J'en pense que j'ai trouvé un article plutôt intéressant. Attention, c'est en anglais...
archives.seattletimes.nws...+the+rings Frodo stands tall in long line of orphan heroes By John Mark Eberhart Frodo Baggins, "son of Drogo." That description of the chief hobbit in J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" is used repeatedly in the trilogy, and yet we never see Frodo's father (or mother). Instead, Frodo is the adopted heir of Bilbo Baggins, a kinsman Tolkien sometimes refers to as Frodo's cousin and other times as his uncle. Whatever the exact blood tie between Bilbo and Frodo, it's clear that Tolkien wanted to present Frodo Baggins as an example of the orphan archetype that has become a staple of fiction, especially fantasy fiction. Despite his adopted status, Frodo becomes a hero. It is his lot to bear the great Ring of Power — to keep it from the evil Sauron, scourge of Tolkien's magical Middle-earth, and ultimately to try to destroy the dangerous talisman in the fire of a volcano. The orphan-as-hero motif is an appealing notion. Examples include Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist, the English myth of King Arthur, Dorothy Gale from "The Wizard of Oz," Harry Potter from the books by J.K. Rowling, cartoon characters such as Cinderella, a whole slew of comic-book action heroes from Superman to Batman to Spider-Man, and Luke Skywalker from the "Star Wars" movies, at least until the awful Darth Vader is revealed as his daddy. But why does this notion move us so effectively? "There is something basically appealing to the concept of orphans," said James Gunn, who teaches speculative fiction at the University of Kansas. "These are people who start from difficult beginnings, so you're naturally sympathetic to them from the start. You hope they make it through their circumstances, like Dickens' Oliver Twist." Dickens, in fact, was a key figure in helping popularize the orphan-rising theme, which is not at all necessarily an American tradition. "He was fascinated with orphans, from his own experience and the fact that in the middle of the 19th century, orphans became a much more common phenomenon, due to the rise of industrialization and the growing abandonment of children by uprooted people." Michelle Boisseau, who teaches English at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, said readers identify easily with orphans. "In our weakest moments, we all imagine ourselves to be orphans, to be alone, to be special but unacknowledged, and that's why we delight in these stories," Boisseau said. Another appeal of orphans: They, like us, can't always control how rich or powerful they are. "But you can have control over how kind you are," Boisseau said, and orphans often are depicted as the kindest or the most clever of characters. Gunn said we simply love "the romantic notion, particularly in fantasy fiction, that suggests humble circumstances can be overcome." Realism in fiction does have its place. Modern authors such as Anne Tyler and John Updike are revered for their ability to write stories about normal, middle-class people dealing with the ennui of daily existences. But Gunn said those characters don't always find happiness; many simply settle for acceptance. And sometimes that sort of thing simply isn't as much fun to read. "The romantic reaction takes somebody and removes him from his antecedents, casts him adrift, and if he has merit, he will rise of his own accord." Young Arthur must prove he's kingly. Harry Potter, whose parents have been struck down, must fight evil on his own. Dorothy has no mother or father to rescue her from being lost in Oz; she makes her own way, with the help of some fantastic friends, down that Yellow Brick Road and back to Kansas. Frodo loves his kinsman Bilbo, but Frodo's disconnection from stronger family ties makes it easier for him to go off on his dangerous quest to destroy the Ring, Gunn said. "Part of the appeal of 'The Lord of the Rings' is that here is this creature with no real natural abilities, an ordinary hobbit if you will, who nevertheless has the ability to reshape the world, to save us from evil," Gunn said. "It's a very appealing myth." "The group, the family is so important to anyone's survival that the situation of the orphan is truly the worst," Boisseau said. "You're a child, powerless, with no protectors or guides. It's the most vulnerable position you can be in. To see someone overcome those odds tells us something about the human spirit."
Dagor Aglareb, qui corrige ses fotes d'ortografes.... 