Synopsis –
This is the
story of a reluctant hero, Bilbo Baggins.
Bilbo is a hobbit, a type of creature that is about half the size of a
human and much hairier, but otherwise is very similar in actions and
motivations. They are a peaceful people,
and they are generally content to live out their days at Bag End, and enjoy
eating and drinking alcohol. Bilbo is
living such a life when a wizard, Gandalf, comes to visit with a very specific
request. He wants Bilbo to help out with
a certain caper that he promises will be an adventure. He’s to accompany a group of dwarves to get
their treasure back from an evil dragon.
He is designated as the one to actually take their property back from
the dragon; he’s their “burglar.” Along
the way, Bilbo collects a sword, which he names “Sting,” and a magic ring that
he innocently finds lying in a cave, but the owner feels that he stole it and
is tormented by the loss of his “precious” ring. The ring turns the wearer invisible, which
enables Bilbo to escape from the caves he is stranded in and catch up with the
rest of the group. Shortly after
reconnecting to his group, Bilbo saves them all from giant spiders with the
help of his sword and ring. Soon, they
arrive at a human village near Smaug’s lair, and Bilbo takes a cup that was
part of the treasure. The dragon becomes
angry and kills innocent people and destroys a human village named Lake
Town. At this point, the humans, elves,
dwarves, and one hobbit group together to battle Smaug. Beorn and the eagles join in, and the Dragon
is finally defeated. The Hobbit is the epitome of Fantasy,
which is why I chose it for Classic Fantasy.
Many of the elements that make up the Fantasy designation probably came
from Tolkein and his books.
Appeal –
Characteristics of Classic Fantasy
Characterization
– The protagonists in Fantasy are usually on a “journey of discovery” of some
type. Like Bilbo in The Hobbit, this can be an internal journey or an external journey
or both. For Bilbo, it’s both. This character also usually has “special gifts
or magical powers.” Bilbo discovers
these as he travels on this journey during the course of the novel. He discovers his own potential, and he
discovers the magic ring. (Saricks 272)
Story Line –
The story of The Hobbit stands alone
but also continues in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. It can be looked at as one long adventure,
which is a characteristic of Fantasy, and in the end, good triumphs over evil –
even if the reader has to wait until the last book to see that come to light.
(Saricks 269)
Frame/Setting
– “The presence of magic or enchantment is the element that most clearly
distinguishes Fantasy from other genres” (Saricks 266). The reader immediately encounters this
element of Fantasy. The fact that
Hobbits don’t even exist, and right off the bat, a wizard is paying him a
visit. The setting of this Fantasy is a
part of the Earth that doesn’t really exist: Middle Earth. There are maps
showing it as a continent, but even the continents surrounding it don’t have
names that exist in real life.
Read-alikes:
The Chronicles of
Narnia – C.S. Lewis
The Harry Potter series – J.K. Rowling
The Sword of Shannara
– Terry Brooks
Work
Cited
Saricks, Joyce G. The
Readers' Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction. 2nd ed. Chicago:
American Library Association, 2009. Print.
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