Talking to the READER?

[Bilbo]

Although this is the first of all the Tolkien books, why the hell does he talk to the reader. In LOTR this never happens, why in the Hobbit. :eek: :eek:

P.S. I would add a quote but there are too many!

[sun-star]

I think it's because The Hobbit is really more of a children's book in tone than LOTR, and so it has that kind of authorial voice. It reminds me of some of the Narnia books in that way.

[Comic Book Guy]

Tolkien later regretted not removing these when he revised the Hobbit for the publication of the Lord of the Rings.

[FrodoFriend]

I like it. It makes it more personal and cute, like he's telling a story instead of writing a book.

[Twilight]

I found the writting style rather refressing. If nothing else, it made the book easyer to read, yet still didn't detract at all from the content. I like how it can be anilysed in such an intelectual way, yet still be easy to read.

[eowyn144]

couldn't agree more.

[Earenya]

Precisely. The aim of "The Hobbit" was far different from LotR. And, to this day, it remains one of my favorite books. :)

[MasterMothra]

i rather enjoyed the style in the hobbit. it did seem to be more personal.

[barrelrider110]

I rather liked it. It made me feel as if a fatherly Tolkien was telling the story and reminds me of the writing style of A.A. Milne (Winnie the Pooh). At the time, fantasy works had to be qualified, have some sort of toehold in reality. Some sort of explaination was requireed. -- Like Alice waking from a dream, or Dorothy recovering from a bump on the head. This was done so children wouldn't have nightmares about flying monkeys, or goblins. A narrator was similar device to achieve that. It lets you know "its only a story."

LOTR was ground-breaking fantasy literature for that reason. It was adult fantasy.

Could you imagine in the last chapter, Frodo wakes from the dream on Saturday morning with his mother calling him to come down to have pancakes?

[Nibs]

Kind of odd how The Hobbit, LotR, and the Silmarillion differ drastically in style and yet, I enjoy reading them all equally. The Hobbit has far fewer names to obfuscate the reader but fits well with the other works despite their stark dissimilarities.

[Khadrane]

I liked it when Tolkien talked to the reader in The Hobbit, too. It would have stunk in LOTR or The Silmarillion, though.

[Kemren]

It struck me as a more intimate type of storytelling, just right for the relatively smaller scope of the narrative. Excellent book. I have read it seventeen times at last count.