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 Post subject: Hobbits
PostPosted: September 11th, 2009, 11:44 pm 
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Tolkien writes an entire chapter "Concerning Hobbits". If he hadn't, would you have been able to understand them? What are your impressions of them? How similar or different are they from yourself?

This thread is to discuss anything Hobbit related

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PostPosted: September 12th, 2009, 5:22 pm 
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They're innocent and unscarred by the real world. Something that humans can never even dream of being like... it's nice to read about.

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PostPosted: October 23rd, 2009, 6:29 pm 
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I think that Tolkien once reffered to Hobbits as being little english people (can't remeber from where, but Im sure he said that). Ill admit, I can see some of that to an extent.

I like that he spent a chapter describing Hobbits. It made the story feel more complete, better written. ou also feel more attached to the Hobbits, since you know their culture and their ways better.

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PostPosted: November 2nd, 2009, 2:59 am 
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The thing about "Concerning Hobbits" is that yes, it gives us a general background of what will eventually be our hero, but it sticks out in that the reader doesn't quite know what the story is and the fact that it's a little slow might put new readers off to the point where they don't reach past the Concerning Hobbits chapter. It's an interesting read if you're one of those people who read the books AFTER seeing a film-version of the books.

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PostPosted: November 2nd, 2009, 6:33 am 
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I disagree. It's a given that the entire book is not the same as the introduction (as "boring"), slow as it may be, based on something as simple as the description on the back of the book.

The Hobbit was meant to be read first as an introduction, if you will, to the long-winded LotR. The Hobbit was written in the same format - calm and peaceful and cheery introduction chapter before the real story and adventure starts, albeit much faster-paced than the LotR Hobbit intro simply because it was a much shorter book. If you've read The Hobbit before LotR, you'd have gotten the gist that this is Tolkien's style. That's how I saw it anyway; I read The Hobbit first. It's confusing anyway, if The Hobbit isn't read first. It's also a much easier book to read and far less complex, which is good for being a prequel to a story as elaborate as LotR.

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PostPosted: November 2nd, 2009, 5:10 pm 
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Disregarding The Hobbit, however, let's assume that a reader picks up the Fellowship of the Ring and opens it to Concerning Hobbits without any real knowledge to The Hobbit or any of the Lord of the Rings-adapted films.

If someone were to pick up Fellowship of the Ring and read, and gets introduced to this Middle Earth fantasy world, Concerning Hobbits is a good basis, however, it's a very slow and paced basis and the reader still doesn't quite know what general purpose of this chapter and what it does for the plot of the book. So my point is that some readers might not be able to even read past this chapter because they might find it's so slow or boring or they just don't find any interest in it at all despite how it sets up for the rest of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

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PostPosted: November 2nd, 2009, 5:43 pm 
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I was actually advised to skip the Prologue when I first read FotR. However, I'm the kind of person who is too curious to skip parts of a book so I struggled to get through it, and it left me utterly confused and discouraged. I had no idea how I was supposed to fit it into the story because the Prologue, including Concerning Hobbits, was the first chapter I read. I think for me it would have been okay to skip it the first time, however, I loved to have the background for the Hobbits after having read a bit further. It was really helpful and very interesting. Actually, much like The Council of Elrond (as discussed in another thread) that provides a good overview and context for the present and past events.

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 Post subject: Re: Hobbits
PostPosted: May 7th, 2011, 10:14 am 
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Like Kitoky said, it all depends on the reader. If a person just happens to pick up the book somewhere at random and just wants to read a story, then they probably won't appreciate a history lesson. Whereas if the reader is a Tolkien Scholar, or something around those lines, they will probably like it. All in all though, it's a good thing to have it there, and have it be left to the reader whether they want to read it or not. ;)


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 Post subject: Re: Hobbits
PostPosted: July 7th, 2011, 1:09 am 
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Yes, it depends on the reader. For me "Concerning Hobbits" was very good read and I read it with pleasure. Its nice to know the background of this race. For a moment, though, I was lost in the names and dates but I re-read it and everything was clear.

As for the Hobbits, I love this happy little people. I wish I was one of them :)

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 Post subject: Re: Hobbits
PostPosted: August 8th, 2011, 12:36 pm 
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concerning hobbits is in my opinion a good base for knowing all about hobbits if you haven't read the hobbit
as for my opinion of hobbits i would say that they're very relaxed and very at home where they live which is why they don't like adventures and also very carefree which is why they're not like humans they think more about food and having fun than gold which makes them unique as Thorin said in the hobbit "If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world"

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 Post subject: Re: Hobbits
PostPosted: September 16th, 2011, 2:43 pm 
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If I hadn't read about hobbits I would have been wondering what on Middle-Earth Tolkien was thinking. But I think now that they're just adorable, and I love when they hum! Though Tolkien must have been amazing with poetry because for the life of my I would never have been able to think up that many songs.

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 Post subject: Re: Hobbits
PostPosted: June 23rd, 2012, 2:51 am 
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I really liked "Concerning Hobbits" prologue. Maybe it WAS slow but not boring. I wasn't confused by any means.

Hobbits are great race, I always wanted to be a hobbit when I was younger (I really thought it can happen, don't ask me how ^^). I admired their simple lifes and how they can party with family and friends. I am little like hobbits: don't like adventure much and enjoy good meal ^^

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 Post subject: Re: Hobbits
PostPosted: June 23rd, 2012, 12:23 pm 
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In one of the note books to the hobbit and the LotR, the author gives a general description of every race in Middle Earth that take part in the late Third Age happenings. The author says that Tolkien intended to picture the average English people with the hobbits; carefree, loving good food, getting along with each other fairly well etc. I don't know how close this is to the truth though, because Tolkien wrote the LotR in the time period of the Second World War, and there the English people are not carefree and actively participate in a global war. However, the hobbits of the Shire do not partake in the wars and happenings of the outside world.


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 Post subject: Re: Hobbits
PostPosted: September 19th, 2012, 9:20 am 
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I'm very tiny by my size so, my mum says I look like a hobbit but I don't know if that is real. Well I don't have hairy feet so I'm not very very similar to hobbits.

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 Post subject: Re: Hobbits
PostPosted: September 22nd, 2012, 11:39 pm 
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haha and you probably dont have two breakfasts, elevensies, lunch, supper, dinner, and midnight snacks either like hobbits :p


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 Post subject: Re: Hobbits
PostPosted: September 23rd, 2012, 3:36 am 
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No I don't haha :D I think that I could never eat that much food in one day.

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