death is their only hope. That's a plot that hits you in the gut, inspires
you--makes you a better man. HP hasn't (yet) plowed into that kind of
tension. He may. I not sure whether I hope so or not--because I don't want
to see either Harry or Hogwarts or the whole magical world face the depth of
sacrifice that Frodo, the elves, and Middle Earth faced. And yet ... and yet
...

Anyway, that's a few thoughts. Comments?

Baaaaaa!

Aberforth's Goat (a.k.a. Mike Gray)
http://profiles.yahoo.com/aberforths_goat