From: Ryan
I thought you’d be interested in this finding. The magazine Parabola: Myth, Tradition, and the Search for Meaning has an article on Hobbits in its Fall 2001 (Volume 26, No. 3) issue. The issue’s theme is “The Fool: Isn’t it foolish to ponder our own foolishness?”
The article, by Shanti Fader, is titled “A Fool’s Hope,” and compares the “fools” of Tolkien’s works–the Hobbits–to his “classical” heroes like Aragorn. The subtitle reads “Hobbits rush in where heroes fear to tread.”
Accompanying the article are several nice B&W photos from our favorite upcoming film: Aragorn, the four hobbits (probably on Weathertop), and Bilbo at his birthday party. The quote beneath the four hobbits reads “A fool’s strength lies in the very qualities that separate him from the conventional image of the heroic: humility (humus–earth) and the willingness to support others rather than seeking power or glory directly.”
