Mommy to monkeys Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 I have a silly question. The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings Series. . . which is meant to be read first? I know The Hobbit happens first, right? But is it better to be read after the series? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 Read The Hobbit first. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 I think The Hobbit is better read first but it's not essential. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
composr Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 Chronologically, it's first, and in the books it's first. The Lord of the Rings proper is meant to be read as one book, and the Hobbit is a taste of it. Many will find The Hobbit to be eall around an easier read, with more action in fewer pages than LotR. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy to monkeys Posted May 22, 2015 Author Share Posted May 22, 2015 Thanks all! We'll start with The Hobbit. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegs Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 How exciting! I hope you all love The Hobbit as much as we have. :) I know you've had your question answered already, but I just wanted to make you aware that LOTR is written very differently to The Hobbit. So, if you move on to the LOTR shortly after finishing The Hobbit, your younger listeners might struggle to follow along. If The Hobbit is a hit with your family, you might like to branch out from there, rather than immediately move on to such a weighty tome as LOTR. Other read-alouds to explore: 'Farmer Giles of Ham', Tolkien; 'The Father Christmas Letters', Tolkien; 'The Princess and the Goblin' and 'The Princess and Curdie', both by George MacDonald. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 The Lord of the Rings is awesome on audio book. I much prefer someone else to try pronouncing all the names, say/sing all the songs, and read all the detailed descriptions. :scared: 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 The Hobbit can easily be read as a stand-alone. It was written first. It is an adventure tale that Tolkien wrote, inspired by the stories he made up for his children. The tone and complexity is closer to that of children's books (although still a lot of great vocabulary words and beautiful, in-depth descriptions of the world of Middle Earth). Chronologically in the world of the books, the events of the Lord of the Ring take place years after the events of The Hobbit. The Lord of the Rings trilogy volumes do not stand alone. The tone and complexity is much closer to an adult epic, such as The Iliad, or Beowulf. While the publisher asked for "more hobbits", Tolkien really wrote Lord of the Rings not so much as a sequel, but as a way to express the history, languages and culture of the world he had created -- Middle Earth. There are many references and side tales about peoples and events from the ancient history of Middle Earth. There are songs written in Elvish (a few with no translation). The trilogy is written from the point of view of the hobbits, who are simpler, more child-like people. As they travel on their quest, leaving their simple hobbit land of The Shire behind, they encounter far older cultures with high, ancient lineage and rulers, and the language of the writing subtly changes and becomes more "high" and formal. In addition, a deep unspoken thread runs throughout the work of Tolkien's Christian-Catholic faith, adding subtle and powerful themes to the work. All of this works to create a rich and wonderfully deep and complex world and work of Literature that is a lot more difficult for little ones to appreciate or have the patience for it as a read-aloud. Totally agree with Pegs who suggested some wonderful other read alouds to explore if your family enjoys The Hobbit. Perhaps by waiting a year or two, then your older two DC could enjoy doing Literary Lessons from the Lord of the Rings together as they explore he Lord of the Rings. :) Here are more ideas: more by Tolkien: - Letters From Father Christmas - Farmer Giles of Ham - Smith of Wooton Major - Roverandom -- for younger children - Mr. Bliss -- for young children more Christian fantasy - The Chronicles of Narnia (Lewis) - The Princess and the Goblins (MacDonald) - The Light Princess (MacDonald) more wonderfully-written fantasy - The Rescuers, Miss Bianca, The Turret, Miss Bianca in the Salt Mines, Miss Bianca in the Orient (Sharpe) - The Ordinary Princess (Kaye) - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Carroll) - The Reluctant Dragon (Grahame) - Book of Dragons (Nesbit) - Five Children and It; The Phoenix and the Carpet (Nesbit) And after reading those last 2 by Nesbit, read Edward Eager's series, who gives tribute to Nesbit in the books: Half Magic, Magic by the Lake, Knight's Castle. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy to monkeys Posted May 22, 2015 Author Share Posted May 22, 2015 The Hobbit can easily be read as a stand-alone. It was written first. It is an adventure tale that Tolkien wrote, inspired by the stories he made up for his children. The tone and complexity is closer to that of children's books (although still a lot of great vocabulary words and beautiful, in-depth descriptions of the world of Middle Earth). Chronologically in the world of the books, the events of the Lord of the Ring take place years after the events of The Hobbit. The Lord of the Rings trilogy volumes do not stand alone. The tone and complexity is much closer to an adult epic, such as The Iliad, or Beowulf. While the publisher asked for "more hobbits", Tolkien really wrote Lord of the Rings not so much as a sequel, but as a way to express the history, languages and culture of the world he had created -- Middle Earth. There are many references and side tales about peoples and events from the ancient history of Middle Earth. There are songs written in Elvish (a few with no translation). The trilogy is written from the point of view of the hobbits, who are simpler, more child-like people. As they travel on their quest, leaving their simple hobbit land of The Shire behind, they encounter far older cultures with high, ancient lineage and rulers, and the language of the writing subtly changes and becomes more "high" and formal. In addition, a deep unspoken thread runs throughout the work of Tolkien's Christian-Catholic faith, adding subtle and powerful themes to the work. All of this works to create a rich and wonderfully deep and complex world and work of Literature that is a lot more difficult for little ones to appreciate or have the patience for it as a read-aloud. Totally agree with Pegs who suggested some wonderful other read alouds to explore if your family enjoys The Hobbit. Perhaps by waiting a year or two, then your older two DC could enjoy doing Literary Lessons from the Lord of the Rings together as they explore he Lord of the Rings. :) Here are more ideas: more by Tolkien: - Letters From Father Christmas - Farmer Giles of Ham - Smith of Wooton Major - Roverandom -- for younger children - Mr. Bliss -- for young children more Christian fantasy - The Chronicles of Narnia (Lewis) - The Princess and the Goblins (MacDonald) - The Light Princess (MacDonald) more wonderfully-written fantasy - The Rescuers, Miss Bianca, The Turret, Miss Bianca in the Salt Mines, Miss Bianca in the Orient (Sharpe) - The Ordinary Princess (Kaye) - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Carroll) - The Reluctant Dragon (Grahame) - Book of Dragons (Nesbit) - Five Children and It; The Phoenix and the Carpet (Nesbit) And after reading those last 2 by Nesbit, read Edward Eager's series, who gives tribute to Nesbit in the books: Half Magic, Magic by the Lake, Knight's Castle. I very much appreciate this explanation and this is a fantastic list. Very helpful. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 I think The Hobbit is better read first but it's not essential. Oh, I disagree. Bilbo finds the One Ring in the Hobbit, the Ring which is the whole focus of the Lord of the Rings. The Hobbit introduces Middle Earth, and Hobbits, and such things as elves and dwarves and rings. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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