SUMMER PROJECT ON Medievalism, Fantasy and Modernity in J.R.R Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Award of Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) in English Submitted by: Submitted to: Shalini Panchal Mr. Antriksh Panchal Enrollment no.: A0706113123 Assistant Professor …show more content…
Tolkien knows how is going to developed this print- oral text building the direction of the story from the beginning. The tale structure is a clear example of a medieval and classical text, that is, it has some canons which medieval plot works have, Tolkien starts The Hobbit narration by saying “ In a hole in the ground there lived….”, which create a parallelism that clarify the question. Bilbo Baggins represent linearity in this novel because, in addition he is the main character, he is the tale driver thread so if we make him disappear from the literary context, the novel would have no sense becoming in a fantastic whole of tales without a real manifest. The tale started in a hobbit’s hole, it continues in a Middle Earth guided travel and, finally, it finishes in the starter point after umpteenth adventures. In this sense, we can assert Bilbo is tangible character despite of he represents linear life as we have and, for this reason, he is J.R.R Tolkien representation in the novel. Linearity of The Hobbit is not a innovatory narrative element, but it is present in every …show more content…
For example, Bilbo encounter Goblins, Wargs, elves, Gollum, and Smaug the dragon in his journey to help the dwarves repossess their treasure, and he travel well beyond the hobbit- lands through Mirkwood and Misty mountains to the Lonely Mountains. He escapes the death several times, undergoes the deprivation of hunger and bad weather, and ultimately sees action in the Battle of Five Armies. All these things would have been not possible if he had stayed at home in the safety of his hobbit hole. The formation of a journey plot is often described as periodic; there is no complex interlink of the various characters he met throughout the story. The second feature related to the quest theme is in the character development of the main character. In many stories the quest theory serves as the metaphor for the personal growth of the character, for which the quest is often the fulfillment of a personal fate. As the protagonist travels physically afar from home. He develops psychologically and spiritually. The episode of the plot serves as trials or lesson to him, and when he finds his object of the quest he find his authentic self. Property and
This passage solidifies the theory of the Hero’s Journey that much further. Thomas Foster explains that every story is a quest, and every quest structurally consists of the same five things. There’s the quester, the destination, the reason to go, challenges on the trip there, and the real reason for the journey. He also explains there are other components to the quest that every story seems to have. There is the knight, the dangerous road, the “holy grail”, a dragon, an evil knight, and a princess. When one thinks about it, it’s a little hard to agree that every story is the same, but if each story is at it’s bare bones, they can be fairly similar. In Foster’s example story there is the knight, Kip, the dark knight, Tony, the princess, the
These feelings drive O’Brien to seek out a journey in order to find out what is truly valuable to his self being. His adventure of self-knowledge mirrors the narrative archetype of the Hero’s Quest. One might argue that as a result of O’Brien’s uncooperative nature towards his circumstances, he is able to pursue the main motive of the Hero’s Journey, in which he departs from his ordinary world and is able to obtain the life treasure of self-acknowledgement.
J.R.R Tolkien's action packed, fantasy driven, inspiring novel The Hobbit shows the message that everyone must know, that you should never give up even if all hope seems to be lost. It shows setting of evergreen forests with villages scattered along the paths of which they must take and mountains just on the horizon. The read must go along with bilbo baggins a hobbit that does not realize there is more to him than just being a baggins and that he will live up to his family's name. Even after gandalf tells him that he will embark on a great adventure he still doesn’t believe he is anymore than just bilbo. Therefor this story is inspiring and shows that with the setting, character, and theme combined make this story a great read.
Thomas C. Foster’s novel How to Read Literature Like a Professor, helps the reader understand the beginnings of a quest by breaking down the task into five steps. A quest will always consist of 1) a quester, 2) a place to go, 3) a stated reason to go there, 4) challenges and trials en route, and 5) a real reason to go there. A quester, the protagonist, typically is not aware that they are partaking in a quest. Step two and three are thought of together usually because the protagonist is told to go somewhere to do something. However, the stated reason to go to their destination is not the real reason they go there. As Foster explains, “In fact, more often than not, the quester fails at
Within J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, Tolkien uses the character of Bilbo Baggins to reveal to the reader the constant struggle between heroic and anti-heroic qualities within Bilbo and ourselves.
mythic story of the questing hero is a metaphor of the inward journey to self-knowledge, that
The Quest Pattern theory states that during adolescence a youth is looking for their identity. This individual will look for a place where they are accepted. The quest fits a loose pattern; the first step is determined by fate, destiney provides a troubling situation before the individual can embark on their journey. Then the initial change happens, or the event that sets the quest in motion. Next is the unchartered territory, in this stage the real adventure happens; a person can geographically venture into new territory, or an experience an emotional journey somewhere outside of their comfort zone. Next, is the required learned knowledge; this is the information that the individual learns about his or her self in order to reach self-acceptance. There is the journey home, which is a quest within itself, but also a stage where more knowledge is gained. Lastly the reward, it is the happiness that occurs from the knowledge that the individual has gained; this stage is also known as finding the meaning of life. The Quest Pattern is a journey of personal evolution that every antagonist can relate to.
