Les portes de la Terre du Milieu : La notion du seuil dans l'univers de Tolkien
The doors of Middle-Earth: the notion of threshold in the universe of Tolkien

Author(s): Mounir Hammouda, Fatma Zohra GHANEM
Subject(s): Cultural Essay, Philology, Theory of Literature, British Literature
Published by: Editura Junimea
Keywords: Threshold; doors; Tolkien; symbolic; mythocritic; actantial;
Summary/Abstract: The door evokes the idea of closure and blocking, opening and passage, crossing the threshold. In Tolkien’s writing, it forms a textual element which seems to be part only of the scenery but which is in reality what allows the hero to enter “a fundamental space” and to accomplish his mission. Therefore, this present work questions the symbolism and the role of the door in two major works of Tolkien's universe, namely The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. What does a door symbolize and how can it influence the one who passes through it? What role does it play in the story? Is it an adjuvant or does it oppose the hero's plan? So many questions can be asked about this form of threshold, which is very present in these two novels, because their stories begin and end with the crossing of a door, and to answer to these questions, we will adopt a demarche based on a triad of approaches, namely the symbolic, the mythocritical, and the actancial.

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