paradoxcase:dukeofbookingham:mozalieri:kaaatebishop:eleemosynecdoche:musicofthe-ainur:Am I the only
paradoxcase:dukeofbookingham:mozalieri:kaaatebishop:eleemosynecdoche:musicofthe-ainur:Am I the only person who thought this was really fucking funnyA lot of the really funny moments in Lord of the Rings come from Tolkien playing with language like this, where we have relatively formal, archaic, “high” language responded to with informal, modern, “low” language. another hilarious example:my absolute favorite example of tolkien switching registers in this way isA passage that I was reminded existed when I reread LOTR a few years ago:‘If Gandalf would go before us with a bright flame, he might melt a path for you,’ said Legolas. […]‘If Elves could fly over mountains, they might fetch the Sun to save us,’ answered Gandalf. […][…]Legolas watched [Aragorn and Boromir clearing a path] for a while with a smile upon his lips, and then he turned to the others. 'The strongest must seek a way, say you? But I say: let a ploughman plough, but choose and otter for swimming, and for running light over grass and leaf, or over snow – an Elf.’With that he sprang forth nimbly, and then Frodo noticed as if for the first time, though he had long known in, that the Elf had no boots, but wore only light shoes, as he always did, and his feet made little imprint in the snow.‘Farewell!’ he said to Gandalf. 'I go to find the Sun!’ Then swift as a runner over firm sand he shot away, and quickly overtaking the toiling men, with a wave of his hand he passed them, and sped into the distance, and vanished round the rocky turn. -- source link
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