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The Hobbit
Reviewed by Burton. 9 out of 10The English-speaking world is divided into those who have read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and those who are going to read them. (The Sunday Times)
I almost don't feel worthy enough to review a book which won the 'Millennium Children's Book Award' but here goes nothing...
I first read the Hobbit when I was 13. At the time, being far from the bookworm I am now... I struggled through it, and really didn't see what all the hoo-har about Tolkien was. Not surprisingly, I never got to the Rings Trilogy.
So, 22 years later I have revisited The Hobbit and what an adventure I had.
The Hobbit (written in 1937 by J. R. R. Tolkien) is the story of a Hobbit (surprise, surprise) called Bilbo Baggins, who is enjoying an uneventful life until it is interrupted by a visit from the wizard Gandalf. Gandalf invites himself to tea and arrives with a company of dwarves. They embark on a journey to recover the lost treasure of Lonely Mountain, guarded by the dragon Smaug. Their adventures include trolls, elves, goblin hordes, monstrous wolves, giant eagles, changelings, giant spiders, massive battles and so on. As you can see by my very brief synopsis (I don't want to spoil the story), it is the classic fantasy tale.
To say that The Hobbit is anything less than a masterpiece of children's literature would be to lie, so I'm not going to use this space convincing you to read it. Just do (before the movie comes out in 2011). Instead I wish to ask the question... are good wizards, using good magic appropriate in Christian fiction?
J.R.R. Tolkien was a devout catholic who also had a huge interest in pagan mythology, and Middle earth is a marriage of the two... a world full of mythological creatures and magic with vague Christian undertones.
Personally, I struggle with Tolkien's mixture... always have and probably always will. Although the Narnia Chronicles are similarly fantastical, the Christian message stands out clearly for all to see, unlike Middle earth where unless one is looking (very studiously I might add) the Christian themes are as hard to find as a Gollem in the Misty Mountains. But I digress.
My experience of the classic children's book, read as a kidult that sees more in black and white than in grey-scale when it comes to sorcery, The Hobbit is a very near masterpiece... 9 out of 10 it is.
Labels:
Action/adventure,
Burton,
Classics,
Fantasy,
J. R. R. Tolkien,
Young Readers
3 comments:
Great review! :) I read The Hobbit when I was 11 or 12 and liked it well enough to want to read the book. But I was a bit intimated by the length of the book (I had all three books in one). But my drive to watch the movie and read something worthwhile convinced me to read it. I went on to read it a total of 4 times at the age of 12. But I still didn't catch much of the story. I haven't read it since but have considered picking it up. Hope I get a chance soon. Jesus loves you! :)
An excellent question: "Are good wizards, using good magic, appropriate in Christian fiction?" Because I'm sure that Harry Potter likewise has "good wizards" using "good magic". Developing a worldview in this topic is without a doubt something every Christian should do so that they aren't caught in the "but you watch LOTR and you're telling me I can't watch Harry Potter?" black-hole.
I absolutely loved this book and have a very similar viewpoint on sorcery as you. I might need to pick your brains on a few things regarding said viewpoint later ;).
I just finished ready "The Gift of Friendship" about JRR and CS Lewis . . .it was a great read, but it touched on this a little bit. JRR felt like CSL was a little TOO over the top with his Christian allegory and told him it needed to be more subtle. Regaurdless, both men were genius' when it came to writing (both fiction and non fiction). I am currently re-reading "The Hobbit" to my kids (all of whom have watched the LOTR AND Harry Potter movies).
Great review!
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