J. Straley answers “why am i just keep putting it down? should...”

Linh Nguyen asked this question about The Two Towers (The Lord of the Rings, #2):

why am i just keep putting it down? should i continue or should i just give up, it really bores me to death, there are so many dialogues talking about past and chatting to each other ...

J. Straley Television and movies form most of modern people' esthetic sensibilities. These media are passive and are best with short scenes. But "a picture is a …moreTelevision and movies form most of modern people' esthetic sensibilities. These media are passive and are best with short scenes. But "a picture is a thousand words", right? Movies even have music to cue you to the appropriate mood. Books have no pics, and the author must give the reader enough clues to put together the picture in their mind. That's interactive, far from passive. Tolkien takes the time to give you a rich landscape of clues. I found in my last reading that it was best to banish movies from my consciousness and crank up my imagination. Tolkien is indeed wordy, at the far end of the spectrum as regards the delivery of cues. In many ways he's the last of the Victorians. Is he tiring to read? I think yes, for me and for most moderns. Thus, read scene by scene, and put it down after a session. It can be like a wonderful cabernet wine: little sips, if you please, and consciously enjoy the complexity.(less)

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