J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit Reviewed by C.S. Lewis and Illustrated

This short, insightful review was published in the London Times Literary Supplement (2 October 1937) and appears as a chapter in C.S. Lewis: On Stories and Other Essays on Literature, edited by Walter Hooper. It is wonderfully prophetic!

"The publishers claim that The Hobbit, though very unlike Alice, resembles it in being the work of a professor at play. A more important truth is that both belong to a very small class of books that have nothing in common save that each admits us to a world of its own—a world that seems to have been going on long before we stumbled into it but which, once found by the right reader, becomes indispensable to him. Its place is with Alice [by Lewis Carroll], Flatland [Edwin Abbot], Phantastes [George MacDonald], The Wind in the Willows [Kenneth Grahame].

"To define the world of The Hobbit is, of course, impossible, because it is new. You cannot anticipate it before you go there, as you cannot forget it once you have gone. The author’s admirable illustrations and maps of Mirkwood and Goblingate and Esgaroth give one an inkling—and so do the names of the dwarf and dragon that catch our eyes as we first ruffle the pages." But there are more dwarves than you can easily count, "and no common recipe for children’s stories will give you creatures so rooted in their own soil and history as those of Professor Tolkien—who obviously knows much more about them than he needs for this tale.

"Still less will the common recipe prepare us for the curious shift from the matter-of-fact beginnings of his story ('Hobbits are small people, smaller than Dwarves—and they have no beards—but are very much larger than Lilliputians' in chapter 1) to the saga-like tone of the later chapters ('It is in my mind to ask what share of their inheritance you would have paid to our kindred had you found the hoard unguarded and us slain' in chapter 15). You must read for yourself to find out how inevitable the change is and how it keeps pace with the hero's journey. Though all is marvelous, nothing is arbitrary: all the inhabitants of Wilderland seem to have the same unquestionable right to their existence as those of our own world, though the fortunate child who meets them will have no notion—and his unlearned elders not much more—of the deep sources in our blood and tradition from which they spring.

"For it must be understood that this is a children’s book only in the sense that the first of many readings can be undertaken" when a child is very young. "Alice is read gravely by children and with laughter by grownups; The Hobbit, on the other hand, will be funnier to its youngest readers, and only years later, at a tenth or a twentieth reading, will they begin to realize what deft scholarship and profound reflection have gone to make everything in it so ripe, so friendly, and in its own way so true. Prediction is dangerous: but The Hobbit may well prove a classic."

J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings Reviewed by C.S. Lewis and Illustrated  

The Lord of the Rings—Part 2: The Towers—Illustrated Quotes

Here I highlight famous quotes from the second part of The Lord of the Rings. C.S. Lewis's cover endorsement of The Two Towers reads, "Here are beauties which pierce like swords or burn like cold iron; here is a book that will break your heart...good beyond hope." The Fellowship of the Ring has divided into two groups: Frodo and a fellow hobbit named Sam heading to Mordor to destroy the Ring, and three heroes hotly pursuing two other hobbits  kidnapped by brutes called Orcs. The heroic hunters are Aragorn the Man, Gimli the Dwarf, and Legolas the Elf.

The Three Hunters Resolve to Set Out

ay leaped into the sky. The red rim of the sun rose over the shoulders of the dark land. Before them in the West the world lay still, formless and grey; but even as they looked, the shadows of night melted, the colours of the waking earth returned: green flowed over the wide meads of Rohan; the white mists shimmered in the water-vales; and far off to the left, thirty leagues or more, blue and purple stood the White Mountains, rising into peaks of jet, tipped with glimmering snows, flushed with the rose of morning....

"They seemed to have left winter clinging to the hills behind. Here the air was softer and warmer, and faintly scented, as if spring was already stirring and the sap was flowing again in herb and leaf. Legolas took in a deep breath, like one that drinks a great draught after a long thirst in barren places.

       
"'Ah! the green smell!' he said. 'It is better than much sleep. Let us run!'

"'Light feet may run swiftly here,' said Aragorn. 'More swiftly, maybe, than iron-shod Orcs. Now we have a chance to lessen their lead!' They went in single file, running like hounds on a swift scent, and an eager light was in their eyes. Nearly due west the broad swath of the marching Orcs tramped its ugly slot; the sweet grass of Rohan had been bruised and blackened as they passed....

"At dusk they halted....'Now do I most grudge a time of rest or any halt in our chase,' said Legolas. 'The Orcs have run before us as if the very whips of [their masters] were behind them.....'

