Tolkien's On Fairy Stories and the Hobbit - Essay Example

Tolkiens "On Fairy Stories" and the Hobbit For many years, various fairy-tale have managed to compose their versions of fairytales. One of these writers, J.R.R. Tolkien, brought a transformation of fairy-stories with his works. The Hobbit, one of Tolkien’s most famous works of literature, includes satire, adventure, and fantasy with different creatures such as elves, hobbits, trolls, goblins, dwarves, wizards, mankind and orc. The society describes a fairy-tale in a variety of ways. Literature, film, and drama can portray this concept. Every author or director has a way of defining what depicts a true fairy-tale. Tolkien has no exception with his guidelines on fairy-stories in essay “On Fairy-Stories.” Tolkien used the guidelines in the compositions; one is The Hobbit. The Hobbit shows the rules of fairy-stories when it uses imagery in nature, human desire relations, and a satisfying conclusion. J.R.R. Tolkien’s satire, tales of creatures that are unusual, and adventure gives a different experience for the reader in a fantasy genre.             In Tolkien’s, “On Fairy Stories,” he discusses the definition of “fairy-story.” He references the definition of the Oxford English Dictionary on “fairy-tale” as (1) a fairy legend, (2) an incredible story or unreal story, (c) a falsehood (Tolkien, “On Fairy-Stories” 34). Tolkien disagrees with all of the three definitions and describes his own definition. Tolkien argues that the term “Faërie” lacks definition. He says "Faërie cannot be caught in a net of words; It has many ingredients, but analysis will not necessarily discover the secret of the whole” (Tolkien, “On Fairy-Stories” 38-39). In Tolkiens essay, he says that he does not take beast-fables as fairy stories. He argues that these are stories "which no human being is concerned; or in which the animals are the heroes and heroines" (Tolkien, “On Fairy-Stories 6). However, he states that animals being able to speak have a venue in fairy stories since it gets from the desire for humans to communicate with other living beings (Tolkien, “On Fairy-Stories” 6). Since Tolkien believes an important operation of Faerie is "the satisfaction of certain primordial human desires," it makes a lot of sense that he included this into his fairy story (Tolkien, “On Fairy-Stories” 5). In The Hobbit, Bilbo communicates with the spiders, eagles, and Roäc the raven. Gandalf understands the language of the Wargs although no one in the party can, and the dwarves understand the language of the ravens and crows. Some aspects of fairy-stories are in the plot of Tolkien’s The Hobbit. In “On Fairy-Stories”, “Faërie contains many things besides elves and fays, and besides dwarfs, witches, trolls, giants, or dragons: it holds the seas, the sun, the moon, the sky; and the earth, and all things that are in it: tree and bird, water and stone, wine and bread, and ourselves, mortal men, when we are enchanted” (Tolkien, “On Fairy-Stories” 38). Reading the story of The Hobbit, various imagery of nature, and the creatures and characters that dwell in it have been described in detail. For instance, in the first chapter, the dwarves sing about “places of their ancient homes” (Tolkien, The Hobbit 14).  The protagonist of the story, Bilbo Baggins, was captivated by the lyrical descriptions and had a strong desire to visit the places described. One of the features that attract readers to fantasy is human desires’ satisfaction. As per Tolkien’s “On Fairy-Stories,” fantasy is an “escape” from the real world (Tolkien, “On Fairy-Stories” 83). Practically anything is possible in a secondary world, but the characters have to connect with readers by showing human-like desires. The author states that one of the desires is “the desire of men to hold communion with other living things” (Tolkien, “On Fairy-Stories” 43). These characters have a communication with eagles that help them escape goblins’ and Wargs’ wrath. In The Hobbit, it appears a particular thing tempts many characters. Bilbo Baggins longs to return home where he is warm, safe, and well fed, “‘I wish I was at home in my nice hole by the fire, with the kettle just beginning to sing!’ It was not the last time that he wished that!” (Tolkien, The Hobbit 30). In this situation, readers relate to Bilbo’s feelings of homesickness. When an individual is taken from what he/she is familiar with, there is normally a wanting to leave from the area of unknown to a familiar haven. One aspect of fairy tales that society knows is the “happily ever after” conclusion. The author, Tolkien, agrees with this notion since he notes, “Far more important is the Consolation of the Happy Ending. Almost I would venture to assert that all complete fairy-stories must have it” (Tolkien, “On Fairy-Stories” 85). After trials and triumphs in The Hobbit, the outcome gives a conclusion that readers will get satisfied. Tolkien states that “there is no true end to any fairy-tale” (Tolkien, “On Fairy-Stories” 86). Every chapter in The Hobbit is an adventure that various characters complete as they pursue. The conclusion in The Hobbit gives a satisfying ending, but allows room for further composition. For example, what became of the ring that Bilbo Baggins discovered? The Hobbit being the story that began the trilogy of Tolkien’s popular works, The Lord of the Rings indicates that the fairy-tale has no end. There are always rooms for adventure and fantasy. The Hobbit supports the statements J.R.R Tolkien made concerning children in the essay that fairy stories should not be under childrens stories. He criticizes those who simplify them since he thinks that "(childrens) books, like their clothes, should allow for growth" (Tolkien, The Hobbit 15). Tolkien also says that "if a fairy-story is a kind worth reading at all it is worthy to be written for and read by adults" (Tolkien, The Hobbit 15). The book The Hobbit is over three hundred pages and it appears much more complicated and long than most childrens books in modern days. The author of the book incorporates personal inventions of places and races with riddle and rhyme and complicated sentences. To sum up everything, Tolkien has succeeded in making The Hobbit the epitome of what he thinks a fairy story should be. He makes the book appealing to adults since it is not below their level, and its also perfect for children since it gives them room to think and will make them think even as they become older. Tolkien argues that the stereotype of fairy tales to be associated with children is “an accident of domestic history”: “Fairy-story has in the modern lettered world been relegated to the “nursery,” as shabby or old-fashioned furniture is relegated to the playroom, primarily because the adults do not want it, and do not mind if it is misused. It is not the choice of the children, which decides this. Children as a class—except in a common lack of experience they are not one—neither like fairy-stories more, nor understand them better than adults do; and no more than they like many other things. They are young and growing, and normally have keen appetites, so the fairy-stories as a rule go down well enough. But in fact only some children, and some adults, have any special taste for them; and when they have it, it is not exclusive, nor even necessarily dominant. It is a taste, too, that would not appear, I think, very early in childhood without artificial stimulus; it is certainly one that does not decrease but increases with age, if it is innate.”(Tolkien, “On Fairy-Stories”) The Hobbit appears to take cues from a narrative model of childrens literature. This is shown by the book’s omniscient narrator and characters which young children can relate to, for example, the food-obsessed and morally ambiguous Bilbo. This book has an emphasis on the relationship between narrative progress and time, and it distinguishes "dangerous" from “safe” in its geography. The two are key elements intended for children. While the author later said he disliked the idea of the narrative voice to address the reader directly, the narrative voice makes a significant contribution to the success of the book. The real fact is that The Hobbit is one of the books under a collection of children’s books. Conclusion Although Tolkien argues that his book does not target children, the situation on the ground indicates that children prefer his books. Although the book is long and complicated for young children, the characters and narration make it suitable for children. Works Cited Tolkien, J.R.R. The Hobbit: Or, There and Back Again. United States: Houghton Mifflin Co. (MA), 1996. Print. Tolkien, J. R. R. “On Fairy-Stories.” The Tolkien Reader,. New York: Ballantine, 1966. 33-99. Print. Read More