I first tried to read The Hobbit at a quite young age, but I must confess that the chills I got when the dwarves started singing about going “Far over the misty mountains cold, through dungeons deep and caverns old” were too much for me. I didn’t feel brave enough to go over the Misty Mountains yet, so I put it back.
When I was in middle school, I rediscovered J.R.R. Tolkien in a big way. I read The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion in quick succession and was captivated by this huge, ancient world of heroes and legends and subtle magic.
A lot of people struggle through The Silmarillion, but I loved it. This was epic fantasy on a scale I had never imagined before; the world of the delightful little adventure book The Hobbit was packed with thousands of years of history and a complete mythology. Everyone in Middle-Earth had a back story that stretched back generations, and every place had a history. It was a whole new way of seeing literature.
The Lord of the Rings is no longer the longest book I’ve ever read, and Tolkien is not the only author who has given us complex, beautifully written fantasy literature, but his influence cannot be overstated.
We still feel the effects of his works in the world of fantasy today, every time we read any of the D&D-inspired series full of elves and dwarves and mischievous little thief types, or when some pointy-eared immortal shows up on the pages of a YA fantasy/romance to impress all of the lowly humans. He’s also in those books that are praised for their literary style and conflicted characters struggling to do the right thing instead of the easy thing. All of that is without even mentioning his influence on twentieth century pop culture, as seen amongst the hippies and in Led Zeppelin’s catalogue. He’s a bit like Shakespeare: even when you don’t think you’re quoting him, you probably are.
All of this puts the literature of Middle-Earth in a slightly strange position. Many consider The Hobbit a beloved part of their childhoods, or experienced The Lord of the Rings as one of the first “important” books they read. However, it has also managed to earn itself a place as one of the “classics” that you should read but have just never gotten around to (how many of the books you feel obligated to read of course coincides with the extent to which you like fantasy novels).
If you’re feeling a bit intimidated by Middle-Earth, remember: behind the mountains of lore, the carefully crafted languages and mythologies, and the generations of kings and heroes, is a story that a man lovingly crafted to tell his children at bedtime. And really, whether we admit it or not, don’t we all still love fairy stories?
So happy Hobbit Day, everyone! Take some time to read at least a few pages, and eat something delicious in honor of hobbits everywhere. And most of all, don’t forget to raise a glass of Old Winyards to our birthday boys Bilbo and Frodo, who taught us that no matter how unsuited we seem to adventure, deep down, we all wonder where the road leads.
