Tolkien in the Classroom

Cool... At least you didn't forget everything already!

A friend of mine offered me "The Hobbit" when I was in junior high. I couldn't get through it. I just didn't "get" fantasy at that time and thought it was silly. It was then offered to me in high school in one of my more free-wheeling English classes. Same thing - I just couldn't get into it and I didn't finish it. And this was an extremely rare thing for me because I *loved* reading. But then when I was in college, I was playing some Led Zeppelin for my roommate, and she commented that obviously Robert Plant had read Tolkien. And I was intrigued because I was an unabashed Zeppelin fan, and if they liked Tolkien, then certainly I should pay attention, LOL. My roommate told me I should read LOTR, but that I had to read "The Hobbit" first to become familiar with certain characters. And this time, I not only finished it, I really liked it. It's funny how age and your general outlook on life can change your perception of the subject matter. Then I started LOTR and I fell in love - *devoured* the books. Stayed up all night to keep reading. I was hooked, LOL! And I have read the trilogy many, many times. I still think it is the single best piece of work I will ever read. I can't believe I missed out for all those years.

Laurie

Well, Tolkien was never taught to me in the last 10 years I've been in school, and I've never seen a copy of LotR or The Hobbit lying around a classroom.

It's too bad, too, because during the last two weeks as I read them, I loved them a lot. The only work of Tolkien I've even mentioned in school is The Fellowship of the Ring, which is one of the recommended to be read by those going into 9th grade. I didn't read it those two years ago because I wasn't interested in it(I've made up for that now).

I wish more interesting novels, like LotR, Dune, The Foundation Trilogy, among others were mentioned more often in the classroom.

It'll never happen...there's an unwritten rule that schoolwork must be, and always shall be, duller than watching liver slide down a wall. Looked at another way...perhaps making Tolkien part of the curriculum would cause kids to carry enough prejudice into reading the books that they'd instantly dislike them!

Eh...the smart ones will gravitate to Middle Earth anyway, right?

P.S.: That posticon reminds me of my high-school dean.

What trevkw said.

... Anyway, you can't ask kids to read a 1000-pages book.
But they could take only small parts. Those interested could then go read the entire trilogy.

Shan - Elven Warrior already? you move fast...

Liver? Walls? Schools? why didn't i think of this earlier... he he he!

Trevkw (sp?) has a good point - people have already labeled LotR a "classic," thereby clumping it into the same category as such boring books as <insert a title here - i'm not going to argue over why i think a particular "classic" is awful - we all have those "classics" we dislike> & that's brought a lot of prejudice against Tolkien's work. also, people hear that Tolkien was a linguist & automatically assume his work is way too technical for the average idiot, which it is (i said average IDIOT, not person), but some people refuse to stretch their limits & thereby deny themselves wonderful experiences. if schools get their hands onto these books, they'll add the "this is homework so we won't like it" prejudice as well.

a teacher of mine commented that "the English are not taught to love their language" - and English-speakers are not taught to love their books. personally i think schools should teach students to read & then give them freedom to read whatever they choose as worthy, like how IP described his class. of course, there are some books i think everyone should read, LotR being one of them.

if all else fails, LotR should be mentioned to students as a "read if you're interested" book, like the optional reading some teachers assign as extra credit or enrichment.

aryne *

Yeah... that's a good idea, optionnal reading for extra credits. Then most motivated will read it and most probably like it. The other ones would have dislike it anyway