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Original poster

The Hobbit- reconsidering Tolkien

41 replies

Teleporno · 03/11/2022 10:59

A friend surprised me recently and told me she was reading the Hobbit to her six year old. I couldn't believe it because when I tried LOTR as a teen after watching the films, I was bitterly disappointed. It was turgid and so male. I was really captivated by the love story of Aragorn and Arwen and was disappointed to see she barely features in the book.

Anyway I decided to give the Hobbit a go with my own child and we love it! It's cosy and gets into the adventure quickly. I do skip some song verses but my 6 yo isn't to know that.

It's even made me consider trying LOTR again. Did anyone revisit this classic as an adult after being unimpressed as a kid and find you loved it?

OP posts:
ErrolTheDragon · 03/11/2022 13:14

It's quite interesting that Tolkien could write in different styles about his fictional world - The Hobbit is definitely a children's book, LOTR 'young adult fiction' before that was a thing, and the Silmarillion ... well, I don't know what that is as I found it completely unreadable whereas the others are page-turners.Grin

Petronus · 03/11/2022 12:35

I just re-read the Fellowship of the Ring. You’re not wrong about it being very male and marginalising any female characters, but I loved it as a teen and still love it now. For me it’s pure escapism and just what I need at the moment.

ApplePippa · 03/11/2022 12:32

The BBC radio dramatisation of LOTR was indeed spellbinding - I loved it as a teen, and it's much more true to the books than the films. (It took me years to realise that Sam was Bill Nighy in his younger days!)

Figrolls14 · 03/11/2022 11:56

we had a great audiobook of the Hobbit, read by Michael Hordern, for long car journeys. I’ve always liked it much better than LOTR as a book.

later, for further long car journeys 😆we had the tapes of the bbc dramatisation of LOTR which is spellbinding. I will never forget the bit in the Dead Marshes - printed on my tiny brain for 30odd years - oooo- I still like the Hobbit best though. LOTR is big, but TH is perfect.

car journeys if my cousins were with us (daring snd 1/2 a year older) also supplemented by doing episodes of neighbours out the back windscreen using teddies and bits of paper with the lines on. anyone else do this?

OrlandointheWilderness · 03/11/2022 11:45

Yep even the songs of tom bombadil! 😂

BigFatLiar · 03/11/2022 11:44

OrlandointheWilderness · 03/11/2022 11:26

I read the entire lot to my DD when she was about 8. Reading them aloud made me realise just how beautifully written they are, we loved them. I'd read them years before but actually reading them to someone can make you appreciate the use of language in a new way.
Apart from the bloody elvish! 😂

Even the songs of Tom Bombadill? Suppose they would put her to sleep.

SettingPrecedents · 03/11/2022 11:44

I really struggled with the books in my early teens (and I was a big reader). Tried them again in my mid twenties and loved them! They’re pretty different to the films, and be prepared for pages of description of a fence post, but definitely have another go at them.

Lellochip · 03/11/2022 11:41

No women anywhere though, in either lot of books!

Not sure the films did much better on this front 😆

sunshineandsuddenshowers · 03/11/2022 11:40

I could never get on w LOTR, but The Hobbit is delightful. No women anywhere though, in either lot of books!

londongals · 03/11/2022 11:30

The films were rubbish books were great

OrlandointheWilderness · 03/11/2022 11:26

I read the entire lot to my DD when she was about 8. Reading them aloud made me realise just how beautifully written they are, we loved them. I'd read them years before but actually reading them to someone can make you appreciate the use of language in a new way.
Apart from the bloody elvish! 😂

Original poster
Teleporno · 03/11/2022 11:14

Thereisnolight · 03/11/2022 11:08

I loved reading LOTR as a 13 year old.
Probably never will again as I’ll never have the time.
Yes it’s very male. It was written by a male.

Grin of course but given its far reaching and enduring appeal and being somewhat misled by Peter Jackson's adaptation, I thought females would feature more than they did.

It's not a problem for me now but it was for me at the time having watched the films first.

OP posts:
Thereisnolight · 03/11/2022 11:08

I loved reading LOTR as a 13 year old.
Probably never will again as I’ll never have the time.
Yes it’s very male. It was written by a male.

Original poster
Teleporno · 03/11/2022 11:05

@BigFatLiar yes, it was reading that it was intended for children that made me give it a try.
Regarding LOTR, the longwinded introductions of men son of blah blah son of blah blah blah made me lose the will to live as a 16 year old and all the Elvish.

OP posts:
BigFatLiar · 03/11/2022 11:02

I've always thought of The Hobbit as a children's book.
Never got on with LoTR, too long winded, so much dross among the stories.

YetAnotherSpartacus · 03/11/2022 11:01

No, but I read the books long before the films were made and I loathed the films because they mutilated the books!