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Re: Introduction to The Hobbit

Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2012 8:50 am
by stahrwe
Tolkien was a devout Catholic and his novels, especially The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit abound with Catholic and Christian symbolism and meaning. That being said, The Hobbit is not an allegory. But The Hobbit can be a religious work without being an allegory. Remember that Tolkien is on record as saying that the Lord of the Rings was “a fundamentally religious and Catholic work." So, we must still believe that the work is religious in nature without strict allegory.

"The Lord of the Rings is of course a fundamentally religious and Catholic work; unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision. That is why I have not put in, or have cut out, practically all references to anything like 'religion', to cults or practices, in the imaginary world. For the religious element is absorbed into the story and the symbolism."
Carpenter, Humphrey (1995). The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien, Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-618-05699-8, Letter no. 142, page 172.

Checkout the appendices for TLOTR: The fellowship of the ring begin their mission on December 25 (Christmas), and their story climaxes exactly three months later, on March 25 (in the traditional English calendar, the date of the Fall of Man, the Annunciation, and the Crucifixion).

While The Hobbit is not exactly a prequel to TLOTR, it fulfills that role and the images and story elements which form the foundation for TLOTR are present. Tolkien was a devout Catholic all his life and to excise religion from the fabric of The Hobbit and TLOTR does a disservice to him, and to those studying the works since you cannot understand the books with one eye closed.

Re: Introduction to The Hobbit

Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2012 12:01 pm
by Chris OConnor
Interesting. I had no idea that Tolkien purposely and consciously connected this amazing series to his religion. Thanks for sharing this.

Re: Introduction to The Hobbit

Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2012 12:22 pm
by catrambo
If you're interested in finding out more about the context the Hobbit was written in, Humphrey Carpenter has a book called The Inklings, which is the group of writers that Tolkein interacted with, and which included fellow fantasy writers C.S. Lewis and Charles Williams. It's interesting to read the books they produced and see how they're dealing with religious themes in very different ways.

Re: Introduction to The Hobbit

Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2012 1:02 pm
by Chris OConnor
I'm primarily interested in reading and enjoying the story. To me the thrill is in being immersed in the fantasy world of Middle-earth. The symbolism and religious undertones are trivial to me and I certainly am not interested in studying them. I think it is wonderful that there are people that do enjoy this sort of research (and summarize and share their findings with me) but for me the fantasy world is what intrigues me.

Re: Introduction to The Hobbit

Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2012 1:53 pm
by Cattleman
I'm with Chris on this issue; I personally just read the story as a fantasy, and enjoy it.

Re: Introduction to The Hobbit

Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2012 3:46 pm
by stahrwe
One can read the Alice In Wonderland books as mere fantasy and enjoy them too, but when one looks more deeply a whole new experience presents itself. The difference is like reading about a roller coaster ride v. actually riding one. The same can be said for Tolkien's work.

Re: Introduction to The Hobbit

Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2012 7:39 pm
by DWill
I wonder if Tolkien ever elaborated on the Catholicism of the books. Writers such as Graham Greene, Flannery O'Connor, and Walker Percy are said by critics to be Catholic in their outlook. I don't know exactly what the critics mean, but I don't think it has to do with any Christian symbolism so much as an attitude toward existence. The fact that Tolkien says 'Catholic' and not 'Christian' might be a tip-off that he is using the label in this certain way. A not so far-fetched guess is that Tolkien's world in LOTR is Catholic in the sense that good and evil are quite distinct, with evil always going for the upper hand, and that we're called upon to be heroes to the point of self-sacrifice if we expect the good to prevail.

Re: Introduction to The Hobbit

Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2012 12:54 pm
by VMLM
That's actually pretty interesting. It's always fun to go back to something you thought you knew and looking at it in a whole new light. I wonder what catholic symbolism can be found in this book? In the entire series?

I'm the kind of reader that likes to wonder what the person writing was like, what his motivation, what was he actually trying to say. I often catch myself wondering how much of the meaning I've found in a book has been imprinted by me, and how much by the author.

Thank you stahrwe.
I'll also be checking out The Inklings catrambo, as soon as I finish The Simpsons and Philosophy xD.

Re: Introduction to The Hobbit

Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2012 1:22 pm
by catrambo
I agree that reading straight through for enjoyment is awesome - that delicious immersion, losing yourself in a book is a feeling that is one of the best in the world. I read for pleasure, but with the books that really moved me, I often go back and try to figure out how the writer did what they did. I've read The Hobbit and the LotR enough times that it's a little embarrassing, but they've had such a big influence on fantasy literature that I find it fun to track the chains of influence.

I recently read a parody, The Soddit, or, Let's Cash in Again, by Adam Roberts (writing as A.R.R. Roberts), which I don't think I would have enjoyed a fraction as much unless I knew the Hobbit well. It was pretty silly (the trolls were cross-dressers, for one, which I found a little problematic), but it had some fun moments.

Re: Introduction to The Hobbit

Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2012 3:32 pm
by stahrwe
I have less interest in things Simpson than for a Christmas Hallmark Channel Romance. They owe Tracey Ullman big-time.

I believe that I have already posted Tolkien's quote that The Lord of the Rings was, "a fundamentally religious and Catholic work," and, while the current book under discussion is The Hobbit, it seems reasonable to look for the same, or at least similar glimpses of Christianity and Catholicism in its pages.

If you are looking for a helpful guide to accomplish that I suggest:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/161890 ... PDKIKX0DER

http://www.decentfilms.com/articles/faithandfantasy