# The Father of Ents



## reem (May 8, 2003)

my dear fellow Tolkien-lovers, allow me to present to you an amazing discovery concerning the origins of Ents! 
here is a piece taken from a Charles Dickens book, "Little Dorrit". the speaker is Mr. Dorrit:

"I-ha- I most devoutly hope so, Amy. I sent for you in order that i might say-hum-impresssively say, in the presence of Mrs. General, to whom we are all so much indebted for obligingly being present among us on-ha-on this or any other occasion that i-ha, hum-am not pleased with you. You make Mrs. General's a thankless task. You-ha- embarass me very much. I beg- i ha- i do beg that you accomodate yourself better to-hum- cricumstances, and dutifully do what becomes your-your station."

amazing isn't it!! except, the only difference is that Ents are more comprehensible and less irksome! dear lord! imagine merry and pippin having to stay a few days with old Mr. Dorrit!! i would surely have gone mad before the first hour of conversation had ended!!
It seems that our dear old Tolkien had a thing for Dickens and his work...especially of "Little Dorrit"!!
 
reem


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## Zale (May 8, 2003)

I doubt that anyone actually enjoys Dickens' work; I didn't, and that was the abridged version...


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## FoolOfATook (May 8, 2003)

> I doubt that anyone actually enjoys Dickens' work;



You'd be wrong. I love reading works by the inimitable Dickens.


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## Sarah (May 8, 2003)

I've read both A Tale of Two Cities and Oliver Twist, and I enjoyed both.


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## Ithrynluin (May 8, 2003)

> _Originally posted by Zale _
> *I doubt that anyone actually enjoys Dickens' work; I didn't, and that was the abridged version... *



Most of the people I know dislike Dickens cordially...I am no exception.

Oliver Twist...oh my, I have one word to describe it - tedious, tedious, tedious...


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## Zale (May 10, 2003)

I found it very easy to dislike Dickens: he was long-winded in the extreme and incredibly boring. Still, each to his own...


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## Sarah (May 10, 2003)

I just have one thing to say to that:


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## reem (May 11, 2003)

indeed to each his own. but you can hardly say that Dickens is boring. i've found that Dicken's discriptions are much less tedious than those of Tolkien. Tolkien waists words on describing the landscape in the most mind-boggling manner. it honestly makes my mind go numb. but Dickens, on the other, describes with a most comic style, you can't help but smile and nod at his choice of words. but i nca't really say that i've had much experience of his work. Little Dorrit is the first book i've ever read for Dickens. and so far i like it just fine. ....actually...you'd have to like it if you were going to read 800 and something pages of it!! i've watched most of his other works, and so i wouldn't know if they sucked or not, but i highly doubt it. 
yet again, you are right in saying 'to wach his own'.
however, i would like to share a revalation with you all. i have found that no book is unreadable. but each book has it's own time. that is, you can't rush a book. six years ago i opened the Hobbit and i couldn't get past the first six lines. i found it disgustingly boring and rediculous. now i can't put the book down and it's one of my favourite stories. Jaws was another book that i tried over and over again to read and couldn't. but a few years later i opened the book and stayed till 6 A.M. the next day reading it. 
so, my good Zale, you will be surpirsed to find that maybe a few munites, days, weeks, years or decades (if you live that long, and may you have a happy and prosperous long life) later, you will be one of Dickens' most ardent and faithful fans!!
don't snicker at the thought. because i never thought i would ever even breath near a classic book, let alone read it.
reem


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## FoolOfATook (May 11, 2003)

Well said, reem. It's worth noting that during his lifetme, Dickens recieved the same type of criticisms that you see here, but now he's generally recognized as being among England's greatest novelists, which puts him high on the list of contenders for the greatest novelist ever. (Although for my money it is probably a Russian who earns that title- Tolstoy or Dostoevsky, take your pick)


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## Zale (May 11, 2003)

What I actually meant to say was that the Dickens I have read ("A Tale Of Two Cities", abridged version, when I was 10 or 11, and "A Christmas Carol" in French, which makes for fairly boring writing to begin with) I found completely devoid of anything interest.
I did - and will - not discount the possibility that I may enjoy his work in the future.

But not as much as Tolkien.


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## FoolOfATook (May 11, 2003)

An abrdigment and a translation- so you've never actually read Dickens. That explains a lot.


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## reem (May 15, 2003)

hehehe FoolOfATook has a point there, Zale you haven't been exposed to Dickens style yet. you should read the real thing. but if you're not really into classics right now you can put it off to a later time. trust me it's worth it. and may i recomend the only Dickens book that i actually read (am reading)? Little Dorrit rally is nice....somewhat depressing at the beggining, but nice nevertheless. i think all his works have a depressing side to them, but they are still very enjoyable. i think it's mostly because Dickens had a pretty much sucky life. but still, his works are MUCH brighter than Hardy's 'Jude the Obscuse"!! now THAT is what i call a depressing book with a very sad and annoying ending. you close it cursing the stupid selfish twity heroin and i hope she has a miserable life too!...see what i mean?
reem


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