The Hobbit - Chapter 01 - An Unexpected Party

[Essex]

Originally Posted by Thinlómien

How is LotR children's book, Essex? The fact(?) that most of us have read it first as children doesn't make it a children's book. Have you any better arguments?

Errrr, I think you have answered your own queation there.

most of us have read it first as children

What other evidence could be as daming as this????!!!!!

[Lhunardawen]

Like those before me I'll be skipping out on the TH-as-part-of-the-Legendarium debate. After all, the main reason I'm participating in this CbC is to help me appreciate the book itself more, not so much as to acknowledge its place in the Legendarium. I'll have to admit that I've spent more than a year in the Downs without reading The Hobbit - and so to answer half of Lalwendë's question, I don't think that not reading TH before LotR accounted for much of a difference. Well, except of course that one is bound to think that Bilbo might seem a bit overrated in LotR without having read what he had been through in TH. Yep, that's me.

Two more things I have to admit about not liking TH much is that one, I never really appreciated Dwarves fully. *ducks from Kuruharan's projectiles* And two, I find the lack of female characters here most disappointing. You see, one of my gauges for determining a good read is that I have to be able to relate with the characters somehow. The first time I finished reading TH there was nothing like that all...perhaps because before then I've already met and related with Eowyn.

Which is the exact point of why I'm determined to follow through the discussions as best I could as I read the book again; I'm hoping that this time around I'll find lovable things in TH that I didn't notice before...with your help, my dear Downers.

[/rambling]

So this time around, from the very beginning I tried to place my feet inside Bilbo's shoes...not that he wore any. Pathetic comic attempts aside, I felt terribly annoyed and harassed for him. That leads me to think deeper and consider why in the world Gandalf could have chosen Bilbo instead of some other hobbit...and of course Bilbo's Tookish bloodline sprang to mind. I wonder if Gandalf expected Bilbo to stick to his alleged burglary for whatever reason, or if he took a gamble and crossed his fingers and hoped that Bilbo wouldn't decline. But we see later on in the chapter that Gandalf took the matters into his own intimidatingly large hands when things started to get out of hand (begging your pardon), that is when Gloin started to question Bilbo if he really is what he claimed to be (or more accurately, what Gandalf claimed for him to be). Since I will be reading the book as if I have never read it before (which might as well have been the case as I vaguely remember anything from it), I'll be looking out for the answer to this as I plod on.

My view of the Dwarves - which had been rather dismal so far, considering how they seemed to be oblivious to Bilbo's situation - began to lighten up with their first song. Not only was I relieved to find them finally helping with something, the song itself was also very amusing, particularly the fact that they were able to discern part of Bilbo's personality despite having just met him.

What I found most odd here is that in spite of the seriousness of the matter in their hands later that evening (especially with Thorin speaking), I had a bit of difficulty considering it so. Perhaps the initial cheery atmosphere carried on for me throughout the chapter, and whether that is a good thing or bad I cannot tell.

Quite needless to say I had fits of laughter as I read through this chapter (which were usually accompanied by weird stares from people around me...hehe), and for the most part Bilbo was responsible for them. And the origin of Golf...that was just crazy.

P. S. Esty, if I'm not mistaken Nilp came out with an RPG idea on the love story between Belladonna Took and Bungo Baggins before. Just thought I'd mention it.

[Alphaelin]

I'm so glad to be able to join a C-b-C discussion *before* the halfway point in the book is reached

I'll try to respond to Esty's introductory post without boring anyone here who has already read my comments about TH on other threads. I've just realized one interesting thing: I read the book for myself for the first time after I read LOTR! My first time through the book was having it read to me in school, which was enjoyable, but the emphasis was not the same as when I read it myself.

TH was my introduction to Middle Earth: Everything I have come to love about Tolkien's writing I owe to this book, for it showed me my first glimpses of Dwarves, Rivendell, Elrond, Gondolin, the Ring, wizards, Elves, goblins and dragons. For that reason alone, I have continued to read it once every couple of years in hommage to the Middle Earth vistas it has led me to. Certainly it is lighter and yes, a bit sillier than the rest of the Legendarium, but for me that is a pleasant break from some of the heavier subjects JRRT wrote about. I do understand that not everyone finds this appealing, but then my family and I are a silly people.

I do know that when reading it for myself, Far over the Misty Mountains Cold and its accompanying paragraph is one of my favorite passages in this chapter. I love the strong rythm of the song itself -- in fact I usually chant it out loud just for the pleasure of hearing the words.

As they sang the hobbit felt the love of beautiful things made by hands and by cunning and by magic moving through him, a fierce and jealous love, the desire of the hearts of dwarves. Then something Tookish woke up inside him, and he wished to go and see the great mountains, and hear the pine-trees and the waterfalls, and explore the caves, and wear a sword instead of a walking-stick.

The description of Bilbo's response is very interesting: suddenly the idea of passion is introduced into his calm, orderly mind-set -- and he is attracted by it. We see the beginnings of Bilbo's journey here, too. Not just the physical journey to the mountain and back, but the journey away from a safe, settled existence toward danger and knowledge of the world beyond the Shire and Bilbo's awakening to his own hidden abilities.

[Holbytlass]

I read The Hobbit right before FOTR came out, at 28 yrs old. The movies are what brought me to it. I fell in love with it.

I related to Bilbo right away with his simplistic lifestyle and love of food and visitors. I love his home-very earthy yet all the modern conveniences of the day (ex tiled floors, pannelled walls, and no smoke).

Bilbo is obviously rich, he doesn't have a job yet is asked to lend money, an inheritance from his parents especially his mother who also probably had inheritance from her own parents but I like to think that some of it came from Belladonna's own adventures- "Not that Belladonna Took ever had any adventures after she became Mrs. Bungo Baggins. (emphasis mine)

Gandalf, like the elves, seems more light-hearted and incline to joke around more in TH than LOTR. Gandalf seems to be more amused with Bilbo than Pippin, who is more of a Took than Bilbo is.

Something interesting is how differently Gandalf deals with Bilbo in comparison to Beorn (later in the book) with the introductions to the dwarves. I suppose it can wait till ch7 to compare/contrast.

Overall, I think Tolkien did a superb job with the first chapter. Not so much that he is a great writer but that so many introductions and much information had to be given, it was cohesive and rather funny.

Does anyone know why there were so many dwarves?
Also, what are the braces that Bilbo sticks his fingers behind to blow smoke-rings?

[JennyHallu]

Braces would be suspenders.

[Tuor of Gondolin]

Holbytlass:

I like to think that some of it came from Belladonna's own adventures-

No doubt she went at least as far as Breeland, and she
might have gotten along famously with Goldberry.
But perhaps BT got as far as Rivendell and told her
son of elves and their dwellings, even taught him
elvish. Perhaps she even punted up and down
the Brandywine!
Or BT wandered in regions not
discussed by her son or his heir in their writings.

[Kath]

Does anyone know why there were so many dwarves?

Perhaps so they needed Bilbo because of the unlucky number thing. Gandalf made quite a thing of that so they were obviously bothered by it.