Epic Tolkien Bookclub: Week Six

[sigridhr]

  Epic Tolkien Bookclub: Week Six (The Hobbit)
Chapter XI: On the Doorstep
Chapter XII: Inside Information

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 live in an AU where Tolkien was never born. 
  
• 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 15th February 2013 to Friday 22nd February 2013. However, the post will remain open after that point, so you're more than welcome to continue discussions on.

Comments

[gallifaerie.livejournal.com]

Like, it makes him sound like some amazing magical wizard when in reality he literally crammed some dwarves into barrels and then they all just fell into a lake and nearly died.
OMG yes, I never thought of it in that way, that's brilliant! I like that Bilbo feels proud of enough of his achievements so far that he can make up such riddles about them though. But Smaug is so much less naive than Gollum here - Smaug sees through Bilbo pretty quickly whereas Gollum actually wants to play the game. Although to give them both credit, they both go from innocent riddling to intense rage and wanting to kill Bilbo pretty quickly.

None of the dwarves really seems that curious about Bilbo's ring, once they find out about it. None of them ever ask him to try it on and I wonder why that is. I wonder how Bilbo would have reacted at this stage to someone trying to take the ring away from him like that. Is he already getting possessive of it?

[j_quadrifrons]

Well, Thror did have one of Sauron's Rings at one point; possibly all the Dwarves were all, Oh, a magic ring, how handy, and just didn't care beyond that.

[gallifaerie.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that is a good point, because they really don't seem that fussed by the ring at all.

[sigridhr]

Bilbo had already lied twice regarding the Ring, which I think is pretty out of character for him, so I'd say he probably wouldn't react overly well to letting someone borrow it. Doesn't Gandalf say something to Frodo in LotR along the lines of Bilbo's lies echoing Gollum's in that they were both trying to justify ownership of the Ring?

[gallifaerie.livejournal.com]

Yes, Gandalf says that to Bilbo at the very start of Fellowship. It's strange to think just how quickly the ring has its effects on the wearer - it's kind of like, once you touch it, you're deeply involved it with it, which may explain why there's no casual trying on of it, because I'm sure that would lead to all sorts of complicated situations.