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Regards

Richard

Dr. R.W. Holt
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-----Original Message-----
From: R.E.Holdsworth <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: 16 January 2002 16:13
Subject: PhD = Lord of the Rings


|Thought this might brighten your day - thanks to Colin Macpherson for
|passing it to me and sorry if you've seen it before !
|Bob H
|
|
|Lord of the Rings as an allegory for the Ph.D??
|>>
|>>>>The story starts with Frodo: a young hobbit, quite bright, a bit
|>>>>dissatisfied with what he's learnt so far and with his mates back
home
|>>>>who just seem to want to get jobs and settle down and drink beer.
|>>>>He's also very much in awe of his tutor and mentor, the very
senior
|>>>>professor Gandalf, so when Gandalf suggests he take on a short
project
|>>>>for him (carrying the Ring to Rivendell), he agrees.  Frodo very
quickly
|>>>>encounters the shadowy forces of fear and despair which will
haunt the
|>>>>rest of his journey and leave permanent scars on his psyche, but
he also
|>>>>makes some useful friends. In particular, he spends an evening
down at the
|>>>>pub with Aragorn, who has been wandering the world for many years
as
|>>>>Gandalf's postdoc and becomes his adviser when Gandalf isn't
around.
|>>>>
|>>>>After Frodo has completed his first project, Gandalf (along with
head
|>>>>of department Elrond) proposes that the work should be extended.
He
|>>>>assembles a large research group, including visiting students
Gimli and
|>>>>Legolas, the foreign postdoc Boromir,and several of Frodo's own
friends
|>>>>from his undergraduate days. Frodo agrees to tackle this larger
project,
|>>>>though he has mixed feelings about it. ("'I will take the Ring',
he said,
|>>>>'although I do not know why.'")
|>>>>
|>>>>Very rapidly, things go wrong. First, Gandalf disappears and has
no
|>>>>more interaction with Frodo until everything is over. (Frodo
assumes his
|>>>>supervisor is dead: in fact, he's simply found a more interesting
topic
|>>>>and is working on that instead.) At his first international
conference in
|>>>>Lorien, Frodo is cross-examined terrifyingly by Galadriel, and
betrayed
|>>>>by Boromir, who is anxious to get the credit for the work
himself. Frodo
|>>>>cuts himself off from the rest of his team: from now on, he will
only
|>>>>discuss his work with Sam, an old friend who doesn't really
understand
|>>>>what it's all about, but in any case is prepared to give Frodo
credit
|>>>>for being rather cleverer than he is. Then he sets out towards
Mordor.
|>>>>
|>>>>The last and darkest period of Frodo's journey clearly represents
the
|>>>>writing-up stage, as he struggles towards Mount Doom
(submission),
|>>>>finding his burden growing heavier and heavier yet more and more
a part
|>>>>of himself; more and more terrified of failure; plagued by the
figure
|>>>>of Gollum, the student who carried the Ring before him but never
wrote
|>>>>up and still hangs around as a burnt-out, jealous shadow; talking
less
|>>>>and less even to Sam. When he submits the Ring to the fire, it is
in
|>>>>desperate confusion rather than with confidence, and for a while
the
|>>>>world seems empty.
|>>>>
|>>>>Eventually it is over: the Ring is gone, everyone congratulates
him, and
|>>>>for a few days he can convince himself that his troubles are
over. But
|>>>>there is one more obstacle to overcome: months later, back in the
Shire,
|>>>>he must confront the external examiner Saruman, an old enemy of
Gandalf,
|>>>>who seeks to humiliate and destroy his rival's protege. With the
help
|>>>>of his friends and colleagues, Frodo passes through this ordeal,
but
|>>>>discovers at the end that victory has no value left for him.
While his
|>>>>friends return to settling down and finding jobs and starting
families,
|>>>>Frodo remains in limbo; finally, along with Gandalf, Elrond and
many
|>>>>others, he joins the brain drain across the Western ocean to the
new
|>>  >>land beyond.
|>>
|>
|>
|>--
|--
|Dr Bob Holdsworth,
|Reactivation Research Group,
|Dept of Geological Sciences,
|University of Durham,
|Durham DH1 3LE,
|UK
|Tel +44(0)1913742529
|Fax+44(0)1913742510
|e-mail: [log in to unmask]
|Web: http://www.dur.ac.uk/~dgl0www1/rrg.htm
|