Post by Josh on Dec 9, 2012 16:17:37 GMT -8
Dialogue between Gandalf and Bilbo in the cartoon version of the Hobbit, which left an indellible mark on me as a kid (listening to the record 
There's a magic in that music.
- And it moves through me.
You feel the love of beautiful things.
- To go and see the great mountains...and hear the pine trees
and waterfalls.
-To wear a sword instead of a walking stick.
Just once.
Many people see fantasy stories as escapism. Tolkien makes a great case against this; that fantasy stories can transcend mere escapism and help us see the real world through a lens which helps us understand the true intensity, beauty, struggle, and meaning of our own world.
That's a conversation on it's own, but I have a new thought to add to the discussion.
While I whole-heartedly agree with Tolkien, I've discovered a longing in fantasy stories that still leaves me pining: it's the desire to go on a physical adventure, to test my body against challenging odds and danger, to travel the road of quest in the flesh.
I've been teaching The Hobbit in one class this fall and Lewis and Clark in another, and this year in particularly I notice how much I long for a physical adventure, and how few opportunities in our modern life actually answer that craving.
Can anyone relate?
There's a magic in that music.
- And it moves through me.
You feel the love of beautiful things.
- To go and see the great mountains...and hear the pine trees
and waterfalls.
-To wear a sword instead of a walking stick.
Just once.
Many people see fantasy stories as escapism. Tolkien makes a great case against this; that fantasy stories can transcend mere escapism and help us see the real world through a lens which helps us understand the true intensity, beauty, struggle, and meaning of our own world.
That's a conversation on it's own, but I have a new thought to add to the discussion.
While I whole-heartedly agree with Tolkien, I've discovered a longing in fantasy stories that still leaves me pining: it's the desire to go on a physical adventure, to test my body against challenging odds and danger, to travel the road of quest in the flesh.
I've been teaching The Hobbit in one class this fall and Lewis and Clark in another, and this year in particularly I notice how much I long for a physical adventure, and how few opportunities in our modern life actually answer that craving.
Can anyone relate?
