The Hobbit

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Summary: A classic camouflaged as a "children's book" (NOT!)
Review: First of all, let's dispose of a couple of widely-held beliefs about "The Hobbit". First, this book was written as its own story, stands very well on its own, and is far from being merely a "prequel" to "The Lord of the Rings." Second, although children certainly can read "The Hobbit" and enjoy it, this book can be read on more levels - and possibly with even greater pleasure -- by adults. So, to call "The Hobbit" a "children's book" is neither particularly accurate nor helpful. The fact that there's been a great deal of serious literary criticism written on "The Hobbit" should tell you something right there! Personally, I have read this book nearly a dozen times, starting when I was in college and just about annually for more than 15 years afterwards, and I still feel that I have not fully exhausted this book nor outgrown it. In fact, I very well may read it another dozen times in my life. Who knows?

Now, what about the book? On one level, this is a fairly straightforward -- and excellent -- adventure story, with plenty of action, colorful characters (good, bad, and in-between), suspense, treachery, fighting, treasure, etc. On another level, this is also a kind of Freud meets Harry Potter "coming of age" story, beginning metaphorically in the womb (Bilbo Baggin's tunnel-like, comfortable, safe "hole in the ground") and ending up with Bilbo progressing via a series of challenges through childhood (burglar), into young adulthood (adventurer, with his new-found sword named "Sting" - hmmm, Freud thinks...sometimes a sword is just a sword?!?), and finally into full maturity (leader/hero). Contrast the beginning of the book, where Bilbo runs practically naked ("to the end of his days Bilbo could never remember how he found himself outside, without a hat, a walking-stick, or any money" or even his "pocket-handkerchiefs") out of his womb..er, hobbit hole, and the end of the book, where he returns much changed ("not the hobbit that you were," according to Gandalf the wizard) and totally grown up (actually, presumed DEAD, with his possessions in the process of being auctioned off). So, in sum, this is an adventure story/coming of age book, which takes us from the main character's birth to his (symbolic) death, with lots of interesting life in between.

But, if that was all there were to "The Hobbit," it would not be the classic that it is, but merely an entertaining, well-written book, mainly for children. Instead, "The Hobbit" rises to a totally different - and much higher -- level on the basis of several factors: 1) the author, JRR Tokien, Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford and an expert in linguistics and early English literature, Beowulf for instance, creates a work of tremendous scholarship, great thought and care -- well camouflaged as a "children's story" -- and, as CS Lewis wrote in 1937, "a happy fusion of the scholar's with the poet's grasp of mythology;" 2) this is a great work of imagination, which essentially imagines a world - Middle Earth - in many ways similar to our own world, and in other ways quite different; and 3) there is a lot of really interesting stuff bubbling beneath the surface here, some of which Tolkien hints at in "The Hobbit," and much of which is developed further in his two other great works, "The Silmarillion" and "The Lord of the Rings." For instance, although great evils (and in fact the origin of evil - and much else) are hinted at in "The Hobbit," they are left mainly for further development in other places. However, this does not lessen "The Hobbit," per se, just gives it a sort of subconscious depth which is not often found in "children's books."

Just to provide one further illustration of how this is not merely a "simple children's book," let's think about this for a minute in quasi-Marxist socioeconomic terms. Basically, what you have here is a comfortable bourgeois community of Hobbits - fat, lazy, happy, contented, ignorant, and kind of stupid. Then you have a bunch of mercantalist/proto-capitalist Dwarves enter the picture, who draw one of the bored-out-of- his-mind Hobbits (Bilbo) out of his comfortable hole and in search of their plundered (and now unproductive) capital, being closely guarded by the ultimate robber-baron, the Dragon. Other interesting creatures from this perspective are the "cruel, wicked, and bad-hearted," machine-making, worker-exploiting Capitalists, er, Goblins ("they make many clever [things]...or get...prisoners and slaves that have to work till they die for want of air and light [to make]"). And guess what this all leads to, as Marx predicted? War, of course, which in this case is ultimately won (barely) by an unlikely alliance of the Dwarf and Elf proto-capitalists (led by various monarchs), the mercantilists/petty bourgoisie of Lake-town, and mysterious Other Forces (Beorn, the Eagles, Gandalf the Wizard). And, of course, lots of workers/proletariat types die in this war (which does, in the end, result in a long period of peace in Middle Earth). Given all this, is it any wonder that "The Hobbit" really became popular in the 1960s Vietnam War era?

