While J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic saga of Middle-earth often conjures images of weighty quests, his initial foray into this rich world, The Hobbit, is frequently miscategorized as a simple children’s tale. Despite the presence of more lighthearted and adventurous elements, Tolkien himself firmly refuted the notion that his debut novel was specifically crafted for a young audience – although there is a great The Hobbit graphic novel that emphasizes its more whimsical elements.
The Hobbit provides some of the best scenes in the franchise. As well as being tonally different because it is a gleeful and nostalgic retelling of the events by The Lord of the Rings’ Bilbo Baggins, it also contrasts because of its early development. Through his letters and interviews, the esteemed author clarified his intentions. Tolkien’s pronouncements reveal a more nuanced perspective on his intended readership and the evolution of his storytelling.
Tolkien SH๏τ Down The Idea That The Hobbit Was Written Specifically For Children
Tolkien Made The Claim Early In His Creative Career
In Tolkien’s true story told through letters and interviews, he provided a wealth of insights about his own authorial intentions. He could be quite annoyed with people’s misconceptions about his work, and went on the record about certain misconceptions, especially regarding allegory, which he had a distaste for. Another common misconception is that The Hobbit is a children’s story. Tolkien said the following about the intended audience for his debut novel:
“That’s all sob stuff. No, of course, I didn’t. If you’re a youngish man and you don’t want to be made fun of, you say you’re writing for children. At any rate, children are your immediate audience and you write or tell them stories, for which they are mildly grateful: long rambling stories at bedtime.”
– via New York Times)
If The Hobbit was Tolkien’s initial playground for his sprawling universe, The Lord of the Rings embraced its thematic and emotional gravitas.
He did concede that The Hobbit was “written in what I should now regard as bad style, as if one were talking to children.” However, his own children disliked being condescended to, preferring to simply be addressed as people. However, it is undeniable that The Hobbit skirts most of the violence and weighty themes that its sequel, The Lord of the Rings explored in depth. If The Hobbit was Tolkien’s initial playground for his sprawling universe, The Lord of the Rings embraced its thematic and emotional gravitas.
Why This Misconception About The Hobbit Persists To This Day
The Tone Of The Two Works Is Starkly Different
When comparing The Hobbit to the contrasting darkness of The Lord of the Rings and the still more somber The Silmarillion, it is fair to ᴀssume The Hobbit had a younger intended audience. The story has a more whimsical feel, and there are more songs and comic aspects in The Hobbit, along with a more paternal narrative voice. The Lord of the Rings is widely considered, as the archived New York Times article acknowledges, “infinitely more grown up” than The Hobbit. This tonal difference caused some problems when it came to The Hobbit adaptation’s decisions.
Despite it not being specifically intended for children, Tolkien himself acknowledged that the beginning stages of The Hobbit came from entertaining his children with fairy stories:
“The generally different tone and style of The Hobbit is due, in point of genesis, to it being taken by me as a matter from the great cycle susceptible of treatment as a ‘fairy-story’, for children.”
– via The Letters of JRR Tolkien, Letter #131
It seems that Tolkien’s work on the novel evolved from its early intention, but some of the bedtime story silliness remained. In letter #163, he admits, “I deeply regret them. So do intelligent children.” This is due to his publishing The Hobbit in a hurry without the same careful consideration he gave to The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion.
Source: New York Times
