The Hobbit by J. R. R.
Tolkien
Background on J. R. R. Tolkien
aka John Ronald Reuel Tolkien
The name "Tolkien" is
understood to be of
German origin. Tollkühn: foolishly brave, or
stupidly clever; for this
reason he occasionally
used the fictitious name
"Oxymore“.
He
was born on January 3rd,
Childhood:
1892 in Bloemfontein, South
Africa
When
he was 3, Tolkien went
to England with his mother and
brother on what was intended to be there new home. His
father, however, died in South Africa of rheumatic
fever before he could join them.
When
he was 12, Tolkien's mother died. He and his
brother lived with aunts and in boarding homes thereafter.
Education:
Tolkien's
children.
mother strongly encourages education to her
When Tolkien
language.
was 16 he mastered Latin and Greek
When
he was 17 he began to create his own languages!
When
he was 20, he went to Exeter College,
Oxford. Where he studied Classics, Old English,
Germanic languages, Welsh, and Finnish.
Tolkien
published his very first poem when he was 22,
called 'From the many-willow'd margin of the immemorial
Thames', in the Stapeldon Magazine of Exeter college.
Tolkien
went to Switzerland on a trip,
that was his muse for Bilbo’s quest
across the Misty Mountains.
Tolkien
While
write
entered the army in July1915.
he was in the army he would
letters to his wife. He at this point
had his
Life:
own language in which Edith
understood.
He could tell her exactly where he
was and
what he was doing with this secretive
translation.
He
went home from the army only
after 11 months because he got a
disease.
C. S. Lewis and Tolkien’s
friendship
At
Oxford Tolkien became a founding
member of a group of Oxford friends "The
Inklings" who met for conversation, drinks,
and readings from their works-in-progress.
Another well-known member was C. S.
Lewis, who became one of Tolkien's closest
friends.
Professionally, they
both studied and taught the
literatures of medieval romance and, in Tolkien's case, the
background of Norse myth. And they realized that it was
only quite recently that such stories had become
marginalized as "children's stories." Through much of
history these were tales told and enjoyed by grown-ups.
Techniques used by Tolkien:
Tolkien’s main style was
lyrical prose, which is
used to express
feelings. Lyric poems
have specific rhyming
schemes and are often
The
narrator's highly descriptive
style conveys vivid images of Bilbo,
his hobbit hole.
Example: In
a hole in the ground
there lived a Hobbit. Not a nasty,
dirty , wet hole , filled with the ends
of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet
a dry , bare, sandy hole with nothing
in it to sit down on or to eat : it was a
hobbit hole , and that means comfort
The
description
emphasize physical details such as
color, shape, and size. The details
give us in depth symbolism for many
things, such as the hobbit hole round
door symbolizes an adventure.
Imagery:
Rhetorical Questions:
The
rhetorical techniques used to convey an
oral writing style continues throughout the book,
but become less blatant as the story develops.
Example: “what
morning for”
a lot of things you do use good
Simile:
A simile is a when two fundamentally unlike things
are explicitly compared, usually in a phrase
introduced by like or as.
Example: pg 126. The wind came down from
mountains cold, and like a tide it roared and rolled;
Personification:
Giving a non living object living characteristics
Example: The branches groaned, the forest moaned, and
leaves were laid upon the mould.
Repetition:
repetition of a word or phrase
Old fat spider spinning in a tree!
Old fat spider cant see me!
Old tomnoddy all big body,
old tomnoddy cant spy me!
Example
sing we now softly, and dreams let us weave him!
Wind him in slumber and there let us leave him!
Influences in history
and literature :
Most authors can be
influenced by many things in
their life such as; how they
were raised or what major
historical events happened
during their life. Many
authors also gravitate to
different types of literature,
that each use with their own
twist.
Historical Influences:
Tolkien
based the people of Rohan, the Rohirrim, on
the historical Anglo-Saxons (German tribes), giving
them Anglo-Saxon names, customs, and poetry.
The concept of kingship and monarchical hierarchy
is continually alluded to throughout the history of
Middle-Earth, the races and the construction of each
society.
Lord
of The Rings was influenced by Tolkien’s experiences during
WWI and his sons during WWII.
Industrialization
influenced his writing also. He hated it he believed
life should be simple. He rode his bike everywhere he went. Hence
the evil dragons name is “Smaug” and smog is a fog made heavier
and darker by smoke and chemical fumes
Tolkien
Religious Influences:
was a very spiritual man, he was
catholic. His close friend C. S. Lewis was an
agonistic at the time. They frequently debated
about religion and mythology. Unlike Lewis, who
tended to dismiss myths and fairy tales, Tolkien
strongly believed that they have moral and
spiritual value. Tolkien said, "The imagined
beings have their inside on the outside; they are
visible souls. And Man as a whole, Man pitted
against the Universe, have we seen him at all till
we see that he is like a hero in a fairy tale?"
Tolkien
once described Lord of The Rings to a
friend as a fundamentally religious and catholic
work. Showing good versus evil, humility over
pride, and the activity of grace, as seen with
Frodo's pity to Gollum.
Non-Christian
religious themes also had strong
influences in Tolkien's Middle-earth.
Literature Influences:
Tolkien
used Old English as a
basic foundation for his book. His
muse was a heroic epic called
Beowulf. He based lord of the
rings off of this Anglo-Saxan
poem. Beowulf is now considered
one of the most important pieces
of Old English literature.
Tolkien's Symbol:
The symbol that Tolkien
used in lord of the ring
represents his initials J. R. R.
T. . The symbol also
contains the One Ring, the
tree of Valinor, and the stars
of the House of Fëanor.