Anyway, this is just a partly serious, partly tongue-in-cheek example of why I think "The Hobbit" is a great book (like "Alice in Wonderland"), worthy of numerous readings, by both children and adults alike. The thing about great literature is that different people can get different things out of it. So, read this book, then read it again (and again), and, to paraphrase Tolkien, "see whether [you have] gained anything in the end."

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Summary: Surprise Adventures
Review: The Hobbit, a novel by J.R.R.Tolkien, is based upon, surprisingly enough, a hobbit, named Mr.Baggins. Throughout this book, Mr.Baggins undergoes many adventures, accompanied by thirteen dwarves and, for some of the way, a wizard. His companions and himself are heading towards a mountain of gold, with a dragon waiting at the end. When finally reaching their destination, they do not know exactly what they will find. Mr. Baggins uses his magical ring, which makes him invisible, to investigate on what they are up against. Well, things are easier said than done. Actually killing the dragon was completely out of their league, so they hid and waited for the right moment. When they couldn't stand hiding any longer, they came out, expecting to be burned by the dragon's flames. To their pleasant surprise, they found that the dragon had been killed by townspeople the night before. Thinking that left the gold to them, they celebrated. Around a week later though, they went into war to claim the riches all to themselves. Winning the war didn't do too much, since they had to spare part of the gold to their alliances. When the adventure of his lifetime was drawn to an end, Mr.Baggin headed back to the center of his motivation, home sweet home. A year had passed since he had left his hobbit hole, and he could have wished for nothing more than to be back in his cozy little home.

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Summary: Using The Hobbit in a Classroom
Review: My father bought this book for me when I was eight years old. He began to read some to me every night before I went to sleep. He was frustrated (yet proud) when I couldn't wait for the next night to hear more and began to read it on my own.

I have read The Hobbit at least 50 times since then, understanding the story in a different way at each age (I am now 23.) I am just as sucked in by the creatures' adventures as I was when I was young. I have to be in a certain mood to read the rest of the Lord of the Rings series, but I can always read the Hobbit.

I am studying to be a teacher and I recently used The Hobbit in a mock lesson demonstrating a teaching strategy to my peers. I would love to use The Hobbit when I have my own class. I think the story is exciting and scary and appeals to elementary and high school students alike. There is much "SAT vocabulary" that I believe ought to be in a person's everyday usage. I was sorely disappointed when my classmates did not understand such words as "repose", "requisite", and "defrayed" which appeared in a short note left to the main character Bilbo. The just of the note was that his friends were thanking him for hospitality and accepting his offer of professional assistance; followed by the terms of the business venture. Anyway, my classmates thought that someone in the story had died because one of the terms was that the business partners would pay for Bilbo's funeral expenses if he died and there was no one to pay for them.

Complaining about our present educational level aside, I think this book could be used in many ways; discussions of journeys, how spiders spin webs, are there different levels of stealing? what does it take to make a decision that changes your life completely, as well as everyone else's expectations of you, and more.

Most importantly, this book is fun for both teachers and students to read!

Rating:
Summary: One hundred and thirty-three times...and counting
Review: Ever since this book was read aloud in my fourth-grade class, I have been it love with it. I have read it over and over, and will continue to read it and its sequels annually until the day I die. I long for the day when I can read it to my children. What more can I say?

Ramble on.....

