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BOOK REPORT: THE HOBBIT by J R R TOLKIEN (prelude to the Ring Trilogy) The Center offers to review books of popular interest as well as books that carry ideas of import for the future. Since the first of the Ring movies opens on Dec. 19, 2001, people who don�t know the tale of the Hobbit might enjoy a bit of background. Frodo is the hobbit who in the Ring Movie is played by a young boy. Hobbits are actually short people who are not human. Before the story of the Ring is told, you need to know about �The Hobbit.� It was a children�s story written by JRR Tolkien. [For another review, see the NY Times link at the bottom of this page.] The story of the Hobbit centered on Frodo�s Uncle, Bilbo. His uncle wanted to gain a great treasure which was guarded by a dragon named Smaug (no, it was not related to Los Angeles). The adventures of the Hobbit, Billbo, included slaying the dragon and returning with treasure, but more importantly, Billbo brought back a ring that can make the wearer invisible but also has many other powers. The danger is that the more you use the ring, the more addicted you become to using the ring. QUESTION OF THE MONTH Compare Lord Acton: �Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.� Lord Acton was an English Catholic who stated the above in his opposition to the promulgation of the Doctrine of Papal infallibility in the mid-1800s. He went on to create the �Old catholic church� . Tolkien was also a Catholic. I�m not aware of any actual connection. QUESTION: Does anyone know? Tolkien�s first Ring book, the Fellowship of the Ring, describes the Wizard Gandolf who declares that the ring must be destroyed by taking it to Mordor. Background The story was written in the mid-1930s� Previously, there was a danger to the Hobbits from the East, and people sailed from Westerness to help in the fight. Hmmmmm� Hobbits are what the English think of themselves. They only want to live their lives in peace under their trees. They are not busybodies who try to conquer other peoples. They just happen to do it while trying to help people. However, when the time comes to rise up, the self-effacing and humble hobbit can rise to the occasion and win. Then the hobbit returns to his station in life, a perfect loyal subject. Think of Robin Hood or Gary Cooper in �High Noon.� Few are neutral about Tolkien. For fans, the trilogy is stirring, gloriously written and moral tale. For others, it is an overblown bore. Rather than comment at length � at this time, anyway � I�ll leave it to you. See the movie, at least start the books. The Hobbit is great for reading to children. The Trilogy of the Ring is for adults. Enjoy. Jack Latona The Center for Creating the Future [email protected] www.creatingthefuture.org Fort Lauderdale, FL USA For a review of the book http://www.nytimes.com/1938/03/13/books/tolkien-hobbit.html For a review by W. H. Auden of the first Ring book: http://www.nytimes.com/1954/10/31/books/tolkien-fellowship.html |
| Date of Review: Nov. 2001 |