The Hobbit - Chapter 01 - An Unexpected Party

[Estelyn Telcontar]

The first line of this book must be the most famous, even legendary, sentence in all of Tolkien's writing.

In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.

Who doesn't know it by heart?! Who hasn't read of its origin, scribbled on a blank page of an exam paper that JRRT was correcting? And who, way back then, could have predicted what would become of that small beginning?!

Middle-earth already existed, but the invention of Hobbits is what paved the way for Tolkien's masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings. This story also paved the way to Middle-earth for many readers, especially those who read it early in their childhood. When did you first read The Hobbit? How did it affect you and what did it mean to you?

The description of a hobbit hole and of hobbits themselves is a delightful beginning, as is the introduction to Bilbo. But the adventure begins with Gandalf - quite appropriately it's said that "adventures sprouted up all over the place wherever he went". The dialogue between Bilbo and Gandalf is amusing, full of little plays with and on words.

Then come the Dwarves - unbidden and unwanted by the unwilling hero of the story. They invade his home, eat his food, and take up his time. They also awake his slumbering Tookishness. Reluctantly, he even considers going with them, at least until his prosaic side wins out again.

Bits and pieces of information are scattered throughout this chapter, on Dwarves, dragons, the Necromancer, and the Wizard Gandalf. Which do you find most interesting or helpful?

We have differing styles of speech, with Thorin's officious style, Gandalf's humorous, sometimes slightly cryptic utterances, and the Dwarves, who have some similarities with Hobbits - in their greeting formulas, for example.

We also have two Dwarven poems in this chapter, one humorous one: "Chip the glasses", and one 'historic' song: "Far over the misty mountains cold". How do they affect you?

Tolkien's style of writing in The Hobbit is different from LotR. The main reason is obvious - it's a children's book. I find it very oral in style, and have read quite a bit of it aloud, to others or to myself, with great pleasure. However, we know from his essay "On Fairy Stories" that he later changed his mind about the style he used, feeling that it was not right to talk "down" to children in the narrative voice as occurs here occasionally. Does this change in style bother you? Do you still enjoy reading the book though you are no longer a child?

The chapter takes place in one day, beginning with a "Good morning!" and ending with uncomfortable dreams. The last sentence takes Bilbo and the reader into the next morning, with the expectancy of what will happen.

I hope you'll join in this adventure and discuss The Hobbit with us! Every contribution is welcome!

[Kuruharan]

The dwarven song about the fall of the Mountain is one of my favorites (shockingly enough).

It is interesting that Tolkien uses the same method here as elsewhere in showing the underlying depth of his world. He gives us small glimpses of it without explaining them. I still wonder why I find it so effective when he does it but so annoying when some other authors use this technique.

[Lalwendë]

First of all, which editions are people reading for this? I like to picture what everybody is reading; I am using this edition, much battered, but well-loved.

The door opened on to a tube-shaped hall like a tunnel: a very comfortable tunnel without smoke, with panelled walls, and floors tiled and carpeted, provided with polished chairs, and lots and lots of pegs for hats and coats - the hobbit was fond of visitors. The tunnel wound on and on, going fairly but not quite straight into the side of the hill - The Hill, as all the people for many miles round called it - and many little round doors opened out of it, first on one side and then on another. No going upstairs for the hobbit: bedrooms, bathrooms, cellars, pantries (lots of these), wardrobes (he had whole rooms devoted to clothes), kitchens, diningrooms, all were on the same floor, and indeed on the same passage. The best rooms were all on the left-hand side (going in), for these were the only ones to have windows, deep-set round windows looking over his garden and meadows beyond, sloping down to the river.

