Discussion of The Fellowship of the Ring, Chapter Five

Join Maggie and Cam for a discussion of Tolkien's restraint and provocations. This chapter is full of callbacks and echoes from The Hobbit, but it also continues to pivot away from many of the patterns and priorities established by that earlier story. Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin slow down and catch their breath following their latest escape from the Black Riders, and in their downtime, we learn a lot more about their group dynamics and decision-making hierarchy. We discuss Tolkien's growing interest in friendship and loyalty, Frodo's expectations of his companions, and what he is quietly saying about these hobbits when he has them sing a "bath-song" praising Hot Water. This chapter is less about near-death experiences than it is a series of character revelations, and we dig through each one like a pair of truffle pigs hunting for lunch. In conversation, we make new sense of Frodo's surreal, symbolic dream at the end of the chapter, and even manage to make some positive comparisons to other fantasy works. There are also, of course, many more horror references and another visit from Pooh.

In our Second Breakfast segment, Maggie leads a discussion about graphic novels that extends into adaptation, visual learning, and our own attention spans, as well as our preferences across artistic mediums. Yeah, I know it is technically "media" but that is a different word that means something else, and language is fake.

Have an observation, comment, or theory on this episode? Email us at [email protected]

Follow us on Instagram @secondbreakfastpod