Life Imitating Art in The Lord of the Rings

Through the years I have answered, or tried to answer, many questions from fellow fans of J.R.R. Tolkien. There is one question I have seldom been asked, however: whose opinions on Tolkien and Middle-earth do I value? Many people value my opinion, both in business and privately, and that appreciation is not lost on me. Yet, strange though it may seem to those who seldom if ever see me speak highly of other Tolkien commentators, there are people who -- when they speak or write about Tolkien -- capture my attention, excite my imagination, and arouse my curiosity. Michael Siminski is one of those people. When he proofed a book-length manuscript for me several years ago, I did my utmost best to check all my facts before sending the work off for Michael's review. Inevitably, the chapters were returned with a staccato of corrections and thoughtful comments. There was a time when Michael Siminski freely shared his views and knowledge of Tolkien with other fans on the Internet. Now, he shares his life with the field of Engineering and his lovely wife Leisa in Australia. But the other day he sent the following article to me and asked if I thought anyone would be interested in it. I certainly was, and I hope you will be, too.

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Something struck me as funny today, though I haven't seen anyone pick up on this yet. Levy [1] writes that "The Ring has been lost for centuries and that powerful forces are now unrelenting in their search for it. Fate, which a major force in the saga, has placed the Ring in the hands of a young Hobbit, Frodo Baggins ..., forcing him to risk his life in order to keep it". To further emphasise the evil of the all-powerful Ring, he then quotes the familiar: "One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them, one ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them". Schwarzbaum [2] notes that "Frodo is the hero-as-average-fellow in Tolkien's tale, the very opposite of a strapping action figure, to whom will fall the saga's great heroic assignment". Null [3] also describes the basis of the Fellowship of the Ring plot, writing that "A hobbit (read: little person with hairy feet) named Frodo Baggins ... is entrusted with a mysterious ring" and that "He finds aid in the form of a band of unlikely henchmen: a few hobbits from home, including his best pal Sam ... Gandalf, a sophisticated elf ... , a mean dwarf ... , and a couple of tough humans".

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