Reading this chapter now, I was immediately taken with the descriptions of Bag End and of Bilbo's lifestyle. This Hobbit hole is a bungalow! British readers will all know that bungalows are something of a symbol of comfortable suburban life, and what's more, he lives in what seems to be a between the wars period bungalow - complete with tiled hallway covered by carpet and lots of hat pegs. Bag End even has rooms 'for best'. Looking at Bag End this way, only one point sticks out as odd, Bilbo's wardrobes; this could pinpoint him as having secretive dandyish tendencies...

The first conversation between Bilbo and Gandalf is also very amusing and I think again places Bilbo as similar to a very particular type of English person. He is most polite and congenial with this stranger, he even ignores Gandalf's slightly sarcastic rumination on the meaning of "good morning", but as soon as Gandalf mentions something he does not approve of, he beings to act dismissively:

"I should think so in these parts! We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner! I can't think what anybody sees in them," said our Mr. Baggins, and stuck one thumb behind his braces, and blew out another even bigger smoke-ring. Then he took out his morning letters, and began to read, pretending to take no more notice of the old man. He had decided that he was not quite his sort, and wanted him to go away.

But the old man did not move. He stood leaning on his stick and gazing at the hobbit without saying anything, till Bilbo got quite uncomfortable and even a little cross.

"Good morning!"he said at last. "We don't want any adventures here, thank you! You might try over The Hill or across The Water."By this he meant that the conversation was at an end.

"What a lot of things you do use Good morning for!"said Gandalf. "Now you mean that you want to get rid of me, and that it won't be good till I move off."
"Not at all, not at all, my dear sir! Let me see, I don't think I know your name?"

But Gandalf can see right through his act, and instead of simply moving on, as a Hobbit might, put in his place by Bilbo's dismissive manner, Gandalf continues to talk. I wonder if he does know how to react against Bilbo's behaviour or if Gandalf simply does not know the subtleties of the social code in The Shire? I like to think it is the former, as he immediately has an effect on Bilbo's sense of embarrassment, and so gets a foothold.

The whole chapter is something of a struggle between Bilbo's sense of reserve and wanting to appear polite. He allows Gandalf and the Dwarves into his life due to his wanting to appear polite and not to simply say "no, clear off" - it reminds me of when we cross someone in the street and both people seem to do a little dance trying to step aside, all the while apologising.

Bilbo's agreeing to go on this adventure is eventually brought about partly by appealing to a hidden sense of adventure, that we do know, but I think this is also brought on by his indignance at being thought of as foolish. Tolkien uses a nice phrase for this:

this is what he called being on his dignity

There's a lot to pick up on in this chapter! I wholly disagree when it is said that The Hobbit has not got depth! Aside from the wonderful way it is written and the characters are introduced so cleverly, there are many intriguing sections in this chapter. Gandalf knew the Old Took (why?), he has taken many Hobbit 'lads and lasses' on adventures, what was Gandalf doing in Dol Guldur? I could go on, but the point is, there are plenty of references to a bigger world here.

The structure is interesting too. I don't know if this is in every edition, but mine begins with a one page foreword; this is mainly about the Runes, and it sets them up as a kind of 'puzzle'. This can be solved once you read on and find out what each rune corresponds to; very tricksy, as once you have read on a little further you may very well be hooked.

[Hookbill the Goomba]

The Hobbit. Even if you don't think it completely fits in with the rest of Middle Earth, its still a fantastic read.
Something that has struck me about 'The Hobbit' especially the opening is the use of Faërie. After reading 'On Fairy tales' by Tolkien, he speaks of Faërie as being a (perilous) realm that is not of this earth. Within the first few pages there is a sense of Faërie and even a mention of it.

It was often said (in other families) that long ago one of the Took ancestors must have taken a Fairy wife.

Many have remarked that The Lord of the Rings and Middle Earth is Tolkien's attempt at a mythology for England. I would disagree; I would say that it (The Hobbit in any case) is his attempt at a new Fairy tale. Being frustrated with the modern view of fairies as small creatures that hide in flowers, he wanted to bring back the true perilous realm of Faërie. The Hobbit is where he begins this ambition, yet it seems that the tale ran away with him and became entangled in his already established (in his mind) Middle Earth.

