Blind spots

[kitanzi]

Wow... I guess I'm a bit of a snob and I just never thought about it - certainly not what I usually think of myself as. I was just talking to a co-worker about last night's Academy Awards, and the fact that RotK tied Titanic for number of nominations. She commented that everyone knew how Titanic ended, and I replied that everyone really knew how the Lord of the Rings trilogy turned out, too.

She turned around and said, "So does he really destroy that ring, or what? No, never mind, I didn't see it yet, don't spoil me."

I was surprised at the completeness of my surprise. I guess it's just a blind spot.

Comments

[figmo.livejournal.com]

I've been told by friends in their 20s and 30s it was commonplace to require students to read LotR in school. If so, this would explain your co-worker a lot more, as well as why some folks think "of course you know the story" while others go "what book is that?"

[kitanzi.livejournal.com]

I wonder if it's also regional? I'm in my 30s, she's in her 20s, I never was assigned it in school and she obviously never was either. It's at least possible that was a regional thing. It's an interesting point, thanks.

[filkerdave.livejournal.com]

Hrm. I was certainly never required to read it.

On the other hand, Paul, who's 12, read it 2 years ago.

[kitanzi.livejournal.com]

Right when the buzz on the movies was picking up force. I wonder if it had been assigned reading before then. (You are implying that he was assigned it, not just reading it on his own?)

[filkerdave.livejournal.com]

Urmm..possibly 3 years ago, then. He read it well before that, because he was done long before the first movie opened. (And just after he finished reading The Hobbit, which is why he read it).

It definitely wasn't assigned in school!