Epic Tolkien Bookclub: Week Five

[sigridhr]

 Epic Tolkien Bookclub: Week Five (The Hobbit)
Chapter IX: Barrels out of Bond
Chapter X: A Warm Welcome

Rules

I very much doubt we'll require much in the way of formal rules, but just for the sake of formality and clarity:

• Discussion is welcome and encouraged, as is disagreement. Name-calling and personal attacks will be punished by forcing you to read Evil!Thranduil Badfic for the rest of eternity. 
  
• There is no spoiler policy in place. Although we're reading the Hobbit, please feel free to bring in things from other Tolkien works, any of the films, the History of Middle Earth, the Letters of JRR Tolkien, and, if you should like, other literary sources. 
• There is no such thing as too much geekery. Or taking the text too seriously.  
• If you have any concerns at any point, I'm the closest thing this gong show has to a mod, so feel free to get in touch. I can be reached either by PM through this site, or directly by email at sigridhr.lokidottir@gmail.com. 

Discussion on this post will officially run from Friday 8th February 2013 to Friday 15th February 2013. However, the post will remain open after that point, so you're more than welcome to continue discussions on. 

Comments

[sigridhr]

NOBODY EVER GIVE PONIES TO THORIN OAKENSHIELD FOR ONLY BAD THINGS WILL HAPPEN TO THEM.

I just inhaled my tea, damn you!

It's funny, re-reading the book I get the impression that none of them, even Thorin, really have a clear indication of what fighting the dragon actually means. Thorin himself was pretty much a kid when Erebor was lost, and he's the oldest of the group. So, I think they all have this sort of vague idea, but it's really about being noble and taking their home back, and of course they'll prevail, because he's the rightful king. I mean, Thorin never even actually confronts Smaug himself.

Which makes me wonder how the films are going to pan out, with all the emphasis on Thorin and his journey. Because his journey falls pretty flat. I just sort of feel sorry for him - like he lacked any stable parental figures and is burdened with this task of living up to what he thought his father and grandfather were.

Also, I'd originally taken Thorin's description of the fall of Erebor (he says none escaped through the front gate, and all the dwarves inside were killed - then says his father and grandfather turned up with singed beards) to mean that only Thror and Thrain survived, aside from whatever company was outside. But this must have included Dís, who was only 10 at the time (which, given she had her first child at 100, I'm taking to mean baby!Dís), and Frerin. So apparently they were all pottering around outside? Or maybe Thror and Thrain saved more people than I'd thought out the back way.

(I'm also really curious about naming conventions now, too, looking at the family trees. Siblings and Fathers - Sons seem to share similar sounding names - Hence Gróin --> Oin & Gloin --> Gimli, and Grór, Frór & Thrór --> Thrain --> Thorin... but then you have Thorin, Frerin and Dís, and Gróin and Fundin. )

[halberdier]

If you inhaled your tea, then my work is done. Bilbo seems to be the only one thinking about the looming dragony business.

Also, I forgot to mention my utter joy that Bilbo caught a nasty cold from all his heroics. Somehow literary heroes never get colds no matter what icy dunkings they suffer. Tolkien again turnr the hero trope on its head.

[j_quadrifrons]

I dunno, I can see how you could turn Thorin's lack of any encounter with Smaug into a part of his own personal disaster that is the penultimate part of his story arc. He is, after all, the rightful king, it is his duty to kill the dragon, and we all know how he feels about Men after all that time spent smithing at forges built too large...

It's not in the book, but I can see how you'd get there.

(I'm afraid I'm too juvenile to say anything about naming conventions other than... Gróin. Heh.)