[00:00:00] I have never hated a chapter more in any of Tolkien's work than The Old Forest. But I have to admit, I think it's actually his best written chapter. So far. I want to emphasize that this is so far, because as most of you know, I am reading Fellowship of the Ring for the first time. And I'm publishing my thoughts in video essay form for most of the chapters.
[00:00:24] So make sure you like the video and subscribe if you want more of this kind of content. I published some Harry Potter stuff, some Brandon Sanderson stuff, and now I'm really going through the entire Lord of the Rings series for the first time. So if you like unorganized thoughts about all the chapters and, you know, lots of fun little shorts about deep dives into all these things, then make sure you hit the sub button.
[00:00:43] But today is the chapter of The Old Forest, Chapter 6. And I have absolutely loved every prior chapter, but this one dragged on and on and on. They were just in the forest for such a long time that I wanted this chapter to end as soon as humanly possible. But when I got to the end and finally got the escape in the form of Tom Bombadil, I was so happy to just get out of this chapter.
[00:01:12] Probably much in the same way as the Hobbits felt when they got out of The Old Forest. It's the age-old concept with an art of form-matching function. And I found this chapter to be an absolute prime example of the function of this chapter. Them being in The Old Forest and struggling through the tangled trees and the relentless shifting paths. Matching the form of this chapter. Where Tolkien just writes for too long on this stupid forest.
[00:01:38] To the point that he actually breathed a sigh of relief to be done with this chapter. Now the concept of form and function meshing goes all the way back to the origin and creation of art itself. If you can create something beautiful, and it still has a function, you've created a masterpiece. A specific example that I found incredible is the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum. It's a museum that is very stern and serious. It looks like a concrete tunnel.
[00:02:06] Almost like if Frank Lloyd Wright was a hobbit. The museum is essentially just one long chamber. But it's an absolute maze when you walk in. As soon as you step into the building, you notice the entire thing is dark except for tiny little beams of light coming from the top of this tunnel where they installed windows. It lets daylight enter. But it is so far away that you certainly cannot get to it. It's not an apt comparison in any way, but it gives you the feeling to a tiny degree of the hope that it's just out of reach.
[00:02:36] Which is what a lot of Jews felt inside the prison camps. On top of that, the torture of this museum is that as soon as you enter it, you round a corner and see the entire museum in front of you. And especially, you see the exit staring at you from the other side of this tunnel. And now your journey begins. You have to go in and out of these rooms, each room bringing you out to the main tunnel again. Where you can see the exit. But it doesn't feel any closer.
[00:03:03] So you walk through into another room and look at all the exhibits and read all the stories. And it just becomes sadder and sadder every time you walk through. Almost to the point that you don't know how much more you can handle. But you leave that room and come back to the middle. And you see the exit. But it's no closer than the time that it was before. It might feel like it's a bit closer, but you still have barely begun. And every room you walk in, you just have to come back to that tunnel center. And have that reminder of how close the exit is.
[00:03:32] But how far it is also. You just cannot get there. Again, it gives you this feeling of being trapped and hopeless. And however minor that feeling might be compared to those who actually went through the Holocaust, it's a brilliantly designed museum for that reason. It lets you feel what some of those people felt, but you feel it without really even knowing it. And thus it enhances your experience in the museum. A lot of people talk about religious art in the same way.
[00:03:59] That the iconography of a Christ figure on the wall is supposed to make you feel something rather than just be a nice picture. You're supposed to feel convicted over your sins. Or like this person is having compassion on you. Or that you're insignificant and small compared to the icon. But to be honest, I don't often find writers implementing this in a really great way. I always bring up my other love, Harry Potter, in these essays too. Because this is why I think book five is the best written book. Even though it's a least favorite of most people.
[00:04:28] Because every page I was hoping Umbridge was going to be gone and out. But never quite got it. And so I felt to some small degree what the students felt like when they were at school with this woman. Just not being able to get rid of her. Even though I did argue a few weeks ago that she was kind of a hero. Which is why I think this is the best written book. Because she just drags out this story for so long. It's the longest book. And we're with this woman for so long when we just want her to get out of this story. And we don't really get it.
[00:04:57] A lot of people complain about the pacing of this book. But I think that is the exact purpose of this. Because the pacing of the book screwed us over. Because the pacing for the students wasn't there either. So I think the form of this book matched the function perfectly. But getting back to Tolkien. This man did a masterful work in this chapter. He knew he needed to get them into the old forest. Because that was just the road they chose to take. And rather than give us a few days of camping stories. And maybe another few times they ducked out of the way of the ringwraiths.
[00:05:28] Tolkien took a gamble. And decided just to keep us in this chapter for longer than we want. Or at least longer than I want. And thus I feel trapped to get through it. Just like those hobbits felt trapped in the old forest. How many times is Tolkien going to tell me the direction that they were going in? And the branches that were hitting their face? I think a lot of people just interpret this as Tolkien being very detail-oriented. But I kind of interpret it as Tolkien just giving us a slight nod of the head. Showing us that yes.
[00:05:57] While he is detailed. He also knows how to turn the emotion of a reader. He knows how to frustrate you. And this to me is the sign of a good writer. When they can match the form and function of something. And really make me feel what the characters are feeling. Not just because of empathy. But intuitively and secretively and insidiously. Through the actual texts and the words on the page. When a writer can subliminally get me to feel things. Without even telling me what I'm supposed to feel. I respect them as an author.
[00:06:28] And even though this is my least favorite chapter in the book so far. I think this was the moment that I really respected Tolkien for myself. I've always held him in high esteem because he's J.R.R. Tolkien. He's the grandfather of fantasy. He's absolutely brilliant. I knew all that. But this chapter really made me feel it. And understand it for myself. This stupid little chapter. Where they got lost. Is to me. One of the best written so far in the series. The bad glues is not... The bedroom all of the way I'm supposed to feel. The slavery was protected and disad�� radicals. The monKIes. The royalties. The bread had a better.