There are other mentions of Faërie things, such as Gandalf's gift to the Old Took:

... a pair of magic diamond studs that fastened themselves and never came undone till ordered?

Although, I am often thrown by Gandalf's use of the phrase, "Very amusing for me" when describing sending Bilbo on this Adventure. I always saw it as Tolkien trying to show a malicious side to Gandalf, that he wasn't all good.
Any thoughts?

EDIT: I'm using the 1995 hardback edition. Cover illustration by Tolkien himself.

[Kath]

Having just flicked through the first chapter now, I came across something that I remember loving when I was younger, and that's the way that Tolkien writes it to be read. It's as if he is creating it for an audience that is there with him, who can interrupt and question him and who he has to keep the suspense for.

This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, and found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected. he may have lost the neighbour's respect, but he gained - well, you will see whether he gained anything in the end.

The mother of our particular hobbit - what is a hobbit? I suppose hobbits need some description nowadays, since they have become rare and shy of the Big People, as they call us.

It feels like you as a reader are directly involved in the story from the very beginning, and all the description pulls you in, so you feel that you are really there. It also feels personalised thanks to the continued use of the word 'you'.

I love the conversation between Bilbo and Gandalf at the beginning as well with the variations on ‘Good morning’ and poor Bilbo being so confused.

As for talking down to children, I don't believe it does. The sheer amount of description in it takes a lot of concentration and understanding. I wonder if it's just that everything is slightly happier. As in the Elves being jolly rather than ethereal and Gandalf having very little in the way of a deeper/darker side.

Although, I am often thrown by Gandalf's use of the phrase, "Very amusing for me" when describing sending Bilbo on this Adventure. I always saw it as Tolkien trying to show a malicious side to Gandalf, that he wasn't all good.
Any thoughts?

I don't know that it's malicious exactly. More like he knew that Bilbo was going to be ok, that he'd manage to get through everything that was thrown at him, and it was more the way that Bilbo approached these tasks that he found amusing.

[Essex]

I've got the 1991 version of the 'original' (amongst other battered paperback versions) - ie tolkien's cover and colour pictures inside.

I first was forced to read the Hobbit in school when I was around 11. I HATED being told what to read so rebelled against it. I remember the first line, the spiders and bilbo's journey in the barrel from that first read. It was a few years until I read it agin, and that was because I had got into LOTR.

The other thing I remember is us discusssing Gandalf - oh there he goes s**ding off again! Little did I know what he was up to............. (now wouldn't THAT work well in a hobbit movie - the White Council - with flashbacks to his trips to Dol Guldur too?)

Oh yes, and 11 year olds Essex lads being able to say in classroom - 'I don't give a toss' as Gandalf says and then laughing our heads off! Priceless!

[davem]

As we're discussing The Hobbit I thought you might be interested in this film clip of Tolkien talking about writing it you'll need RealPlayer (just click 'Play Video: at the top of the page

http://uk.search.yahoo.com/video/vie...47&pld=780x515

[Aiwendil]

Lalwende wrote:

This Hobbit hole is a bungalow! British readers will all know that bungalows are something of a symbol of comfortable suburban life, and what's more, he lives in what seems to be a between the wars period bungalow - complete with tiled hallway covered by carpet and lots of hat pegs.

Indeed, the whole portrayal of Hobbiton in this chapter is strikingly modern, even bourgeois. This is something that is present to some extent in LotR as well, but it is much more obvious here. The beginning of The Hobbit is largely about a meeting between the, comfortable, well-fed, upper middle-class of modern England and the darker, medieval world of Germanic mythology. Shippey discusses this in Author of the Century, and I think I agree with him that a large part of what The Hobbit does is to show (over the course of the whole book) that the modern English are not really so far removed from the world of wizards, Dwarves, and dragons.