Introduction
squire: Welcome to the Reading Room discussion of “Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit”, which is Chapter 4 in Book IV of The Lord of the Rings. Nothing really happens in this chapter, so I thought we could do a subject-oriented discussion this week, rather than a read-through of the text in linear order.
Obviously this works best for those of us who have already read the entire chapter, but for anyone just joining us I will post the complete text for reference, and also any passages that inform the individual topics as we get to them each day.
The schedule is as follows:
Monday
Characters:Sam (two parts), Frodo, Gollum, Faramir
Tuesday
Places: Ithilien, Gondor, Mordor, Maps
Wednesday
Themes: Time and Light, Food and Water, Warfare
Thursday
Writing: Plot, Pacing, Style, Sources
Friday>
Commentary:The Critics, The HoME drafts, The Letters
Saturday
Open discussion
There’s a lot of overlap amongst these topics even in this one chapter, as you can imagine. If my questions seem to have missed some favorite aspect of a character or a landscape in the first few days, it’s very possible I’ll circle back to it in another context before the week is out. Wait and see!
On the other hand, I’m well aware how hard it is to keep our discussions here from going wherever they will go! This is a bit of an experiment in a free-form discussion. I will try to keep an eye on my later questions so they don’t completely duplicate a topic which is being thrashed to within an inch of its life, a few threads down the page.
Yeah, yeah, I know: there’s a lot of questions. Too bad. That’s the way I am. Don’t answer them all! Find even just one you like, and tell us what you think!
Chance of confusion? Sure! Certainty of overlapping discussions? Absolutely! Rabbit stew, Faramir, and Oliphaunts? You bet!—so what are we waiting for?
Erather: When
do we get the recipes?
Looks like a good plan!
Sorry I missed most of last week,
hope this week is better.
drogo_drogo: Yes we
need the Hasenpfeffer recipes!
and
the cooking with herbs segments. I think
squire should team up with Martha Stewart for those discussions! :)
Looks good.
an seleichan: "nothing really happens"!
There's the man in green
walking out of the forest; Gollum at his most huma-er,
hobbitlike; and OLIPHAUNTS!!
There's lots. Looking forward to talking about it!
Farawyn: I agree.
Although it isn't at all like the movie.
*wink*
Dernwyn: You provide the stew...
We'll bring the 'taters!
N. E. Brigand: Since nothing
happens...
I figured I wouldn't bother to respond much. Nah, just kidding. I was scheduled for jury duty late in the week, so had to put extra effort in knocking off some tasks at work before leaving. But it was cancelled, so I'm just now starting to consider your twenty (!) posts.
Home Sam (& Frodo)