Of the preparation of the hero What was Frodo doing during the seventeen years it took Gandalf to identify the origin of the ring? The text gives us a very brief description of this period of maturation, but it is packed with important themes. For one, his life keeps unfolding,…
Auteur/autrice : OFD
Reading LOTR in times of War (5)
Of time and evil I entered the world of The Lord of the Rings through the movies that were made in the early 2000s. I watched them in a theater, in Paris, with a couple of friends who were already hooked because of the books. I rewatch them occasionally, mostly…
Reading LOTR in times of war (4)
Of the quiet before the storm There is an old story in Hollywood that goes something like this: what is the difference between a European movie and an American movie? In the European movie, the story starts with a beautiful view of a plane, flying against an incredible sunset. The…
Reading LOTR in times of War (3)
Of heroes and wars The first chapter of The Lord of the Rings starts piano piano. Like many epics, it starts by telling us about the genealogy of the hero. Who is the main character, and where does he come from? Anyone who knows a little bit about the story…
Reading LOTR in times of War (2)
Of classics Is The Lord of the Rings a classic? Many heated discussions have taken place on social networks on this topic in recent years. Some say Tolkien is the equal to Dante, if not superior, when others say that only a fool would think such a thing. Some say…
Reading Lord of the Rings in times of War #1
Of beginnings After October 7, for months, I couldn’t read anything. My brain was frozen. I couldn’t pick up a book, read more than two sentences, and find meaning in them. You may think: so what? After all, many people go through years without reading much, and still enjoy a…
Huizong, Empereur calligraphe (2/2)
(Suite de la première partie, qui évoque la vie de Huizong). Huizong n’était pas destiné à régner. En tant que prince de sang de la dynastie Song, deux carrières s’offraient à lui. La première, la plus courante, était une vie de patachon, faite de loisirs, de promiscuité, de force alcool…
Huizong, Empereur calligraphe (1/2)
Première partie : vie de l’empereur Huizong La période des Song est l’un des sommets de l’histoire chinoise. Le pays est alors prospère, fortement peuplé et son développement, aussi bien culturel que technique, va avoir une influence sur le reste de l’Asie et du monde. La période Song est divisée…
Le D de cauchemar
Il y a des mots dont l’orthographe a l’art de susciter des passions enflammées. Un exemple parmi d’autres : cauchemar, dont l’absence de D donne des sueurs froides à certains. Il fait partie de ces irrégularités de la langue française dont tout en nous crie le contraire de ce que nous…
Croissez et multipliez (édition 2023)
Helen De Cruz, philosophe et titulaire de la chaire d’humanités à l’université Saint Louis du Missouri, a tweeté récemment la réflexion suivante : « I think it’s fairly uncontroversial to say that, across times and cultures, people have considered having kids to be part of the good life. Not to fulfill…