|
|
|
Book: About a homebody: the hobbit
Serving as a prelude to Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit is definitely a modern classic. The novel has Frodo’s uncle, Bilbo Baggins, the previous owner of the ring, as the protagonist. Bilbo Baggins of Bag End in the sleepy town of Hobbiton is ready for the adventure of his life. A wizard Gandalf — with a tall hat, a long grey beard and an uncanny wit has unexpectedly dropped in. Little did Bilbo know that his life was about to change forever.
A few days later, dwarfs turned up. Bilbo then came to know that his guests were in fact adventurers, who were planning to embark on an expedition to recover their long lost treasure now in custody of a sneering dragon named Smaug. Bilbo soon found himself whisked away for an incredible journey which included going through the misty mountains (I do mean “through” as you will discover after reading the book), savouring all the sights and sounds of the Elven city of Rivendell, treading along the entangled pathways of Mirkwood where trouble awaits them, and finally crossing the Desolation of Smaug to reach the Lonely mountain the abode of Smaug, to face the Battle of Five Armies.
J.R.R. Tolkein has used lush prose, punctuated by traditional style poetry, in his books to convey a sense of the arcane and the fantastic. Though it does induce a glow of grandeur but, at the same time, it makes the story sluggish. The characters have not been emphasized; rather it’s the ambience that stands in the limelight. How does Bilbo find enough time to give a long, winding description of the riches in the mountain when he has a fire-breathing, bone-crunching, blood-curdling dragon following him?
Though it may not be a captivating page-turner, The Hobbit is a product of meticulous research work. A multitude of words used in the story are derived from various languages such as Finish and Old English. Some of the underlying themes are shared with major epic tales, such as the Anglo-Saxon Bewoelf. Tolkein’s imagination is commendable. By shaping a unique world complete with its inhabitants and their religious and cultural beliefs, complex eco-systems, and history and calendars, Tolkein has indeed crafted a literary masterpiece.
|
|
|
|
