Author AuthorJ.R.R. Tolkien Born in 1892 in South Africa Had a deep interest in languages and even started to develop his own as a boy This language.

The Hobbit

byJ.R.R. Tolkien

Author

Author

AuthorAuthor • J.R.R. Tolkien

• Born in 1892 in South Africa

• Had a deep interest in languages and even started to develop his own as a boy

• This language would serve as the basis for his imagined world, Middle-Earth

Author

AuthorAuthor • Tolkien was a professor at Oxford and also served during World War I

• During his years at Oxford he developed a close friendship with C.S. Lewis, author of The Chronicles of Narnia

• His The Lord of the Rings Trilogy cemented his place as a famed writer in both England and America

Middle Earth

GeneralInformation

General Information

General InformationGeneral Information • The Hobbit was Tolkien’s first published work

• Its success generated an audience for Tolkien that consisted of both adults and children

General Information

General InformationGeneral Information • The work is at a glance a simple adventure story, but also is painstakingly developed in its descriptions

• Tolkien’s Middle-Earth is a world with it own wizards, monsters, mythology and language!

LiteraryFocus

Literary Focus

Literary FocusLiterary Focus • Publication: 1937

• Genre: Fantasy

• Setting: Middle-Earth

• Narration: Omniscient Third Person. The anonymous narrator is playful and humorous. He tends to speak in a comic voice with frequent asides and humorous descriptions of the characters.

Literary Focus

Literary FocusLiterary Focus • Tone: The narrator’s tone is light and casual, often aided by jokes and funny observations about events and characters

• Foreshadowing:  Gandolf’s insistence that

there is more to Bilbo than meets the eye points to Bilbo’s ability to become more than just an ordinary Hobbit

Literary Focus

ThemesThemes • Good vs. Evil

• Bilbo’s heroism

• Race Relations

• Lineage

• The Epic Quest

• Obsession and Compulsion

Plot Overview

Summary and Plot Overview

Summary and Plot OverviewSummary and Plot Overview • Bilbo Baggins lives a quiet, peaceful life in his comfortable hole at Bag End

• He is a member of a race of small, plump people about half the size of humans, with furry toes and a great love of good food and drink called Hobbits

• Bilbo’s life is turn upside down when he recruited on a quest by the great wizard, Gandalf

Summary and Plot Overview

Summary and Plot OverviewSummary and Plot Overview • The quest is not an easy one: he must help some dwarves reclaim a treasure taken by a mighty dragon named Smaug

• Bilbo’s role is to be that of a burglar

• Although both Bilbo and his dwarf companions see him as having little value, he proves himself throughout their adventures

Summary and Plot Overview

Summary and Plot Summary and Plot OverviewOverview

• During Bilbo’s quest he encounters trolls, goblins, wargs, an evil creature called Gollum, and a great dragon named Smaug

• Bilbo also procures several important and magical weapons: a strange golden ring and sword chief among them

Characters

Character Analysis

Character AnalysisCharacter Analysis • Bilbo Baggins -  is a hobbit, “a short, human-like person.”

• Bilbo leads a quiet life in his comfortable hole at Bag End and, like most hobbits, is content to stay at home.

• Bilbo’s adventures, however, show there is much more to him than meets the eye.

Character Analysis

Character AnalysisCharacter Analysis • Gandalf -  has a vast command of magic

• He seemingly watches over Bilbo and the dwarves, appearing at the right moments to help the quest

• He is wise and seemingly has little interest in the treasures that consume many of the characters in the novel

Character Analysis

Character AnalysisCharacter Analysis • Thorin Oakenshield  -  A dwarf who leads his fellow dwarves on a trip to the Lonely Mountain to reclaim their treasure from Smaug.

• Thorin is a proud, purposeful, and sturdy warrior, if a bit stubborn at times.

Character Analysis

Character AnalysisCharacter Analysis • Dark Lord Sauron -  An evil sorcerer and creator of the magic ring.

• Gollum -  Creature who lives deep in the caves of Moria brooding over his “precious,” a magic ring

• Smaug -  The great dragon who lives in the Lonely Mountain.