Roots and Branches: Tom Shippey

[Aravar]

I've just finished reading this recent book by Tom Shippey. It is a collection of papers on various aspects of Tolkien's work: both his professional work as a philologist/English don, and in his private work of Middle-Earth.

Interesting insights into the way philology came about and the impact the reidcovery of Germanic?Norse myths had on a world which was by then aware only of the Greco-Roman and Judaeo-Christian stories.

The Middle-Earth essays cover subjects like heroism and class: the essay on class is a response to Michael Moorcock. (TheWagner might enjoy it ). There is a good essay on the elves too.

Most interesting to me was an essay on PJ's films: the other films are not dealt with. The book says that this essay has also been printed in the most recent edition of The Road to Middle-Earth, so it may be fmailiar to other posters from here. Shippey makes intersting points espcially about the difference in the canons of different media: he deals with a point Tolkien made in his criticism of a draft film script in Letters.

Shippey shows one thing which he feels has been lost in the films: the effect of the Palantíri. He points out that in the books that those who looks in make a mistakes, because the view given, albeit true is misleading. Denethor is shown that Frodo has been captured (Shippey makes a powerful case, by reference to the chronology that it is this and not the sight of the Corsairs which leads to his despair). Sauron thinks first Saruman and then Aragorn have the Ring and so attacks prematurely, and so on. In the film it is used more simply: as a communication device to gain information.

This book was £12 on Amzon. It is a another fine book by Shippey.

[ToshoftheWuffingas]

Indeed. Denethor comes down from looking in the palantír with a grey deathlike face. Later when Pippin tries to comfort him he retorts, '.....The Enemy has found it.......he sees our very thoughts.'
Careful examination of the chronology can reveal many insights.

I hope I may read more of Shippey one day.

[solicitr]

One problem with Shippey's theory: Sauron doesn't learn of Frodo's capture until March 15 (in fact after Frodo's escape), so he wouldn't have known to 'show' it to Denethor.

This is according to Tolkien's synoptic time-scheme, excerpts of which are published in Hammond & Scull. There is wonderful stuff in the detailed Chronology, which I hope will be published in its entirety some day. Shippey of course wasn't aware of its contents in 2001.

[N.E. Brigand]

One problem with Shippey's theory: Sauron doesn't learn of Frodo's capture until March 15 (in fact after Frodo's escape), so he wouldn't have known to 'show' it to Denethor.
This is according to Tolkien's synoptic time-scheme, excerpts of which are published in Hammond & Scull. There is wonderful stuff in the detailed Chronology, which I hope will be published in its entirety some day. Shippey of course wasn't aware of its contents in 2001.

Does Denethor see only things that Sauron shows him? What if he looks into the palantír when Sauron is off doing something else? Tolkien says in UT that Sauron can't monitor it at all times. One instance seems clear in LotR: Denethor is aware of the victory of Rohan over Saruman before even Gandalf on the fastest horse arrives with the news through regular means -- would Sauron have shared such good news with Denethor? Even before the publication of The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion, it had seemed unlikely that Sauron would have shown the captured Frodo to Denethor, because it seemed probable that he would have sent a Nazgûl to fetch Frodo just as he did for Pippin, when he thought the hobbit was captive in Orthanc. My take on Shippey's theory has been that Denethor looked toward the Tower of Cirith Ungol on his own, after hearing from Faramir of Frodo's plans.

[solicitr]

This isn't impossible. A Nazgûl certainly arrived at CU on the 15th, just as Sam and Frodo got out; it *might* have been sent in response to Sam's having 'rung the front bell'; but it could just as well have been dispatched when Sauron got the news of the 'spy' that day (it was nearly 90 miles from CU to Barad-dûr). It's practically certain that this Nazgûl returned with word of the escape, since Sauron learned of it that same day and nothing else could have covered the distance so fast. Shagrat with the mithril-shirt didn't arrive until the 17th (and was executed for the cock-up).

It would seem logical that from 12-15 March Sauron's palantír-peering time was focused on Gondor.