Askmiddlearth’s Comments (group member since Mar 27, 2015)

Askmiddlearth’s comments from the The Hobbit Read-Along group.

Mirkwood! What do you think of Middle Earth’s darkest forest, and the challenges it presents for our adventurers? (For example, hunger, the enchanted river, the spiders, etc.)

Bilbo’s really stepping up as a heroic force in these chapters, and comes to the rescue of his dwarvish companions a few times. What changes have we seen in Bilbo’s character from the first chapters? Do you think his character development was handled well/naturally by Tolkien?

The Elvenking (aka Thranduil). What do you think of the king of the wood-elves, especially his relationship with Thorin and the dwarves? And the wood-elves in general, how would you compare them with the elves of Rivendell?

We see a few pretty significant differences between the book and the movie in these chapters. What do you think of the way Mirkwood was portrayed in the movies? And how does the addition of Legolas and Tauriel change the elf sequence?

Mirkwood! What do you think of Middle Earth’s darkest forest, and the challenges it presents for our adventurers? (For example, hunger, the enchanted river, the spiders, etc.)

Bilbo’s really stepping up as a heroic force in these chapters, and comes to the rescue of his dwarvish companions a few times. What changes have we seen in Bilbo’s character from the first chapters? Do you think his character development was handled well/naturally by Tolkien?

The Elvenking (aka Thranduil). What do you think of the king of the wood-elves, especially his relationship with Thorin and the dwarves? And the wood-elves in general, how would you compare them with the elves of Rivendell?

This week we read chapters 3, 4, and 5! Anything related to these chapters can be discussed on this thread, but some questions/ideas to consider are:

We meet elves for the first time in this week’s chapters. For those who’ve read Lord of the Rings (or seen the movies) how does Tolkien’s portrayal of the elves in The Hobbit differ from his later writings? Which “version” of the elves do you prefer?

We tend to think of Middle Earth’s inhabitants as falling pretty cleanly into “evil” (trolls, goblins) and “good” (elves, hobbits, dwarves.) But in this chapter we encounter a few “grey” characters (the giants, Gollum). Do you think this adds or subtracts from the story?

Though Bilbo doesn’t know it, the most significant event of his life took place during “Riddles in the Dark.” What do you think of his riddle game with Gollum? Of the way both characters think and talk of the Ring? When Tolkien wrote The Hobbit he had no idea of the true importance of Bilbo’s ring - how is this apparent (thanks to hindsight) in the book? How did the movies try to "fix" this, and did you like it better that way or not?

This week we read chapters 3, 4, and 5! Anything related to these chapters can be discussed on this thread, but some questions/ideas to consider are:

We meet elves for the first time in this week’s chapters. For those who’ve read Lord of the Rings how does Tolkien’s portrayal of the elves in The Hobbit differ from his later writings? Which “version” of the elves do you prefer?

We tend to think of Middle Earth’s inhabitants as falling pretty cleanly into “evil” (trolls, goblins) and “good” (elves, hobbits, dwarves.) But in this chapter we encounter a few “grey” characters (the giants, Gollum). Do you think this adds or subtracts from the story?

Though Bilbo doesn’t know it, the most significant event of his life took place during “Riddles in the Dark.” What do you think of his riddle game with Gollum? Of the way both characters think and talk of the Ring? When Tolkien wrote The Hobbit he had no idea of the true importance of Bilbo’s ring - how is this apparent (thanks to hindsight) in the book?

This week we're reading chapters 1 and 2, and (spoilers ahead!) covered a fair bit of information. Anything related to these chapters can be discussed on this thread, but some questions/ideas to consider are:

"An Unexpected Party" is Tolkien's earliest opportunity to introduce hobbits to the world. What do you think of his portrayal/explanation of hobbits (either on their own, or in comparison to the dwarves, or even the way hobbits are described later in Lord of the Rings.) What do you think of the way Tolkien writes about ADVENTURES? How does Gandalf fit into this story? If you've read LotR, what do you think about the way trolls are portrayed in The Hobbit as opposed to Tolkien's later stories? And how does Peter Jackson's introduction of the dwarves differ from Tolkien's?

And we already see Bilbo's Baggins vs Took conflict in these early chapters (but remember there's a whole separate thread for that discussion, if you want.)

This week we're reading chapters 1 and 2, and (spoilers ahead!) covered a fair bit of information. Anything related to these chapters can be discussed on this thread, but some questions/ideas to consider are:

"An Unexpected Party" is Tolkien's earliest opportunity to introduce hobbits to the world. What do you think of his portrayal/explanation of hobbits (either on their own, or in comparison to the dwarves, or even the way hobbits are described later in Lord of the Rings.) What do you think of the way Tolkien writes about ADVENTURES? How does Gandalf fit into this story? If you've read LotR, what do you think about the way trolls are portrayed in The Hobbit as opposed to Tolkien's later stories?

