psychology of one or more of the characters in it. But on the
whole, the novel moves at a steady and unvarying pace, as the
reader eavesdrops on these conversations in real time.o In the end, the novel is more about the nature of storytelling
itself—about how people construct reality out of the stories
they tell each other—than it is about the working out of the
actual mystery.z Written by a veteran of World War I under the shadow of World War II,
7KH/RUGRIWKH5LQJV is a narrative about the end of one world and the
dawn of a new one and the effect of the cataclysm on both individuals
and whole races of people.
o Because he wishes to immerse us in this epic tale, Tolkien
varies the pace throughout the book, letting us know what’s
important and what’s mere background or scene setting by
slowing down and dramatizing the most important moments
and summarizing the less important ones.
o Unlike Catton, whose intent is more postmodern and cerebral,
Tolkien’s intent is to allow the reader to visit Middle Earth
and participate in its history. Thus, he skillfully varies the
pace, alternating thrilling or dramatic scenes with passages of
exposition or backstory, partly to give the reader a breather and
partly to prepare us for what comes next.Pacing Individual Scenes
z How a scene is paced depends partly on its function in the narrative as
a whole and partly on the author’s intent: Is it important or not? Is it
inherently dramatic or not?
z Scenes that introduce new characters to a narrative tend to be played
out at a slow pace, in real time. This is also true of scenes of domestic
life that are intended to show the characters at home, in a setting that is
familiar to them.