J. R. R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit": Realizing History Through Fantasy: A Critical Companion

by Robert T. Tally Jr.

This book is a critical introduction to J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit , but it also advances an argument about the novel in the context of Tolkien’s larger literary and philosophical project. Notwithstanding its canonical place in the fantasy genre, The Hobbit is ultimately a historical novel. It does not refer directly to any “real” historical events, but it both enacts and conceptualizes history in a way that makes it real. Drawing on Marxist literary criticism and narrative theory, this book examines the form and content of Tolkien’s work, demonstrating how the heroic romance is simultaneously employed and subverted by Tolkien in his tale of an unlikely hero, “quite a little fellow in a wide world,” who nonetheless makes history. First-time readers of Tolkien, as well as established scholars and fans, will enjoy this engaging and accessible study of The Hobbit .

124 pages, Paperback

Published September 19, 2022

Reviews

[Justin Wiggins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating work of scholarship about how J.R.R.Tolkien's mythology has a sense of realism that corresponds to the existential daily reality of life that we all live through each day, and why Tolkien's writings are so beloved by people around the world of very different worldview perspectives.