Comment on lecture Bilbo gets away, Hobbit chapter 1

When Bilbo is lured away to the adventures of the dwarves out of his comfortable hobbit hole in the quiet Shire, there is an internal struggle between his calm and respectable Balings side and the more adventurous Took side and the external pressure of the dwarves and Gandalf induce him to half willingly consent to the adventure. Olson states that Bilbo as well as the reader are pulled into the story and that Tolkien was aiming at kids. For the kids the essential part a story is that something happens relative fast, that there is more action than thinking, description of things and persons. For me as a child it was not essential that a wizard makes fireworks to make him accessable or for dwarves to make precious toys. A story is a story and anything will do, all depends on the skills of the storyteller. You will follow all bends in train of thoughts or actions as long as it keeps you interested.

Later on Bilbo keeps missing his meals and homely place and that is a continuation of his internal struggle. What is more amazing is that he misses nothing else, except his habits, place and food. It turns Biblo into a slightly autistic person, that he misses no friends or family or lovers. Most people that feel homesick, miss lovers, friends or family or the mixture of these. Bilbo also fails to build a personal relation with the dwarves: love, hate and irritation in a ever changing rhythm. Sometimes you get the impression that this book and story are the awkward beginnings of a writer and that in later writings his skill has grown and his style become more consistent with his own ideas and inceptions.

I like the comical note sometimes or the irony, but I am not sure if it helps the story or the children listening to it. Very helpful is the way Olson explains the songs, I used to read them quickly and almost ignored them as they seem to distract from the story.

http://tolkienprofessor.com/lectures/hobbit_series/hobbit_home.html

Comment on lecture Bilbo gets away, Hobbit chapter 1