Chapter 1

[HeruMorna]

Yes, I still have it on Notepad in some obscure corner of my hardrive.

And yes, I enjoy knowing that this shall be one of the only posts in this forum

May I just start with that John Howe's Painting of Gandalf with his staff, and Glamdring hanging by the side, is a masterpiece. He looks as old as father time himself, but still, the figure possess just the right amount of menace in his walk and the look to show that he is master of some ominous power. Here is another Gandalf impression by John Howe [though hardly as good as the one above]



The first chapter [A Long Expected Party] is not the most important for sure, but it still serves as a link between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. I have always seen this chapter from the viewpoint of how well it is able to carry itself from The Hobbit to this magnificent tale. It starts of all places, in Bag-End itself, exactly where The Hobbit ended, where the tale last stopped 60 years ago.

Bilbo, the hero of The Hobbit, definitely needed to make an appearance in this story to thread the two stories together. He appears here as the adoptive parent [cousin, I know, but you do feel that he was more a father than a brother] and benefactor of the protagonist of this tale, Frodo.

Another object that connects the two stories together is the Ring itself. I remember reading somewhere in one of Tolkiens letters' [Mithrandir should be able to provide the exact one, I think it was Letter 216] that Tolkien considered the Ring to be the most obvious object to link the sequel. The ring was for all we knew then, a mysterious magical object in The Hobbit, an object whose history we were never fully told, or made to understand in the tale. The ring graduates from being an interesting and helpful tool to something that is very mysterious. Gandalf himself foreshadows the importance of the Ring when he says "Let it be a warning to you to be very careful with [the ring]. It may have other powers than just making you vanish when you wish."

We are told of the travails of Bilbo over the long gap that is between the two tales. He has generally become well known in Hobbiton. Stories, rather, rumours of his wealth have become very popular in The Shire. We are also, through Ham Gamgee's talk to curious Hobbits, able to pick up a lot of information. Within a very few pages, we come to know that Sam was a regular in Bag-End, and about the Hobbit's love for impromptu talks and chats, their love for inns, gardening, about how Frodo was "adopted" by Bilbo, about the people of The Shire's strange outlook towards boats [though the people of Buckland were quite handy with boats if I remember] and other interesting tid-bits of information.

The party ofcourse, stands out for two reasons, One, the sheer number of arrangements made, and also, all those surnames. Bagginses and Boffins, Tooks and Brandybucks, Grubbs, Chubbs, Hornblowers, Bolgers, Bracegirdles, Proudfoots and Sackville-Bagginses. I would like to quote a story Ive come across on the net here, the authenticity of which I cannot verify, but it makes for a nice read.

Well-known American literary critic Guy Davenport, who had met Tolkien himself, provides us with another clue as to the possible source of the Hobbits. His observations indicate that Tolkien’s vision of the Hobbits may be much closer to home than most Americans might realize!

Davenport was once in Shelbyville, Kentucky not many years after the publication of The Lord of the Rings. There he met a history teacher named Allen Barnett. In the course of a casual conversation, Davenport discovered, to his own amazement, that Barnett not only knew Tolkien, but had attended Oxford University with him during his college years. Barnett had lost track of Tolkien once he had returned to Kentucky and had no idea that Tolkien had become a famous writer. He had never even heard of The Lord of the Rings.

This Kentucky teacher commented in passing that he had always found it curious that Tolkien had been so interested in his own stories of the Kentucky folk- of how they acted and spoke, of their growing and curing of tobacco, of their quiet country ways, and their keen interest in the genealogical relationships of their neighbors. Tolkien was especially interested, he said, in their quaint country names: names like Boffin, and Barefoot-- and Baggins. Tolkien had made Barnett repeat the Kentucky names and stories to him over and over. Intrigued, Davenport looked in the Kentucky phone books in that area. Sure enough, many of the Hobbit family names were listed there in this rural part of Kentucky which still preserved many of the older English influences, terminology, and customs.

The second nice bit in the party scene was the description of Gandalf's fireworks. What vivid imagery! A kaleidoscope of colours is presented to us in the lines

"There were green trees with trunks of dark smoke: their leaves opened like a whole spring unfolding in a moment, and their shining branches dropped glowing flowers down upon the astonished members, disappearing with a sweet scent just before they touched their upturned faces. There were fountains of butterflies that flew glittering into the trees; there were pillars of coloured fires that rose and turned into eagles, or sailing ships, or a phalanx of flying swans; there was a red thunderstorm and a shower of yellow rain; there was a forest of silver spears that sprang suddenly into the air with a yell like an embattled army, and came down again into the Water with a hiss like a hundred hot snakes."

Now onto something that I find particularly interesting."All the one hundred and forty-four guests expected a pleasant feast; though they rather dreaded the after-dinner speech of their host (an inevitable item). He was liable to drag in bits of what he called poetry; and sometimes, after a glass or two, would allude to the absurd adventures of his mysterious journey."

Ive spent the better part of today on the net reading about these lines, and there are people out there, who also agree that Tolkien was taking a bit of a pot-shot at himslef here. He was a storyteller and a poetry lover and orator.by himself. These lines must have defined his exasperation that people showed for him suddenly talking about his literary works. After all, who wouldnt be daunted by the prospect of hearing Tolkien recite his own poetry to people

My apologies for me going on a tangent here and there. But after all, this must surely be expected after reading possibly the best fiction ever written.

