The Hobbit was written by Professor Tolkien for the reading pleasure of his own children, of whom Christopher became the editor of Tolkien's posthumous work such as The Silmarillion and The Book of Lost Tales.
This is a far more light-hearted tale than the Lord of the Rings and introduces to the world's readers the unforgettable Bilbo, Gandalf and Gollum. A book that can be enjoyed by children and adults alike and authors such as J.K. Rowling and David Gemmell class this and The Lord of the Rings as inspirational in their own work.
This is a truly wonderful book, full of adventure, heroism, song and laughter. The landscapes that Tolkien creates are quintessentially English and the Shore and the hobbits could easily be the English of yesteryear. The Shire is left behind soon enough as no adventure is worth reading in which nobody actually goes anywhere. Dwarves, Elves, Goblins, Eagles and Wizards all cross paths with our intrepid, although reluctant hero as the party passes through Rivendell, The Misty Mountains and Mirkwood on their way to the Lonely Mountain to take back the treasure stolen by the great dragon Smaug.
One of the most appealing aspects of this book is that we could all be hobbit with the comfortable life and comfortable living but there is something inside all of us that perks up at the thought of adventures and journeys into the unknown. I think that this is why The Hobbit is such a firm favourite and fondly remembered by all who read it.
No comments:
Post a Comment