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The Lord of the Rings
Prelude. The Hobbit
Review of J.R.R. Tolkien's Novel
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| Bilbo Baggins is a Hobbit, and Hobbits
are people who greatly value comfort, quietness and food. One day though, his peaceful existence is unexpectedly
and brutally disturbed by a terrible unrespectable thing, that is an adventure. Chosen by the malicious wizard
Gandalf to help an expedition of Dwarves to reclaim their lost heritage from an evil powerful dragon. As the designated
burglar at the Dwarves's service, Bilbo must go out of his beloved cosy little home and into the Wild. There, he must face many cruel creatures and tricky situations. On his
path are laid many horrors but also wonders which will change him forever... if he can adapt and survive this perilous
quest. For not only do great dangers await him and his companions on the terrible journey to the Lonely Mountain,
but then even if they manage to overcome them, at the end, the most terrifying dragon awaits them there. |
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| The Hobbit is a wonderful introduction
to Tolkien's world. I would strongly advise any new-comers to Middle-Earth to start first with it as it is
highly entertaining, delightful and easy reading. Fairly short, very accessible, thoroughly enjoyable, the story
is written in a much lighter tone (often overtly comical even), than the actual trilogy, and is much less intricate. The style of the language
is much less literary and poetic, though the play on words and narrative techniques demonstrate a great
linguistic skill. Actually, the tone is quite familiar and the narrator frequently addresses
the readers and anticipate their reactions and questions, while at the same time pretending to be retelling events
that have been revealed to him and not that he made up himself. For instance, about certain characters,
he claims that he has "never heard" what happened to them. Narrative disruptions, often as witty humorous
comments in brackets, are numerous and contribute to the general colloquial mood.
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| This novel shows the great scope of
Tolkien's talent: his story-telling can be light-hearted or much darker and serious, his prose quite accessible
or fairly complex, his style plain or richly poetic. It is often said that The Hobbit was primarily
addressed to children and The Lord of the Rings to adults, which could explain the shift in style. Maybe also
the explanation is to be found simply in the author's own maturity between the prelude and the novel itself as
well as the tragic historical events he was confronted to. However, it would be a shame not to read it and it is
regrettable that it is often separated from the novel itself as it is indeed a part of it. The novel, and by
extension all of Tolkien's work on Middle-Earth originated from this little tale. From this simple first line, "In
a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit", which he claims he suddenly thought of with no particular reason, a
whole universe began to unravel in his mind.
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