Not All Who Wander Are Lost (Hubele)

## Introduction

Throughout the years, authors have witnessed their creations transformed and recreated through the ever increasing popularity of fan followings.  The individuals who dedicate their lives to expanding the universe of their favorite characters often group together in what is known as “fandoms”.  These fandoms are largely responsible for the success and popularity of literature as a whole.  But literature, in today’s world, is a relatively loosely defined term.  Anything from a poem to your favorite bedtime story now fits in this category since each has its own unique story to tell.  Vast amounts of this literature can now be found on the web, or in ebook format, leading some to speculate that the hard-back novel is gradually disappearing.  Robert Coover, in his article *The End of Books* observes that works of fiction are “moving off the page and on line.”  This means that their criticisms and discussions now take place online as well, instead of at your traditional book club.  This allows fans from all over the world to comment on their favorite writers and creations and share their views with a larger audience.

One of my most memorable family vacations was when my family and I went on a road trip out west.  To pass the time during the long car ride, my mom read *The Lord of the Rings* series.  I personally believe this is one of the best pieces of literature ever created.  Ever since 1949 when John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, or J.R.R. as we affectionately know him, put the finishing touches on the end of his masterpiece saga, *The Lord of the Rings*, fans around the world have continued to enjoy his literary classic.  His creation has received several awards including the International Fantasy Award and the Prometheus Hall of Fame Award for its significant contribution to the fantasy genre.  Several nations around the world, starting with England, the birthplace of the Shire, have even recognized *The Lord of the Rings* as their best-loved book.  Today it is known as the “second best-selling novel ever written”, leading the Sunday Telegraph to rate it “among the greatest works of imaginative fiction of the twentieth century.”  The Lord of the Rings has created an impressive legacy that is hard to compete with.

As literature has gradually shifted to an electronic form, readers and fans have followed it into the wired world.  Through the use of wikias and other discussion boards, fans are able to trade ideas and analyze passages with greater detail than ever before.  However, *The Lord of the Rings*’ large online presence owes its popularity to its large fanbase.  This fanbase has recently been

dubbed “Ringers” by TheOneRing.net.  Yet, even though they are a fan of his major series, these fans are not all admirers of J.R.R. Tolkien.  They simply are devoted enthusiasts of a literature masterpiece.  As a result of its large online presence, *The Lord of the Rings* has now been retold and remediated through fan fiction and even video games.  Over the course of this discussion, I will look at the knowledge communities that have developed around the series, its remediation in the form of professionally produced movies and fan videos, and some interpretive disputes that have resulted from different interpretations of its themes and storyline.

## Knowledge Communities

As with most literature or text that has a large online presence, *The Lord of the Rings* has a large fanbase devoted to compiling data.  Several websites have been created for this purpose including *The Lord of the Rings Wikia*, *The One Ring*, and *The Lord of the Rings Fanatics Network*.  Each of these forums and pages are dedicated to certain aspects.  I will examine each one in detail.

### The Lord of the Rings Wikia

*The Lord of the Rings Wikia* is an encyclopedia dedicated to the masterpiece collection of J.R.R. Tolkien.  Fans come together to compile an exhaustive database containing all important information necessary in order to understand every aspect of Middle-Earth.  Since Tolkien’s fantasy world contains many different species and legends, each one has its own page on the wikia dedicated to examining the object of interest in detail.  This leads *The Lord of the Rings Wikia*to contain over 6,000 pages.  This represents a vast amount of time and effort from fans.  The wikia, however, is not just used as a database for all things Middle-Earth.  It also serves as the home for several blogs and forums where fans can come together and discuss different topics and issues related to the books, movies, and even video games.  I found one of the posts to be especially amusing.  One of the bloggers made a comment asking the other individuals on the blog if they played Minecraft.  I was not expecting to find a post on this topic here.

### The One Ring

Another source of knowledge concerning *The Lord of the Rings* is *The One Ring* (or TOR).  This website serves more as a discussion and announcement board for fans of the series.  It has different pages dedicated to upcoming events for fans to attend or just regular discussions regarding individual’s favorite characters.  One of best articles is the “Today in Middle-Earth” page which is dedicated to tying significant events that happened in the realm of elves and hobbits to today’s date.  TOR also is home to message boards where fans can discuss different topics with other enthusiasts and gain a greater understanding of all things Tolkien.  It also includes reviews on the book series for those interested in the value presented.

### The Lord of the Rings Fanatics Network

One more knowledge community where Lord of the Rings or LOTR fans congregate is *The Lord of the Rings Fanatics Network*.  This site contains a wide range of information.  Fans can find research, information, and background history on any character.  Also, the site hosts a virtual Middle-Earth community for fans to interact and share ideas and find answers to questions.  Not only does it contain information, *The Lord of the Rings Fanatics Network* also has its very own merchandise shop where fans can purchase books, jewelry, collectibles, and even replicas relating to their favorite characters.

### The Tolkien Society

Not all individuals that love Tolkien’s artistic ability are fans of *The Lord of the Rings* and *The Hobbit*.  Therefore, *The Tolkien Society* exists to promote the life and works of their favorite author.  The society was founded in 1969 and received the blessing of Tolkien himself, who became the society’s first president and has remained until this day.  The society serves as an international fan club and member hold their own local meetings and events.  They even have their own constitution.  Each member also receives a copy of the society’s two journals, *Amon Hen* and *Mallorn*.  The uniting factor for all member is their love of Tolkien and his literary greatness.

