The Hobbit: Fairy Tale or Epic Myth?
When J.R.R Tolkien’s The Hobbit was originally published in 1937, it was received as nothing more than a children’s fantasy novel. Many critics felt that the book was too whimsical and contained too many childish aspects for adult readers. However, Tolkien maintained throughout his life that The Hobbit was aimed at more than just children and adolescents (Akers). Having retained popularity for more than seventy years– the third best selling work of fiction in history– The Hobbit is undeniably a classic. But can The Hobbit be included among the cannon, or is it confined to the realm of children’s literature?
Over the course of the year, we have developed a thorough definition of what makes adult literature great, or classic. Above all, great works of literature are great works of art springing from the mind, the creative imagination, of the author. The author creates a new world, as opposed to squeezing what they can out of another (Nabokov). Every word and every detail is arranged just so, “an attempt to make something as formed and controlled as a building (Woolf). Prose tells us there is nothing superfluous; everything has a function, and the details are “controlled by some overall purpose” (O’Connor). Great works are different than lesser, “rubbish reading” in that they convey a whole, not a lesser, truth about life, and that truth is inseparable from the story itself (Woolf). Writers must be storytellers, teachers, and enchanters, and it is the enchanter that sets the greats apart from the rest (Nabokov). Thomas Foster also provides a list of devices and features to look for in literature, as authors commonly use them to get to deeper ideas.
Essentially, the quality of a work comes from the author’s inventiveness and control and use of language, allowing the work to operate on multiple levels to create and convey theme. But do the same characteristics apply to children’s literature? In short, there is no line that separates children’s literature from adult literature. Rather, there are certain characteristics that are more common to appear in, but are not limited to, children’s literature (Sale). Children’s works are more likely to contain action and fantasy than works aimed at adults. Fantasy includes anything that is outside the normal human perception of reality, and novels for children tend to be faster paced than those for adults. Children’s works also tend to be about childhood, or are told from a child’s point of view to further appeal to younger people. Many children’s books attempt to balance the idyllic and didactic. An optimistic tone and proximity to nature and friends create an appealing, utopian environment for children, and many children’s authors attempt to include a positive, instructive message (Hanlin). Beyond these common traits, it is impossible to separate adult literature and children’s literature because so many books appeal to a wide range of ages. Robinson Crusoe, Gulliver’s Travels, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn were not written specifically for children, but children have enjoyed them for decades.
The Hobbit is one such “crossover” book, having attraction on the surface to hold the interest of younger people while also operating on a deeper level to appeal to adults. The Hobbit contains many of the characteristics common in children’s literature. Compared to other works we have read this year, works commonly described as adult literature, The Hobbit is extraordinarily fast paced and action-packed. Fantasy also plays a large role in the book. The Hobbit takes place in Middle-Earth, a land with many similarities to the earth we know (humans, horses, geography), but additionally contains many fantastic characters like trolls, dwarves, giant talking spiders, and shape shifting bear-men. It contains an idyllic environment as the main character, Bilbo, proceeds on his quest in close contact with nature and his company of friends. While The Hobbit is not didactic in that it tries to convey a life lesson, it is didactic in that it has a theme, and other elements beneath the surface action– and it is this that gives The Hobbit its broad appeal, and makes it more than just a book for children.
Take the scene in which Bilbo stumbles into Gollum’s cavern and finds the magic ring for the first time. Bilbo and the dwarves have become separated in their attempt to escape the troll infested mountain, and Bilbo is stumbling deeper into its heart. Suddenly, Bilbo splashes into an underground lake. This may seem like an inconsequential event, but Tolkien orchestrates his details to work towards a deeper purpose. As Foster explains, a character getting wet always has another purpose. Bilbo’s plunge into the lake represents a baptism, and it marks a turning point in his character. Since the opening pages, a struggle has been raging inside Bilbo between his two lineages: his timid, insipid Baggins side and his boisterous and adventurous Took side. Until this moment, his Baggins’ side has the upper hand; just before he stumbles into the water he thinks “of himself frying bacon and eggs in his kitchen at home” (76). After this, however, Bilbo begins to enjoy his adventure and embrace his role as “the burglar,” helping the dwarves navigate through the forest of Mirkwood without getting eaten by giant spiders or taken prisoner by wood elves, and then assisting them in vanquishing Smaug, the dragon. The ring Bilbo finds is also more than just a magic ring; it symbolizes the corrupting potential of power. Tolkien found this idea important enough to write another whole series about it.
As much as The Hobbit contains the characteristics of a children’s book, it also has the qualities of adult literature. A closer look at The Hobbit reveals that Tolkien does not include details and events at random; instead, he uses them to create deeper levels of meaning and communicate more, like the other great writers we have studied this year. Many of these details are used to create ideas Foster discusses. The Hobbit is not designed to appeal exclusively to children or adults. Rather, it contains elements of both children’s and adult literature that have helped it remain popular for multiple generations. The Hobbit’s fast paced action and fantasy world appeal to children, while adults take pleasure in its elements of great literature.
