Welcome to a new series here on Close Reads! We’re talking Tolkien, we’re talking Hobbits, we’re talking rings and dwarves and wizards, and (this week anyway) we’re talking first lines. So join us as we dig into what makes The Hobbit both so fun and so brilliant, what is has to say about heroism, whether our riddle game is strong, and much more. Plus, at the end, we discuss the annual Close Reads literary bracket, which is on great opening lines in literature. Happy listening!
The line that struck me this reading The Hobbit this time was "Suddenly his hand met with what felt like a tiny ring of cold metal lying on the floor of the tunnel. It was a turning point in his career, but he did not know it." I had forgotten / ignored the positive aspects to the ring (improving Bilbo's ability as a burglar) instaed thinking of it as, if not purely evil, as a deadly sin (e.g., pride). Like the discussion around the book not having any heroes, this aspect is a balance of bad and good. Some say that when a good is overdone / overly depended upon it becomes sin. To me, Tolkien is reflecting upon the implications of that concept.
Comment to think about with the narration/narrator-the in world conceit of The Hobbit (along with rest of the LOTR) is that Tolkien is translating works/memoirs written by hobbits for our reading pleasure. The narrator of The Hobbit (in world) is, in fact, Bilbo-with anachronisms/references to our world (ex comparing a sound to a freight train) editorial choices by Tolkien the translator to make things understandable to readers. In world, Frodo wrote most of the LOTR (though Bilbo discusses having written preliminary notes/drafts of their journey to Rivendell, which can account for the tonal shift in The Fellowship from a more Hobbit style of narration/storytelling in the opening chapters to the more lofty shift in the rest of the series) and Bilbo wrote “The Hobbit.” It’s really enjoyable to read “The Hobbit” from this in world perspective-as Bilbo writing his own memoirs and telling his own story, possibly directed towards young hobbits like Frodo, Merry, Pippin, and Sam (given it is generally with the young folks that Bilbo was popular-older hobbits thought he was cracked). It’s also very important plot/theme wise to keep this conceit in mind-because when Tolkien (as discussed) had to go back and bring The Hobbit more in line with TLOTR and the wider mythology, he had to SERIOUSLY rewrite Riddles in the Dark, and he decided to come up with (yet another) in universe explanation for this rewrite-Bilbo altered the truth of what happened in order to make his “claim” to the Ring more powerful/secure-showing the Rings nefarious nature/influence from the get go. This also raises a bit of an “unreliable narrator” question as we read the text which is interesting to contemplate.
So glad for the discussion of tone, since that stood out to me a lot this time around. Maybe because we did LOTR for a year back in 2020-2021, but it felt so different to read The Hobbit (it’s probably been more than 10 years since my last read).
Question/comment - the elves seemed sooo different than the LOTR elves, across the board. The silly songs and lalala I just couldn’t reconcile with Elrond, Rivendell, and how serious the elves are in the trilogy. Since they’re immortal, it seems weird for them to change so much in only 100 years or whatever the gap in Bilbo and Frodo starting their respective journeys. Anyone else find that difference almost jarring?
If we keep the story of Ishmael in our mind, and we remember he lot as outlined in Genises 16:12 "His hand will be against everyone, and everyone's hand against him, and he will love in hostility towards all his brothers", the layers of meaning are many.
He is an outcast and not the chosen son. He is to live a hard fought life and poor luck will follow him. I think it's a powerful start.
Also, the remainder of the first paragraph contains some of my favorite lines in all of literature.
I love the way Dr. Corey Olsen (The Tolkien Professor) describes The Hobbit as a book that matures along with the reader. I think that’s spot on, and why it should be considered a juvenile novel. The best books for young readers (and older ones, too!) expand their worlds and help them develop a more robust perspective on inescapable realities.
Wow! The predictions for the March Madness are here on this episode. Wow! And I love the cries of outrage too! Amen.
The line that struck me this reading The Hobbit this time was "Suddenly his hand met with what felt like a tiny ring of cold metal lying on the floor of the tunnel. It was a turning point in his career, but he did not know it." I had forgotten / ignored the positive aspects to the ring (improving Bilbo's ability as a burglar) instaed thinking of it as, if not purely evil, as a deadly sin (e.g., pride). Like the discussion around the book not having any heroes, this aspect is a balance of bad and good. Some say that when a good is overdone / overly depended upon it becomes sin. To me, Tolkien is reflecting upon the implications of that concept.
Comment to think about with the narration/narrator-the in world conceit of The Hobbit (along with rest of the LOTR) is that Tolkien is translating works/memoirs written by hobbits for our reading pleasure. The narrator of The Hobbit (in world) is, in fact, Bilbo-with anachronisms/references to our world (ex comparing a sound to a freight train) editorial choices by Tolkien the translator to make things understandable to readers. In world, Frodo wrote most of the LOTR (though Bilbo discusses having written preliminary notes/drafts of their journey to Rivendell, which can account for the tonal shift in The Fellowship from a more Hobbit style of narration/storytelling in the opening chapters to the more lofty shift in the rest of the series) and Bilbo wrote “The Hobbit.” It’s really enjoyable to read “The Hobbit” from this in world perspective-as Bilbo writing his own memoirs and telling his own story, possibly directed towards young hobbits like Frodo, Merry, Pippin, and Sam (given it is generally with the young folks that Bilbo was popular-older hobbits thought he was cracked). It’s also very important plot/theme wise to keep this conceit in mind-because when Tolkien (as discussed) had to go back and bring The Hobbit more in line with TLOTR and the wider mythology, he had to SERIOUSLY rewrite Riddles in the Dark, and he decided to come up with (yet another) in universe explanation for this rewrite-Bilbo altered the truth of what happened in order to make his “claim” to the Ring more powerful/secure-showing the Rings nefarious nature/influence from the get go. This also raises a bit of an “unreliable narrator” question as we read the text which is interesting to contemplate.
So glad for the discussion of tone, since that stood out to me a lot this time around. Maybe because we did LOTR for a year back in 2020-2021, but it felt so different to read The Hobbit (it’s probably been more than 10 years since my last read).
Question/comment - the elves seemed sooo different than the LOTR elves, across the board. The silly songs and lalala I just couldn’t reconcile with Elrond, Rivendell, and how serious the elves are in the trilogy. Since they’re immortal, it seems weird for them to change so much in only 100 years or whatever the gap in Bilbo and Frodo starting their respective journeys. Anyone else find that difference almost jarring?
I disagree with Sean's opinion on Moby Dick.
If we keep the story of Ishmael in our mind, and we remember he lot as outlined in Genises 16:12 "His hand will be against everyone, and everyone's hand against him, and he will love in hostility towards all his brothers", the layers of meaning are many.
He is an outcast and not the chosen son. He is to live a hard fought life and poor luck will follow him. I think it's a powerful start.
Also, the remainder of the first paragraph contains some of my favorite lines in all of literature.
I love the way Dr. Corey Olsen (The Tolkien Professor) describes The Hobbit as a book that matures along with the reader. I think that’s spot on, and why it should be considered a juvenile novel. The best books for young readers (and older ones, too!) expand their worlds and help them develop a more robust perspective on inescapable realities.
Meant to include the link!
https://stpaulcenter.com/emmaus-academy/tolkien/?mc_cid=6024d02a32
Excellent timing to fall on Tolkien Reading Day 😊