A Warm Welcome is quite similar to A Short Rest, and not just because of the three word chapter titles. Both chapters are kind of a pause in the action. They are both a chance for the company to rest a little and heal before they move on to something more difficult. And both allow…
Way back in my first entry in this series, I commented that I like the fact that Tolkien apparently doesn’t care about spoilers. The title of this chapter proves it again. Before you even start reading, it is pretty obvious that the dwarves will be imprisoned and will escape in barrels. Like all good stories,…
Since at least the time of Plato, people have generally accepted that knowledge is justified true belief. Sure there are some who disagree by raising Gettier Problems or denying the possibility of knowledge, but for most people, most of the time, justified true belief is knowledge. Lately, though, I’ve been questioning that definition. It sure seems like…
From the very first time I read The Hobbit, Flies and Spiders has fascinated me. It’s hard for me to put my finger on exactly why, but I can always speculate. It is the first chapter without Gandalf. Before this, there was always the sense that Gandalf could take care of whatever problem they faced. …
The title of this chapter betrays the age of The Hobbit (First published in 1937). People just don’t use the word queer in this way anymore. I suppose if it were a modern book, the chapter would be Weird Lodgings. As a kid, I’m sure I didn’t even notice the title of the chapter. As…
Chapter VI has always felt to me like the end of the beginning. Up until now, Tolkien has been setting the stage, establishing the characters and putting the plot in motion. After this chapter we will get into the real meat of the story. There is a lot of action in this chapter. Bilbo finds…
If you’re reading The Hobbit as a prequel to Lord of the Rings, this is the chapter you’re looking for. The original version of this chapter is one of the few things by Tolkien that I’ve never read. After writing Lord of the Rings, Tolkien rewrote much of this chapter to bring the two books…
This is another short chapter, but it has a lot of action in it. It starts with the thirteen dwarves, Bilbo and Gandalf climbing the Misty Mountains. It is slow going, but they start off confident and cheery. The good mood doesn’t last long. The main action of the chapter starts when they are caught…
A Short Rest is a short chapter. It is our first introduction to elves and to Elrond. Elrond is a minor character in this book, but he will be huge in Lord of the Rings. The elves will be important to this story later on. The are a few important pieces in this chapter. We learn…
Chapter II is special to me. When I was a kid, I’m pretty sure I didn’t know what to make of Chapter I, so it was Chapter II that drew me in. It’s about perfect juvenile literature. There is plenty of action and danger, but also plenty of humor, mostly of the slapstick variety. This…
