It is said that nothing is original. That the greatest films, songs, shows, writings, performances, and fashions of our time all began as a germ of an idea that originated from some other place - maybe another masterpiece in the same line of work, or perhaps a lesser-known diamond-in-the-rough by an unsuccessful artist. Even the ‘Father’ of Modern Fantasy literature, J.R.R. Tolkien, has been subjected to critical scrutiny concerning the influences behind his acclaimed novel The Hobbit. Certainly his stories have done their own share of influencing, ultimately spawning a number of films, video games, and even stage adaptations. It is reasonable to believe that so imaginative, involved, and expansive a work as The Hobbit must have also drawn its own inspiration from outside sources - perhaps not only literary works, but real-world experiences as well. But what sort of grand stories or events could have guided the creativity of the author of such a timeless epic? Several Tolkien scholars posit that Beowulf and World War I each held significant sway over his writings, and so in this essay we will, in turn, look at the similarities between both of these and Tolkien’s The Hobbit.
In 1936, Tolkien delivered a lecture entitled Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics, in which he berated the literary field for its perception of the epic poem as merely a source of Old English linguistic study and Anglo-Saxon history. He fervently argued that the story should be valued for its interesting and noteworthy elements of fantasy, and that instead of simply overlooking the ‘monsters’, heroes, and the battles between the two, the focus of students and scholars should primarily be on precisely those fictional and fantastic components. It is plain to...
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It will be the contention of this paper that much of Tolkien's unique vision was directly shaped by recurring images in the Catholic culture which shaped JRRT, and which are not shared by non-Catholics generally. The expression of these images in Lord of the Rings will then concern us.
In Tolkien’s lecture, “Beowulf: The monsters and the Critics,” he argues that Beowulf has been over analyzed for its historical content, and it is not being studied as a piece of art as it should be. He discusses what he perceives the poet of Beowulf intended to do, and why he wrote the poem the way he did. Tolkien’s main proposition, “it was plainly only in the consideration of Beowulf as a poem, with an inherent poetic significance, that any view or conviction can be reached or steadily held” (Tolkien). He evaluates why the author centers the monsters throughout the entire poem, why the poem has a non-harmonic structure, why and how the author fusses together Christianity and Paganism, and how the author uses time to make his fictional poem seem real. He also discusses the overall theme of Beowulf and other assumptions of the text. To support his viewpoints, Tolkien uses quotations and examples from the poem, quotations from other critics, and compares Beowulf to other works of art. Tolkien discusses several statements in interpreting Beowulf as a poem.
Throughout history, there have been countless stories, legends, myths, and tales featuring larger-than-life heroes that metaphorically or even physically go to the ends of the earth achieving heroic feats and gathering companions along the way, each playing their own role in the hero's story. Many of these epics have the same plot structure and similar character archetypes that make these stories stand out from the rest, giving them a distinct and unique style. The story The Epic of Gilgamesh translated by N.K. Sandars and the film Mel Gibson's Braveheart are two classic sagas that are alike in many ways such as their similar plots, their general character archetypes, and finally their central theme.
The paper will begin with a look at the life of Tolkien. This will serve the purpose of providing some context for the novel. Looking into the life of Tolkien will also serve to give the reader some insight into the mind that gave birth to such a rich land and why the novel may have some importance for sufferers of mental illness. Next will likely be a short summation of the
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In the novel, The Hobbit, we find many themes and underlying messages from which useful knowledge and principles can be acquired. As the modern canadian fantasy writer once said, “Fantasy has the capacity to be as important and as thought-provoking as any other form of literature we have.” Tolkien’s work provides readers with challenging and time honoured themes such as: use your unique positive traits for the greater good of the group, power should never be abused and it is important to find your true self in life.
J.R.R. Tolkien can be considered the founding father of the genre fantasy. Most of Tolkien’s texts revolve around the same themes. An author will often write about important messages that pertain to society as a whole. His texts often have hidden messages that relate to his themes. In the fantasy novel The Hobbit and novella “Farmer Giles of Ham”, J.R.R. Tolkien demonstrates that possession ears to overconfidence, greed and selfishness.
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