Smith of Wootton Major & Farmer Giles of Ham - Farmer Giles of Ham

J. R. R. Tolkien

Del Rey Mass Market Paperback

1986

156 páginas

5h 12m

ISBN-1: 0

Two bewitching fantasies by J.R.R. Tolkien, beloved author of THE HOBBIT. In SMITH OF WOOTTON MAJOR, Tolkien explores the gift of fantasy, and what it means to the life and character of the man who receives it. And FARMER GILES OF HAM tells a delightfully ribald mock-heroic tale, where a dragon who invades a town refuses to fight, and a farmer is chosen to slay him. |...| Two short stories/novellas by the master of fantasy fiction.

"Farmer Giles of Ham" is a very amusing story of a farmer in an ancient and fantastic England who surprisingly succeeds in stopping a dragon from destroying his homeland. A little bit of a parody of fantasy and myth with an unlikely (and sometimes hilarious) hero.

"Smith of Wootton Major" is my favorite of the two and indeed probably my favorite short story of any kind. It has the flavor of a story passed down through the ages from some Middle Earth-like realm while having some of the detailed imagery and cohesive plot of a modern story. I read somewhere (probably in the preface!) that this is a fantasy about fantasy or the power of fantasy. I think that's as a good a one-line summary as any, but it is also about gifts given and received, and vistas found through long journeys. Smith is a citizen of a small, insular country who is given a desire to explore unknown lands. He returns home after each journey to live his "mundane" life: he has a family and a job assisting a master cook. His experiences seem to inoculate him to a thirst for status or power or wealth, even while his boss takes advantage of him.

"Smith" is not an allegory, but its story is maybe analogous to how faith and/or knowledge and/or imagination raise up the spirit and not only enrich the receiver but those around them.
Highly recommended. [Reviews at goodreads.com]