Seems rather late to admit that I think tangerine was right, but I do now see the Hobbits as being not only provincial, but childlike as well. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that Tolkien created in the Hobbits a race that were quite comfortable with themselves as a mix of human (pipe smoking and beer drinking), animal (furry feet and always eating), childlike (bath-loving), and provincial. They even have a little teeny tiny bit of Elvish sensibility in them - or at least, some of them do, such as Frodo (a lot) and Sam (a wee bit).
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