The Hobbit J.R.R. Tolkien

<i>"Mr. Baggins began as a comic tale among conventional and inconsistent fairy-tale dwarves, and got drawn into the edge of it - so that even Sauron the terrible peeped over the edge."

-J.R.R Tolkien, letter to his publisher (quoted in...

The principal concern of a literature student is to try to infer what the author's intentions are. However, we often include our own perspectives and forget the author altogether. Take a look at The Hobbit. Many people assume Tolkien wanted Bilbo...

Bilbo’s sword, Sting, plays a large role in The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien -- a role that almost appears to be incongruous for its size. Through each one of its appearances, Sting’s increased significance as a plot element simultaneously...

Tolkien’s The Hobbit and Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland are children’s novels which share a number of key similarities. Both are ‘quest’ narratives, whose main protagonists (Bilbo and Alice) begin their journeys in tranquil pastoral...

While it may be easy to underestimate the importance of scenic descriptions, setting plays an important role in most literature - including character-driven fantasy. Setting can be written to represent conflicting forces or ideals, and to help...

A riddle, unlike a common question, contains its own solution, and cleverly using word play and double meanings, it both exposes as well as obscures the answer. This type of mental puzzle requires creative thinking to solve.One must see past the...

Though it is a book of children’s literature, J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit still deals with issues of great moral complexity. In the novel, Bilbo Baggins debates whether or not he should kill the creature Gollum, who stands in his way of escaping...

The genre classifications of J. R. R. Tolkien’s fantasy anthology have always been an interesting discussion topic for both scholars and casual readers alike. Not many compendiums can claim they range in style from children’s book, to modern...

A mountain, dotted with fully bloomed flowers and orange-leaved trees in autumn, is left barren by the heavy snowfall endured during winter; however, when spring comes, the mountain is embellished with new flowers, its beauty greater than ever...

Through the knowledge that J.R.R. Tolkien’s widely beloved fantasy novel, The Hobbit, was originally an oral story meant to entertain his own young children, the story, structure, narration, and style of the book can be understood through a...

The literary world of fantasy was forever altered by the fateful publication of J.R.R. Tolkien’s extraordinary children’s novel, entitled The Hobbit, in 1937. Through his unique tapestry of a paternal narrator telling the story in a highly...

A word that features prominently in Tolkien’s first published work about Middle-Earth is “adventure.” The initial spark of the plot is Gandalf’s proposition that Bilbo accompany him on an adventure, and throughout The Hobbit, this is how Bilbo...

The famous poet, Rumi, once said “Greed makes man blind and foolish, and makes him an easy prey for death.” The Hobbit has many instances of greed, all of which lead to their inevitable destruction. Almost all characters are guilty of greed here...