Ponderables

[rabidsamfan]

If hobbits don't wear shoes or boots (except in rare instances) then why on earth does Sam sing about big Boots in the Troll Song, and why does he pack woolen hose?

And when Sam puts the Ring on and chases after the Orcs when they take Frodo, when does he take it off again? How many minutes/hours does Sam wear that thing, actually, and where was Gollum all that long time?

Why is it that I've never run across even one fic so far where Frodo starts out on the Quest properly hobbit-shaped, i.e. tubby in the tummy? And what happened to those rosy cheeks that Gandalf told Barliman about? Well, no I actually know the answers, don't I...

Comments

Re: Hose

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

By all means, friend away. And you're right, there's a very real difference between a bit of research for adding verisimilitude to an otherwise bald and unconvincing narrative, and getting so obsessive over the details you can't enjoy the story.

I'm glad you think I write Tolkien well, but I must confess that it's because I am a style sponge. Having a fairly barebones style of my own I find it easy to take on the characteristics of another writer for the sake of a story. I do look fairly carefully at Sam's dialect when I read, but that's because I'm always looking for Sam!