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A Small and Passing Thing  by Lindelea 5 Review(s)
LarnerReviewed Chapter: 66 on 4/25/2023
AU, then. And the letter lingers in The Pony.

AntaneReviewed Chapter: 66 on 9/3/2011
I'm glad Sam will be there, he should be. What an interesting dream!

Namarie, God bless, Antane :)

HaiReviewed Chapter: 66 on 11/11/2003
Don't cut all the emotional stuff out! That's what makes it good! Was Freddy's dream a little prophesy? Good of Freddy to decide taht Sam should be there! When they all got the package I was very touched, Frodo is already saying his good bye's! Looking forward to more, thank you!

Author Reply: Yes, Freddy's dream was a little prophesy, for the danger of Frodo dying in the grip of terrible memories was real, though of course the Dark Captain was only a symbol of the Shadow. He's gone, you know, and couldn't really come back for Frodo, though the dark memory of him did come back.

pebbles66Reviewed Chapter: 66 on 11/11/2003
Oh, you are a sneak! I thought this was really the end of Frodo, and it was all a dream!

Author Reply: O I know, but I always write to canon unless I clearly label the story "AU", unless, of course, I make a mistake.

Author Reply: p.s. Thanks for the review!

FantasyFanReviewed Chapter: 66 on 11/11/2003
I’m not sure I like this chapter. First of all, the device of a dream is a trick. Either the reader knows you are following canon and that this isn’t supposed to be happening, and they spend the chapter scratching their head: that really blunts the emotional impact of the supposed fight; it takes away the tension and leaves the whole scene flatter than I would otherwise expect. Or they don’t know that it’s not supposed to be happening, and they’re left feeling as if the author is messing with them when the joke is revealed (the Dallas syndrome).

The second reason I don’t really like it, is that dreams have considerable significance in Tolkien’s world. Many people think Dreams are the way the Valar (or Gandalf) communicate with mortals. Frodo dreams of the rain curtain of glass in Bombadill’s house, a portent of his trip into the West. He dreams of Gandalf’s imprisonment, albeit late. His dreams as he approaches Mordor are gentle dreams of peace that strengthen and refresh him. Boromir and Faramir dream the prophecy that sends Boromir on the quest, and Faramir dreams of the wave overtaking Numenor. Even Merry and Pippin’s dreams in the house of Bombadil, though they aren’t dreamings of the truth, exist to offer them the comfort that they are safe. Even the fact that Sam doesn’t dream points up his essential groundedness. So any dream Freddy would have, especially at this important point, should have meaning. If Barliman hasn’t forgotten the letter, Frodo should be well on his way to the Undying Lands by now. A dream of Frodo’s struggle should be something that brings peace, or allows him to say farewell. It could leave Freddy confused, but it shouldn’t leave him terrified. If you want to keep this chapter, I would feel better if you changed the way Freddy thinks about it at the end.

But then, I don’t really know what you have planned for the next part – I’m making the assumption that Freddy will find Frodo gone and Sam returning when he reaches Bag End the evening of the 6th. And, perhaps I’m missing the point entirely – if that’s true, it’s data for you. I would have expected a dream at a slightly later point, with a different emotional impact.


Author Reply: Yes, I have my own doubts about this chapter. I followed the outline and went ahead and wrote it, but it may very well get yanked, unless I decide it is essential to the story. At the moment I'm not all that sure. Still, I will write to the end of the outline--not far to go! Just Freddy's arrival at Bag End and then the wrap-up!--and then step back and look at it again. (And once more ask opinions of readers, for they can give me an outside perspective which I cannot manage, being "inside" the story for the most part.) I do not want to appear to be manipulating the reader. The main purpose of this chapter was to convince Freddy that Sam could not be pushed aside in this matter, and to show the alternative to Frodo's leaving, but there might be a better way to do that.

I am suffering a serious chocolate overload, and cannot think straight. Had better go do some brainless housework, like folding laundry or washing the floor or somewhat... Thanks for your comments!

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