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Summary: The Hobbit- An Enchanting Beginning to an Epic Series
Review: The Hobbit is the introductory novel to the epic fantasy, The Lord of the Rings. This book is about an imaginary creature called a hobbit, who goes on a journey through the imaginary country of Middle Earth with a group of dwarves. Bilbo, the hobbit, and his company of dwarves are on their way to steal back their long forgotten treasure that is guarded by a hideous dragon. This story tells of the hardships they encounter on their journey and the changes that each character, especially Bilbo, goes through. this book is wonderful because it ties in the world of fantasy with real life. The characters go through the same emotional and sometimes physical struggles that we find ourselves going through. The Hobbit is a great book that everybody can relate to in one way or another. If you are looking for an exciting and thrilling escape from reality, reading The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy is the best way to do just that.

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Summary: The Hobbit is the best!
Review: Hey, this book is awesome! I give it five stars because it is packed with excitement, adventure, and mystery! When Bilbo is surprised by a band of dwarves in his own home, he finds that the dwarves kingdom has been taken by the great dragon Smaug. He is carried off into an adventure of magic, trolls, dragons, elves, wizards, goblins, and more. If you enjoyed the Redwall or Harry Potter series you should read this. To find the great plot to The Hobbit read on!

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Summary: Take it Slow!
Review: The first time I read this book, I thought it was soooo boring, and just forced myself to plow through it (it was a Christmas gift from my brother, and I didn't want to hurt his feelings) I ended up skimming a good portion of it, and feeling that it was a waste of time. A couple of months later, I blew off the dust and made the decision to really READ it. I couldn't believe all the good stuff I had missed. I loved it. Skimming doesn't seem to work for this series, unless you've read them before.

Anyway, The Hobbit was a great book. It was filled with quirky descriptions and personalities, and even the songs and poems are interesting (most of the time :-). Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit, unexpectedly finds himself on a mission with Gandalf, the great wizard, and a bunch of arguing dwarves. Their mission: to find the treasure of Thorin's (head dwarf, descended from kings) ancestors and desolate Smaug, the feared dragon of The Mountain. Bilbo's occupation is a thief; not swiping radios from the nearest department store, but helping the company retrieve the treasure.

Though doubtful at first, the dwarves begin to admire Bilbo in his talent to get out of nasty scrapes (of which there are several). Bilbo proves his honor, though being "just" a little hobbit, and nearly everyone leaves happy.

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Summary: What Harry Potter is Not
Review: The Hobbit is what Harry Potter is not. Let there be no pretense in saying "The Hobbit" is among the finest pieces of older children's fiction ever.

Bilbo Baggins is a humorous, lovable sort of hobbit. In fact, if I were to meet a hobbit, I should hope it to be Bilbo.

What Bilbo brings is boldness in the midst of genuine concern over the task at hand. He is afraid, but not so much that he doesn't rise to occasion.

Delicious language. Images you can taste and smell. A story that matters, and is well-told.

Read "The Hobbit" and be entranced. If your children or nephews/nieces are old enough, read it aloud to them. Read it to your class. Show them Harry Potter is not bad, but Bilbo is better.

I fully recommend this book.

Anthony Trendl

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Summary: The Book Which Started A Genre
Review: This book was written by a linguistic professor in the armed services in WWI in a series of letters to his son, Christopher Tolkien. Before this book was published, fantasy did not exist in the realm of fiction. The depth of the world created and the play with language make it easy to forget this book was written for a child. This book is in many ways the Sgt Peppers of Rock and Roll, the Beethoven's Fifth of symphonies, the Romeo and Juliet of love stories. Each time I read it, I discover something new about writing and about myself. Do yourself a favor and get to know this particular Hobbit.

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Summary: I loved this book!
Review: I read the book The Hobbit and it is by far my favorite book. It is a great adventure book. It had lots of those parts were you just can't stop reading the book. It has a really good ending. The author put a lot of surprising things in it that I don't want to give away. Mr. Blibo Bagens is my favorite person because he is a really kind hohbit. There is a movie on the hobbit at the library but the book is still a lot more detailed. Have fun reading! !