Bored of the Rings - A Parody of JRR Tolkiens Lord of the Rings

Publisher: Signet Year: 1969 ISBN: None Condition: Good Sold by: Crappy Old Books One Ring to Rule Them All, Several Idiots to Lose It, and an Entire Fantasy Epic Reduced to Complete Nonsense There are few achievements in twentieth-century literature quite as impressive as J.R.R. Tolkien?s The Lord of the Rings . An immense work of imaginative fiction, it created an elaborate mythology complete with ancient languages, heroic genealogies, forgotten kingdoms, noble warriors and approximately seventeen thousand opportunities for somebody to break into song. Naturally, somebody had to make fun of it. Enter The Harvard Lampoon , America?s celebrated institution of undergraduate literary mischief, whose contributors apparently decided that Tolkien?s monumental fantasy epic contained far too much dignity, heroism and solemn discussion of destiny. The result was Bored of the Rings , first published in 1969, a gloriously irreverent parody that takes Middle-earth, shakes it vigorously, removes whatever dignity survives and replaces its inhabitants with a collection of incompetent adventurers, dubious personalities and individuals whose principal qualification for saving civilisation appears to be that nobody else was available. It is Tolkien as interpreted by people who have consumed too much coffee, developed an unhealthy suspicion of literary seriousness and concluded that the fate of the world should probably be entrusted to someone called Frito. Welcome to Lower Middle Earth, Where Standards Have Slipped Considerably Forget Frodo Baggins, the brave little hobbit entrusted with an almost impossible mission. Meet Frito Bugger, whose adventures are considerably less noble and whose personal qualities leave much to be desired. Forget Gandalf, the wise and mysterious wizard whose knowledge guides the Fellowship through mortal danger. Meet Goodgulf, a wizard whose relationship with wisdom is rather more casual. Then there is Spam, a considerably less inspiring version of Samwise Gamgee, alongside a supporting cast of characters whose names alone demonstrate that the authors approached Tolkien?s mythology with absolutely no intention of behaving themselves. The noble figures of Middle-earth are transformed into ridiculous caricatures. The heroic struggle between good and evil becomes a procession of comic misunderstandings, absurd encounters and spectacularly undignified behaviour. Even the grand geographical landscape receives an unfortunate makeover. The result is Lower Middle Earth, a place where the ancient traditions of epic fantasy collide with American popular culture, undergraduate humour and the occasional joke that would probably have been considered dreadful even in 1969. Fortunately, dreadful jokes are rather the point. The Fellowship of the Ring Becomes a Gathering of Questionable Characters Tolkien?s original novel concerns friendship, courage, sacrifice and the struggle against overwhelming evil. Bored of the Rings concerns many of the same things, although generally by accident. The heroic quest remains recognisable, but its participants possess little of the grandeur associated with their literary originals. Characters bicker, misunderstand situations, behave selfishly and demonstrate an impressive ability to transform momentous events into opportunities for personal embarrassment. The authors follow the broad structure of Tolkien?s epic while relentlessly puncturing its solemnity. Magnificent descriptions become ridiculous exaggerations. Noble declarations are undermined by absurd dialogue. Ancient traditions are converted into jokes, while characters expected to embody courage and wisdom frequently display qualities more commonly associated with incompetent local government officials. It is a thoroughly disrespectful enterprise. And that is precisely why it works. Anyone familiar with Tolkien will recognise the source material, making the parody particularly entertaining for readers who have struggled through the origina.…