[Gil Galad]

I hope that i dont upset you in posting, but you did a marvelous job i enjoyed reading that aticle, Tolkien indeed had a vivid imagination and there is no doubt that the Lord of the Rigns is the best fiction ever written

[HeruMorna]

I hope that i dont upset you in posting, but you did a marvelous job i enjoyed reading that aticle, Tolkien indeed had a vivid imagination and there is no doubt that the Lord of the Rigns is the best fiction ever written

That actually put a smile on my face. Thanks!

[Gil Galad]

My pleasure, you put a lot of work in that article and i enjoyed reading it very much

[truth]

you right realy good

[numenorian]

To tell you the truth when i first saw your post i was really bored reading it but now that i read it i was really drained and i can say great work lad

[Gil Galad]

Thats what im talking about

[Beren One-Hand]

Well-known American literary critic Guy Davenport, who had met Tolkien himself, provides us with another clue as to the possible source of the Hobbits. His observations indicate that Tolkien’s vision of the Hobbits may be much closer to home than most Americans might realize!

Davenport was once in Shelbyville, Kentucky not many years after the publication of The Lord of the Rings. There he met a history teacher named Allen Barnett. In the course of a casual conversation, Davenport discovered, to his own amazement, that Barnett not only knew Tolkien, but had attended Oxford University with him during his college years. Barnett had lost track of Tolkien once he had returned to Kentucky and had no idea that Tolkien had become a famous writer. He had never even heard of The Lord of the Rings.

This Kentucky teacher commented in passing that he had always found it curious that Tolkien had been so interested in his own stories of the Kentucky folk- of how they acted and spoke, of their growing and curing of tobacco, of their quiet country ways, and their keen interest in the genealogical relationships of their neighbors. Tolkien was especially interested, he said, in their quaint country names: names like Boffin, and Barefoot-- and Baggins. Tolkien had made Barnett repeat the Kentucky names and stories to him over and over. Intrigued, Davenport looked in the Kentucky phone books in that area. Sure enough, many of the Hobbit family names were listed there in this rural part of Kentucky which still preserved many of the older English influences, terminology, and customs.

I think I must have scanned this quote when I first joined this site.  I must say that this is quite an interesting little tidbit of information.  Something you wouldn't find on the extended dvd's.

[Mithrandir]

My original contribution to the first Mass Read Marathon:

Needless to say, but the first chapter isn't really the most exciting chapter in the Lord of the Rings. It gives us, however, a good insight in the life of the ordinary (and less ordinary) Hobbit. I will give some personal highlights from this chapter and I hope you will do the same

It gives some familial relations, since "[...]hobbits have a passion for family history[...]". Even though not everything about genealogy might interest us, it gives us some idea of the interests of the Hobbit.
"Mr. Bilbo's first cousin on the mother's side (her mother being the youngest of the Old Took's daughters); and Mr. Drogo was his second cousin. So Mr. Frodo is his first and second cousin, once removed either way, as the saying is, if you follow me.".

'Boating' isn't exactly the most favorite pastime of the ordinary Hobbit, but they seem to enjoy being in a pub and telling (and listening to) stories. A real down-to-earth creature; I think I like them

In the Shire (what is 'supposed' to 'represent' England), they already knew about umbrellas and seeing the fact that Lobelia could hide something in it, it was a collapsible umbrella. That's quite odd, since they were only invented late in our 19th century. Another odd thing is that in the garden of Bag End, there were growing nasturtians and sunflowers. Those aren't European plants, so they should not have been there (Gliowien, I'm sure you can tell more about these). Another point of interest is their advanced mail-system with postmen and post offices. They seem to be ahead of all other creatures they are going to encounter.

Another important part in this chapter is the introduction of Gandalf (for the ones who haven't read The Hobbit). Well, time for some art!
"An old man was driving it all alone. He wore a tall pointed blue hat, a long grey cloak, and a silver scarf. He had a long white beard and bushy eyebrows that stuck out beyond the brim of his hat."

The world-famous painting of John Howe:


And another painting of John Howe: Gandalf at Bag End (I just love the paintings by John Howe):


A picture of Gandalf arriving in Hobbiton by Darrell Sweet (he got the eyebrows right!):


And of course a painting of the great party, by Anke Eissmann.

"Frodo was the only one present who had said nothing. For some time he had sat silent beside Bilbo's empty chair, and ignored all remarks and questions. He had enjoyed the joke, of course, even though he had been in the know. He had difficulty in keeping from laughter at the indignant surprise of the guests. But at the same time he felt deeply troubled: he realised suddenly that he loved the old hobbit dearly."

On to a song, one I truly love, being a person who frequently hikes. This is one form in which this song occurs and it's worth reading it again here: (remember all verses of this song when you have to walk for miles; it works!)
"The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say."

And last but not least (I could go on for hours, but it's really time to go to bed now...), some words of advice from the Gaffer:
"Elves and Dragons" I says to him. "Cabbages and potatoes are better for me and you. Don't go getting mixed up in the business of your betters, or you'll land in trouble too big for you"