Happy Monday everyone!
We’re mixing up our normal alternating Friday/Saturday schedule to bring a special “broadcast” (it’s a blog post) for a fledgling tradition here on A&A, #TolkienReadingDay.
Yes, it was decided in 2003 that March 25th, the day in which The One Ring was destroyed should be a day of celebration, in which we read and spread our love for all things J.R.R. Tolkien.
Last year, I reviewed the 1968 BBC Radio adaptation of The Hobbit, quite by accident as I ordered the wrong audio edition of the story from the library. It was an unexpected party and despite some cringe worthy dialogue and confusing sound design (for which the BBC won many awards), I did enjoy the presentation overall. It would seem that Tolkien’s worldbuilding and characters are enough regardless of the medium through which the story is told.
This year, I got my act together, and managed to get a physical copy of The Hobbit, again from the library. Apparently it was the 175th printing (published in 2020) of the story. I make note of this, because apparently there are many editions of the story floating around, with the biggest changes to the story occurring in editions of the story published after The Lord of The Rings came out. (which makes some sense)
The forward in the 2020 edition makes note of some small continuity changes like correcting inconsistencies in dwarf naming and lineage, but also notes that the “Riddle Game” (in this edition chaptered Riddles in the Dark) as set down in the ‘Red Book’ (I’m guessing the original edition?) by Bilbo has changed after the true events were “eventually revealed (under pressure)”. But ultimately the reader should not concern themselves with the changes if it is their first outing in Middle Earth.
My inner history nerd wanted to fall down a research (hobbit) hole, attempt to find this ‘Red Book’ so I could compare the differences and see what affect the changes had on my understanding of the story, but I decided to forego all that in order to accomplish what I originally set out to do . . . simply enjoy the book.
And enjoy it I did!
What first stood out to me as I was reading was just how humorous and whimsical Tolkien’s writing can be. Perhaps I’ve been over influenced by Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies (I’m actually wondering if I ever saw The Hobbit Trilogy in full), but any happenings in Middle-Earth have always seemed like a rather serious affair to me. Yes, there is some humor in those movies, but in general it is all very grim and severe.
There is a way in which The Hobbit (book) moves towards this more stoic attitude as the story goes onward, but in the beginning it is quite whimsical. The infamous unexpected party reads almost like the opening of Disney’s Snow White, and the following tidbit of in-world history feels more like a Terry Pratchett book than Tolkien:
“…and knocked their king Golfimbul’s head clean off with a wooden club. It sailed a hundred yards and went down a rabbit hole, and in this way the battle was won and game of golf invented at the same moment”
Lolz. I fully imagine something like this happening to Carrot Ironfoundersson of The Watch but not as much to some Middle-Earthian King. In any case I was delighted by its inclusion.
Something else which surprised me, was how relevant the story felt to a modern audience. There’s a way in which all speculative fiction, whether set in the past or in the future, is actually about the time in which it was written and reading old books can sometimes feel akin to digging up a time capsule from beneath an ancient oak or perhaps in some extreme cases, shining a light into a dusty old tomb.
I’m always a little nervous when reading a ‘classic’ work that what we’ll find is at best irrelevant to a modern audience (looking at you Dune Part 2) , or worse actively harmful. We’ve seen a few examples of the latter on this blog with works such as The Island of Dr. Moreau, and Death on the Nile so I feel relatively justified in my apprehension.
If The Hobbit embodies any embarrassing ideals, they are not obvious. It seems there is active debate on the use of race in its sequels, The Lord of the Rings, but within this volume, nothing really jumped out at me (although a more critical look at Goblins within the story might be warranted).
I can’t recall any women in the story (something I think The Hobbit films attempt to address), but it does not feel like a malicious omission.
For a story that is little more than a mere decade away from its 100th birthday (although I suppose it’s the one hundred and eleventieth birthday that matters), I’d say that this is actually pretty surprising and kind of refreshing. And as I mentioned earlier, there were actually a few parts which felt quite modern.
For instance, after Lake-town is attacked, we have the following call for a change in leadership:
“We have had enough of the old men and the money-counters!” And people further off took up the cry: “Up the Bowman, and down with Moneybags!” pg 252.
With the ages of presidential candidates in the U.S. being in their late 70s and early 80s, I think many might share this sentiment in regards to having had “enough of the old men”. With the top 1% of earners making more than the other 99% combined, “down with Moneybags!” also feels quite relevant (although perhaps this is a somewhat timeless maxim).
So is it Worth It All These Years Later
Yup! Middle-Earth is a vast and perhaps overwhelming prospect, but The Hobbit is the perfect toe in the water. Not too grim, not too silly, a story which in a lot of ways feels just right. I’ll admit that Tolkien’s humor and whimsy were somewhat surprising but ultimately much needed. And while many stories from ‘back in the day’ have not aged well, I felt this one stood the test of time with remarkable prescience.
Certainly a perfect read for #TolkienReadingDay
What do you all think? Is this still a beloved classic? Or was there something I missed? What’s your favorite part of the story? Leave your answers in the comments!
Until next time!
alligators and aneurysms! 