The Hobbit

[chhotii]

Feeling that Sophia should know what the heck we are talking about when we mention hobbits, I read the first few dozen pages of The Hobbit to Sophia. To get her interested, I told her that it takes place in the same world as Harry Potter, just, at least a thousand years earlier. (Could be true, right? A lot can change in that amount of time. I mean, if there's the Ministry of Magic and the World Quidditch Cup in modern Britian, then post-Roman Britian could've been crawling with orcs and elves.)

Before the dwarves finished discussing business at Bilbo's place, though, Sophia got bored and made me stop. I went on to re-read the rest of the book-- probably haven't read the whole thing in 30 years-- and realized that parts of the book are pretty boring. I had forgotten the boring parts.

Again I am bugged by the fact that 99% of Tolkien's characters are male. Most of the male characters do not seem to be bothered by the lack of females. You would think that they might wish for wives or girlfriends. Male dwarves think more about gold and treasure than about females. Male hobbits think more about food than about females.

So, which is it, are the human-like creatures of Middle Earth all autistic or all gay?

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Comments

[lyonesse.livejournal.com]

they're english. (ba-dum pum)

[quietann.livejournal.com]

/splorfle

If one really, really wanted to delve into Tolkien's use of male characters, there is all sorts of Tolkien scholarship out there now.

I actually remember being more than a bit bored by all the Tolkien books when I read them as a teen.

[chhotii.livejournal.com]

Actually, come to think of it, when I think about myself having the bad habit of reading too fast for comprehension to try to get to the good parts, I picture myself with what looks suspiciously like Lord of the Rings in hand.

But, I couldn't have admitted it at the time. My best friend in high school was so into Tolkien, she actually read The Silmarillion. OMG. So to be anything less than total fan... HERESY!

[quietann.livejournal.com]

Yep, I had friends like that too. And even worse, it's my father who tried to get me hooked on Tolkien... and how could I admit to *him* that I didn't like the books?

[achinhibitor.livejournal.com]

I always thought that Middle Earth was modeled on late medieval/early modern England, so maybe I'd shrink the gap to 500 years.

Again I am bugged by the fact that 99% of Tolkien's characters are male.

It's a common defect of much fiction. I suppose if the plot is high adventure, it might be reasonable that the womenfolk are left behind taking care of the kids. But the settlements should be sex-balanced, and no wise man undertakes an uncertain and dangerous course of action without first hearing his wife's opinion of it (though usually out of earshot of his male peers). And in real history, a lot of uncertain and dangerous courses of action are to obtain marriageable women...