And we already see Bilbo's Baggins vs Took conflict in these early chapters (but remember there's a whole separate thread for that discussion, if you want.)

Thorin Oakenshield, the aspiring King Under the Mountain is probably the most important character in the book (after Bilbo, of course.) And he's an interesting one. His relationship with Bilbo is sometimes strained, and his behavior undergoes a pretty drastic change once he's reached his ancestral homeland. This thread is for any and all discussions of his character, including his relationship to Gandalf, Bilbo, and his fellow dwarves, his motivations in the quest, the nature of his "dragon sickness", and the decisions that lead up to the Battle of Five Armies.

Also, please remember that this is a "MAY INCLUDE MOVIE DISCUSSIONS" thread - there is an identical thread in the "no movie discussions" folder for anyone who wants to ignore the films.

Thorin Oakenshield, the aspiring King Under the Mountain is probably the most important character in the book (after Bilbo, of course.) And he's an interesting one. His relationship with Bilbo is sometimes strained, and his behavior undergoes a pretty drastic change once he's reached his ancestral homeland. This thread is for any and all discussions of his character, including his relationship to Gandalf and Bilbo, his motivations in the quest, the nature of his "dragon sickness", and the decisions that lead up to the Battle of Five Armies.

Also, please remember that this is a "NO MOVIE DISCUSSIONS" thread - there is an identical thread in the "may include movie discussions" folder for anyone who wants to discuss Thorin's portrayal in the films.

Thranduil, the elvenking, is one of the more complex characters in the book. His greed and dislike for the dwarves wars with his wisdom and desire to do what's best for his people, which results in an almost contradictory series of decisions. This thread is for discussing the elvenking's motivations, actions, and words. Was a greedy king or a wise leader? Was a cool business partner to the men of Laketown, or a generous ally? How would you compare his dealings with the dwarves to those of Elrond?

Also, please remember that this is a "NO MOVIE DISCUSSIONS" thread - there is an identical thread in the "may include movie discussions" folder for anyone who wants to discuss how Thranduil was portrayed in the films.

Thranduil, the elvenking, is one of the more complex characters in the book. His greed and dislike for the dwarves wars with his wisdom and desire to do what's best for his people, which results in an almost contradictory series of decisions. Added to this discussion is the massive changes made to his character in the recent movie adaptations. This thread is for discussing the elvenking's motivations, actions, and words. Was a greedy king or a wise leader? Was a cool business partner to the men of Laketown, or a generous ally? How would you compare his dealings with the dwarves to those of Elrond?

Also, please remember that this is a "MAY INCLUDE MOVIE DISCUSSIONS" thread - there is an identical thread in the "no movie discussions" folder for anyone who wants to ignore the movies.

For anyone dying to have that classic argument: "which was better, the book or the movie?", this is the place to do it. But this discussion thread remains open ON THE CONDITION that everyone taking part in the debate remains respectful. If I see things get ugly, I will delete the thread immediately. So don't test me *threatening mom face*

One of the main themes in The Hobbit (and arguably Bilbo's defining struggle) is the conflict between Bilbo's "Took side" and "Baggins side." Throughout the journey he makes decisions based on which part of his ancestry is feeling dominant in that moment. This thread is for all discussions relating to this conflict, and may address questions such as: Which decisions were made by which "side" of Bilbo's character? Did either of these sides "win" in the end? What does Tolkien's portrayal of this conflict say about people in the "real world?" Which side do you prefer or relate to? How was this aspect of Bilbo's character portrayed in the movie adaptations?

Also, please remember that this is a "MAY INCLUDE MOVIE DISCUSSIONS" thread - there is an identical thread in the "no movie discussions" folder for anyone who would prefer to ignore the movies.

One of the main themes in The Hobbit (and arguably Bilbo's defining struggle) is the conflict between Bilbo's "Took side" and "Baggins side." Throughout the journey he makes decisions based on which part of his ancestry is feeling dominant in that moment. This thread is for all discussions relating to this conflict, and may address questions such as: Which decisions were made by which "side" of Bilbo's character? Did either of these sides "win" in the end? What does Tolkien's portrayal of this conflict say about people in the "real world?" Which side do you prefer or relate to?

Also, please remember that this is a "NO MOVIE DISCUSSION" thread - there is an identical thread in the "includes movie discussion" folder for anyone who wants to discuss how this conflict was portrayed on screen.