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Figwit
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Post Book Club Info Spot v 2.1
on: October 05, 2006 08:52
~*How do I join the Book Club?*~
Just like before, you don't really have to join: there's no list you have to enrol on, no form you have to fill in... Just pick up your copy and read! If you want to start later than the assigned start date for any book, because you have a project, homework, or you don't have a copy of the book yet, that's okay too. Just read it chapter per chapter, and then bring the chapter thread back on top by posting in it and joining in the discussion. Discussions of books we've already discussed are stroed in the archive and it is perfectly alright to ad coments to those discussions also, but it may be a while before a new post in the archives is noticed and gets a response.

~*How does the Book Club work?*~
We're reading the book as a group, and chapter by chapter. Between each new chapter we'll discuss, we'll have two weeks time to try and understand it completely. Every fortnight, a new chapter will be up for discussion.
This doesn't mean that once we've moved to a new chapter, the previous chapters will be ignored! You can discuss a question or a quote as long as you like, or - when you start reading a little later - bring older chapters back on top.

The discussion itself will be held in three different threads per chapter:
- The Chapter Thread: this is the main thread for discussion, the basic level if you please. The purpose of this will be to understand the chapter itself (for instance: how does Gandalf sneakily convince Bilbo to join?) and its part in the rest of the story (how does Beorn fit into it?).
- PbHf's Quote from the Chapter: a classic! PotbellyHairyfoot will pick a quote from the chapter that we can discuss: because it's beautiful, because it's significant or because no one really understands what it means.
- The Master in Mythology Thread (if anyone has a better name ): this thread is meant for those who already know Tolkien's universe very well, and want to discuss the links to and differences with 'The Lord of the Rings', 'The Silmarillion' or even UT and HoME.

We will also occasionally add other topic threads for discussion, such as character analysis, as we come up with them.

We will also post illustrations accompanying each chapter.

You're free to post in any thread you like. You don't have to confine yourself to just one type of threads, nor post in every single thread there is , and feel free to add any questions you have or subjects that you would like to have discussed .


~*Are there any rules in the Book Club?*~
Just two:
- No spoilers! This means that you're not allowed to point ahead of things that happen in later chapters. If you feel you must refer to a chapter later in 'The Hobbit' or to other books of Tolkien's outside the 'Master' thread, please place a spoiler alert in bold letters, and always note when the spoiler is over and what the spoiler is for. (For instance: Spoiler for Unfinished Tales - End spoiler)
- Be politie! You'll find that not every reader is the same: some people just want to understand it, others want to exchange ideas and other still will come up with difficult theories. The point of the 'Master in Mythology' thread is precisely to provide the latter with a place to dig deep. If you find that someone doesn't have your level of understanding (yet), please be kind and explain what you mean in simpler terms. We're here to learn from eachother.
If I find that someone is imposing his or her opinion on others, or is acting impolite to people with less knowledge, I will kick you out! (That aside, I'm really nice and easy-going .)
- Only the moderators can post new topics. If you want to see a question added or you have suggestion for a quote, please pm me.


~*Can I contribute to the Book Club?*~
Well, by reading and posting of course! But you're also free to make suggestions for questions and illustrations, so Morwinyoniel can add them. A good question that is used by me or PotbellyHairyfoot, is worth one user point.


~*Tips on Reading*~
~ The point of the Book Club is to come to some sort of understanding of what the books are about. So when you start reading, don't stress! Take your time.
I'd advise you to read each chapter twice: first read it for your enjoyment, and the second time read it in more detail. Try to understand what is said. If English isn't your first language, you can always look up some words, or try to find a copy in your own language.
~ Find a good environment to read, where you're not distracted too often Some examples: the train, the library or your bed. Lunch break, the office or while babysitting are probably not the best places to read anything, and certainly not a book like The Silmarillion.
~ Take notes. Helps all the time! Personally, I have two copies of each Tolkien book I have: an expensive one for just reading, and a cheap one (mostly second hand) in which I can write and underline. If you can't find a cheap second version, you can always buy a small notebook.
It's just easy for writing down explications of words (especially when English isn't your first language), but also for keeping track of names, places and events.
~ Once you get further into the book, you can make a list with names that occur often, with a small reminder of who they are. (Like, for instance, those dreadful Dwarves.)
~ Most editions of 'The Hobbit' have a map in them. If you don't, you can always print one. To have your own copy can be useful to keep it clear geographically.

~*General Links*~
~ CoE's own Encyclopedia in Elrond's Library is one of the best on-line encyclopedia's around. If you want to find out more about a character, you can always look it up there, but the entries may hold some spoilers for the rest of the book!
~ The Middle-Earth Section of Elrond's Library has a lot of articles on various aspects of Tolkien's work.

If you know any other good resources useful for our reading of 'The Hobbit', please pm me!



If you have comments and suggestions, want to point out problems or give us new bright ideas for making this forum even better and... bigger - post here, or pm Pb, Morwin or me





[Edited on 2/7/2007 by PotbellyHairyfoot]

[Edited on 22/6/2009 by PotbellyHairyfoot]
PotbellyHairyfoot
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Post Re: Book Club Info Spot v 2.1
on: April 06, 2013 02:50
I really feel great about all this with some help from everyone reading the books, Feel free to add your own questions under mine or to add any insights you have as to Tolkien's style and methodology. I'm far from an expert. I'm just a fan who has taken to reading Tolkien's books in a major way. My major was Biology and I barely got by in any literature courses where i was enrolled.
PotbellyHairyfoot
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on: June 13, 2016 10:11
I leave on June 28 for a 2 week cruise/trek vacation to Denali Park Alaska, and will not have much internet access so I'm going to try and add enough quotes and questions to last until I get back.
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