The Hobbit. A story in which an ordinary hobbits becomes the hero (helms), how dwarves change their attitude, and how elves alter their personalities and fight alongside the dwarves. When the book began in the shire, Bilbo Baggins was just a normal hobbit. He did not always have the courage to rage war on five different armies. Bilbo was part took and part Baggins. As a kid he was adventurous and wild. You can thanks the Took for that side. The quiet and polite side came from the Baggins. But as he grew, he changed. He "did not have adventures or do anything unexpected." Although he was known for his preworks (swank). But one day, when Gandalf the grey came for a visit everything changed.
Tolkien, J. R. R., and Douglas A. Anderson. The Lord of the Rings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin,
Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit, one who enjoys peace and quiet, feasts and fireplaces, and the coziness of his home. At the beginning the The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, Bilbo could not even imagine going on a tenacious adventure, but by the end he has survived the longest, toughest battle yet. Throughout the novel Bilbo Baggins changes from a prudent, typical hobbit into a courageous, sacrificing adventurer.
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was an Old English author and Anglo-Saxon professor at the University of Oxford. Tolkien was actually born in Bloemfontein South Africa on January 3, 1892. Tolkien did not have a lot of memories of Africa due to him being so you other than the fact that his father Arthur died there. After that Tolkien his brother Hilary and mother Mabel all moved back to the West Midlands of England. Mabel Tolkien would soon die from diabetes because at the time insulin was not known to be a remedy of diabetes. John Tolkien and his brother Hilary were taken in by a Mrs. Faulkner. John Tolkien at this time was already showing signs of becoming and author of greatness due to his mastery of Latin and Greek. Greek having a lot to do with the epic stories of heroes like the Iliad and the Odyssey could be why when you read a book by Tolkien you notice things about the characters that make them seem heroic. While at the boarding home of Mrs. Faulkner Tolkien grew a strong rela...
The Hobbit, written by John R. R. Tolkien, is a fantasy novel published on September 21, 1937. It was written as a prelude to the famous series, The Lord of the Rings, written seventeen years later. The Hobbit introduces the reader to an incredibly immersive fantasy world, that enriches the reader into its epic storyline. The story takes place in a land called Middle-earth, a land filled with enchanting surprises and magical wonders. It was the perfect playground for Tolkien to develop his main character Bilbo Baggins. Bilbo Baggins was a small hobbit, who unaware in the beginning would become a large role in the plot. It is through this character that Tolkien implemented the theme of heroism into the story. Bilbo’s unexpected adventure with the dwarves and the wizard gave him the opportunity to develop into the ultimate hero of Tolkien’s tale. Bilbo’s epic journey to become the hero of the story begins when Gandalf, the wizard, tells Bilbo of an expedition that would soon change his life forever.
By the end of the story Bilbo has changed on his journey from innocence to experience. Even though
... As the quest progresses, Bilbo discovers more and more about himself, as do the people around him. “The real life of men is of that mythical and heroic quality…And man as a whole, Man pitted against the universe, have we seen him at all till we see that he is like a hero in a fairy tale?” (C. S. Lewis). That it is important to find one’s self is an ongoing theme portrayed throughout the entirety of the novel, as proven. This theme is a clear example of an exigent as well as ageless message, contributing to the splendor of fantasy writing.
A fantasy is an imaginary world where all things imaginable can be brought to life. J.R.R Tolkien portrayed fantasy through his use of skilled craftsmanship and a vivid imagination, which was presented in each piece of literature he wrote. In Tolkien's two stories The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings we see the theme of fantasy brought to life through three essential elements, heroism, magic and retribution. Heroism is shown through the character's courage and bravery in situations where conflict arises and this enables them to be seen in a new light. Magic is a form of extraordinary power seemingly through a supernatural force; it is used in a combination of combat and mystical items to aid the companions on their journey. Retribution is paid to the evil forces for the wrongs society had to endure while they were allowed to dominate. This system allows opportunity for physical and mental development in the characters and the aspect of fantasy to come to life.