Quote:
Originally Posted by Sauron the White
I have never thought of the book as something for a five year old as you indicate in your post but more along the lines of THE WIZARD OF OZ. A tale for older kids to read and has enough interesting material in it to appeal to older readers also.
|
Just a question here: how old were Tolkien's boys when he recited
The Hobbit to them as a bedtime--rather, evening tea time--story? In Carpenter I can find this:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Enter Mr. Baggins
In 1937, shortly after the book was published, Christopher Tolkien recorded (in his letter to Father Christmas) this account of the book's origin: 'Daddy wrote it ages ago, and read it to John, Michael and me in our Winter "Reads" after tea in the evening; but the ending chapters were rather roughly done, and not typed out at all; he finished it about a year ago.' And writing to his publishers during the same year, Tolkien declared: 'My eldest boy was thirteen when he heard the serial. It did not appeal to the younger ones who had to grow up to it successively.'
|
Of course, children in those days were so much more innocent--naive?--than they are today.