In the end, knowledge communities serve to magnify the greatness of the author or works they were created for.  Each one has its own flairs and specialties.  No two are alike.  However, one thing always stays the same.  The individuals who take the time and effort to develop and maintain these sources are truly dedicated to passing on their love of literature to the world.

## Remediation

Just like any other popular books series, *The Lord of the Rings* has had its share of the spotlight in Hollywood.  Ralph Bakshi was the first to attempt to adapt Tolkien’s creation for the screen.  He titled his creation *J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings* which was released in 1978.  It covered *The Fellowship of the Ring* and part of *The Two Towers* and was to be the first of a two-part series, but Bakshi’s invested failed to help finance the second half so it was later released as an animated television special created by Rankin-Bass.

### Peter Jackson's Hollywood Hit

The second and more successful adaptation, consisting of three movies sharing the titles of the books under the direction of Peter Jackson, hit theaters around the second week of December, each spaced a year apart.  Each film represented a major undertaking to transform Tolkien’s dizzying web of interconnected characters and side-stories.  The directors originally had planned to only produce two movies because of the shortage of funds.  However, when Jackson was on a funding trip in Hollywood, Robert Shaye, the founder of New Line Cinema, questioned him about the number of films to be produced.  Jackson explained their monetary issue and Shaye agreed to back his production if he agreed to change the length to a trilogy, just like the original novels.  Jackson found this setup allowed for more creative freedom.  However, over the course of the production process, Jackson found that he could not include every seen as depicted in the book to time constraints.  Therefore, he focused the films around Frodo’s quest, using Aragorn as the main sub-plot, and cut several sequences that did not contribute directly to either plot.  This process allowed Jackson to present Frodo’s quest in a more chronological form, presenting back stories where needed.  This, however, was not the approach Tolkien took in his novels.  Jackson’s movies won multiple academy awards, including Best Picture nominations.  His final installment, The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, won a total of eleven Oscars, including the prestigious Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay awards.

### The Hunt for Gollum

However, not all adaptations of Tolkien’s classic fell in the Hollywood spotlight.  On May 3, 2009, *The Hunt for Gollum*, a fantasy fan film, debuted at the Sci-Fi-London film festival and on the internet for free.  As of February 2015, it has been viewed over thirteen million times.  The adaptation is set in the time period between Bilbo’s 111th birthday and Frodo’s departure from the shire.  Gandalf the Grey fears that Gollum will reveal information about the Ring of Power to the Dark Lord Sauron, just as what happens in Peter Jackson’s version.  Therefore, he sends the Ranger Aragorn on a quest to find him.  The film then follows Aragorn as he searches for Gollum, fights Orcs and a Nazgûl, or Ringwraith, and finally is able to capture him with help from the elves of Mirkwood.  The film ends with a scene of Gandalf leaving Mirkwood’s dungeons after interrogating Gollum.  He has discovered that Gollum knows of Bilbo and the Shire.  He then leaves to warn Frodo, closing the gap left by Peter Jackson.

### The Lord of the Rings Radio Dramas

As of right now, *The Lord of the Rings* has been adapted for radio presentation four times.  In 1955 and 1956, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) broadcasted their twelve-part radio dramatization of the story.  In the 1960’s WBAI radio, owned by the Pacific Foundation, in New York City aired their short adaptation to their listeners.  In 1979, another dramatization was broadcast all over the United States and later released on cassette tape and CD.  The BBC also broadcast another new version of their original adaptation in 1981 and aired it in twenty-six half-hour installments.  Since then, *The Lord of the Rings* is now available on cassette tape and CD from the BBC and other publishers and is now edited into thirteen one-hour episodes.

## Interpretive Disputes

Since the advent of the internet, readers and fan have been able to interact and discuss novels and books in more depth and detail than ever before. *The Lord of the Rings* is no exception.  *The Lord of the Rings Fanatics Plaza* is a catch-all for most debates surrounding the mystery and embedded meanings in Tolkien’s series.  Several forums exist on the site to discuss diverse topics ranging from basic lore for beginners to even discussing the author himself.  *The Fanatics Plaza* is also home for blogs as well.  Bloggers do what they do best and blog about everyday life, but they relate their life to adventures in Middle-Earth or talk about the books in general.

The forums are definitely the most interesting part of the *Fanatics Plaza*.  One of the best forums is entitled “The Movies” where individuals discuss their favorite or least understood parts of the movies.  Three of the most popular ones are related to misunderstood references, opinions about Jackson’s two trilogies, and different theories about *The Hobbit* movies.  All of these forums provide for endless hours of amusement and laughs related to each individual’s interpretation of the storyline.  In the end, interpretation of any novel or film is left to the reader or viewer.

## Additional Resources

One Wikia to Rule Them All

The Lord of the Rings Fanatic Network

The Lord of the Rings Fanatics Plaza

The One Ring

The Tolkien Society

The Lord of the Rings

## References

1. ↑ Coover, Robert. “The End of Books.” Course Readings
2. ↑ The Sunday Times Review of The Lord of the Rings in Editorial Reviews
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 The One Ring
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Lord of the Rings Wikia
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Lord of the Rings Fanatic Network
6. ↑ The Tolkien Society
7. ↑ *Amon Hen*
8. ↑ *Mallorn*
9. ↑ The Hunt For Gollum
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Lord of the Rings Fanatics Plaza