Bilbo, Thorin, and co. are well on their way, but are they actually good at their jobs? We discuss. Plus: Beowulf, The Hobbit and the question of heroism. Happy listening! Close Reads is community-supported publication. To ensure that we can keep making the content you value, please consider becoming a subscriber.
My girls have listened to The Hobbit once. Louise Éowyn Navonne (age 7), when asked what she liked about it, said she liked the killing of the dragon, although she also felt sad for the dragon. She also liked their traveling.
This is verbatim for you all. :) 12 year old says: the character development of Bilbo and how the characters have to use their own knowledge to solve the problems, rather than just magic. 9 year old says: the fantasy world, the funny dwarves, and all the battles. 7 year old says: when they all are really stupid and keep getting kidnapped.4 year old says: when the hobbit falls into the hole and finds the rabbit (i.e. Gollum) and steals the ring.
My 15-yr old says she likes the world Tolkien created, and that the story is so deep and yet accessible to everyone. She also said it's very playful, and it challenges your imagination. My 6 yr-old likes the adventures and the battles. My 9-yr old says that it is fun and she likes that it is long, so it takes awhile to listen to.
When asked why they love The Hobbit, my 15 year old boys said that “it’s a good story,” “it has depth,” and “it has a way of making you feel like you’re a part of the story.”
I asked my college age daughter if she could recall what her favorite part of The Hobbit was when she was little. She answered that the part with Gollum and the riddles was crystal clear on her head. I said it was probably because that’s my mom’s least favorite part after watching the cartoon version with me in the 70’s. 😅
My knitting bag has Smaug on it and my day care kids (infants to 5 usually with the majority in the 2-3 year range) always want me to tell them about the dragon. Some really take to a quick explanation and want more, others say hmm ok and are done. My cousin’s son kept asking me so I started reading it with him at 4 years old but we didn’t get very far between babies needing tending and kindergarten interrupting us! I gave him the picture book biography of Tolkien for Christmas and hope he will get into it on his own one day!
My kids all love the Hobbit, we read it last year and we are now listening to Andy Serkis's narration, which we all are truly enjoying. I love hearing them say, "Play the Hobbit, play the Hobbit!" I asked them what they enjoyed most about the Hobbit and my 9 year old son quickly answered, "It's the adventure!" ❤ My 5 year old twins quickly parroted their older brother's answer and one added, "The SPIDERS! And the DRAGON!"
We've listened to the Andy Serkis audiobooks a few different times. My seven year old daughter's favorite passage is where Bilbo teases the spiders. "Attercop! Attercop!" *cue cheerful dancing in circles and singing*
This has been a great re-read (honestly don’t remember my first so I was a little surprised at the outcome with Smaug) - so enjoyable. This might be the first book I’ve finished before the podcast schedule! I can’t wait til my oldest is ready for it.
Re: "Are all the characters bad at their jobs?" I see the quest in the Hobbit as similar to so many worthwhile tasks -- we, humans, struggle to discern what we are called to do and suffer from imposter syndrome while we are doing it. I cannot recall any worthwhile story where the characters are good at their jobs. No one is in The Warden. The man is good at the physical aspects but not the moral aspects in The Road. I think "Competent workers are all alike; everyone bad at their job is bad in their own way."
Further to Sean's comment about the theme of decay and the inability of the language of Bilbo's time to adequately describe his experience upon seeing the treasure, see this post by John Halbrooks about deep time: https://johnhalbrooks.substack.com/p/tolkienian-deep-time-elves-and-lothlorien.
We read Beowulf earlier this year in Personal Canon Formation; here is John Halbrooks's post on "The Dragon, the Treasure, and Radical Empathy," in which he discusses the Tolkien essay mentioned by Sean: https://johnhalbrooks.substack.com/p/the-dragon-the-treasure-the-radical.
My girls have listened to The Hobbit once. Louise Éowyn Navonne (age 7), when asked what she liked about it, said she liked the killing of the dragon, although she also felt sad for the dragon. She also liked their traveling.
Kai (12)- I love the adventure, and I love the characters.
Josie (10)-I like how he has a ring. It’s like a secret power he has, but it’s not a super power.
Mariah (10) -I like Gollums voice
Noah (9)-I like the characters. Bilbo is my favorite. I like that he is kinda brave.
Renna (7)-I like everything, because it’s like cool to think of all the parts.
This is verbatim for you all. :) 12 year old says: the character development of Bilbo and how the characters have to use their own knowledge to solve the problems, rather than just magic. 9 year old says: the fantasy world, the funny dwarves, and all the battles. 7 year old says: when they all are really stupid and keep getting kidnapped.4 year old says: when the hobbit falls into the hole and finds the rabbit (i.e. Gollum) and steals the ring.
My 15-yr old says she likes the world Tolkien created, and that the story is so deep and yet accessible to everyone. She also said it's very playful, and it challenges your imagination. My 6 yr-old likes the adventures and the battles. My 9-yr old says that it is fun and she likes that it is long, so it takes awhile to listen to.
When asked why they love The Hobbit, my 15 year old boys said that “it’s a good story,” “it has depth,” and “it has a way of making you feel like you’re a part of the story.”
I asked my college age daughter if she could recall what her favorite part of The Hobbit was when she was little. She answered that the part with Gollum and the riddles was crystal clear on her head. I said it was probably because that’s my mom’s least favorite part after watching the cartoon version with me in the 70’s. 😅
My knitting bag has Smaug on it and my day care kids (infants to 5 usually with the majority in the 2-3 year range) always want me to tell them about the dragon. Some really take to a quick explanation and want more, others say hmm ok and are done. My cousin’s son kept asking me so I started reading it with him at 4 years old but we didn’t get very far between babies needing tending and kindergarten interrupting us! I gave him the picture book biography of Tolkien for Christmas and hope he will get into it on his own one day!
So this might actually be in the next section, but I think Bard fits the traditional hero mold better than the dwarves or Bilbo.
Hey…did I miss you all taking about the Luck theme??? You promised!!! I noticed it on this read and was curious about it. ☺️
My kids all love the Hobbit, we read it last year and we are now listening to Andy Serkis's narration, which we all are truly enjoying. I love hearing them say, "Play the Hobbit, play the Hobbit!" I asked them what they enjoyed most about the Hobbit and my 9 year old son quickly answered, "It's the adventure!" ❤ My 5 year old twins quickly parroted their older brother's answer and one added, "The SPIDERS! And the DRAGON!"
We've listened to the Andy Serkis audiobooks a few different times. My seven year old daughter's favorite passage is where Bilbo teases the spiders. "Attercop! Attercop!" *cue cheerful dancing in circles and singing*
This has been a great re-read (honestly don’t remember my first so I was a little surprised at the outcome with Smaug) - so enjoyable. This might be the first book I’ve finished before the podcast schedule! I can’t wait til my oldest is ready for it.
Re: "Are all the characters bad at their jobs?" I see the quest in the Hobbit as similar to so many worthwhile tasks -- we, humans, struggle to discern what we are called to do and suffer from imposter syndrome while we are doing it. I cannot recall any worthwhile story where the characters are good at their jobs. No one is in The Warden. The man is good at the physical aspects but not the moral aspects in The Road. I think "Competent workers are all alike; everyone bad at their job is bad in their own way."
I feel I have to mention a modern graphic novel retelling of Beowolf but with Kids. It's called "Bea Wolf"
https://www.smbc-comics.com/bea/