"Gimli ground his teeth. 'This is a bitter end to our hope and to all our toil!' he said.

"'To hope, maybe, but not to toil,' said Aragorn. 'We shall not turn back here. Yet I am weary....There is some will that lends speed to our foes and sets an unseen barrier before us: a weariness that is in the heart more than in the limb'....The night grew colder. Aragorn and Gimli slept fitfully, and whenever they awoke they saw Legolas standing beside them, or walking two and fro, singing softly to himself in his own tongue, and as he sang the white stars opened in the hard black vault above."

The Hunters in Pursuit

he hunters come to a temporary standstill when crossing paths with the Lord Éomer and his riders of Rohan, but the Lord Aragorn wins him over. What is more, Éomer is moved in heart to help our heroes at great personal risk, yet asks, "'How shall a man judge what to do in such times?' 'As he ever has judged,' says Aragorn. 'Good and evil have not changed since yesteryear; nor are they one thing among Elves and Dwarves and another among Men. It is a man's part to discern them.'"

The Lord Éomer Becomes Willing to Help the Hunters

 

ith a great shock, our hunters will receive good news about their quarry from the last person they could have imagined: the resurrected Gandalf. "They all gazed at him. His hair was a white as snow in the sunshine; and gleaming white was his robe; the eyes under his deep brows were bright and piercing as the rays of the sun; power was in his hand. Between wonder, joy, and fear they stood and found no words to say." He who fell with flame into the watery depths of the world then spoke: "Be merry! We meet again. At the turn of the tide. The great storm is coming, but the tide has turned."

The Three Hunters Are Awed by the Resurrected Gandalf

eanwhile, Frodo and Sam continue their quest of seeking to get into Mordor to destroy the Ring of doom. They receive help from the most unlikely creature imaginable: Gollum, the shriveled hobbit-like being whose lust for the Ring brought so much misery Frodo's way. He leads them through the fair land of Ithilien, where Sam hopes to find food to make a hot meal for a change. Wishing out loud, he expresses his longing for "taters." Gollum asks, "What's taters, precious, eh, what's taters?" "Po-ta-toes," says Sam, "rare good ballast for an empty belly."

Sam with Gollum and Something Hot from the Pot

oon the little trio is overtaken by Rangers of Ithilien in the realm of Gondor, but Gollum eludes capture. The Rangers are about to wage war on troops marching into Mordor to serve the Enemy, the Lord of the Ring, so they keep Frodo and Sam out of harm's way. The troops are put to flight and hunted down one by one. Some get close to Sam's position and one comes crashing down. "He came to rest in the fern a few feet away, face downward, green arrow-feathers sticking from his neck below a golden collar. His scarlet robes were tattered, his corslet of overlapping brazen plates was rent and hewn, his black plaits of hair braided with gold were drenched with blood. His brown hand still clutched the hilt of a broken sword. It was Sam's first view of a battle of Men against Men, and he did not like it much. He was glad that he could not see the dead face. He wondered what the man's name was and where he came from; and if he was really evil of heart, or what lies or threats had led him on the long march from his home; and if he would not really rather have stayed there in peace."

Sam Sees a Grim Sight

aramir, the Captain of Gondor, leads the Ithilien Rangers and must decide what to do with Frodo and Sam. He tells Sam, "I spare a brief time in order to judge justly in a hard matter. Were I as hasty as you, I might have slain you long ago. For I am commanded to slay all whom I find in this land without the leave of the Lord of Gondor. But I do not slay man or beast needlessly, and not gladly even when it is needed." Frodo had reason to be terrified of Faramir because his brother, Boromir, betrayed Frodo's trust even though he was part of the Fellowship of the Ring sent to aid Frodo in his quest. Boromir attempted to seize the Ring from Frodo so he could take it to Gondor as a weapon. That led to the sundering of the Fellowship and the death of Boromir. Nevertheless, Frodo "felt in his heart that Faramir, though he was much like his brother in looks, was a man less self-regarding, both sterner and wiser." Sam, hoping to secure their release, says to Faramir, "Handsome is as handsome does....Now's a chance to show your quality." Faramir replies, "We are truth-speakers, we men of Gondor. We boast seldom, and then perform, or die in the attempt. Not if I found [the Enemy's Ring] on the highway would I take it....I am wise enough to know that there are some perils from which a man must flee." Sam replies, "You took the chance, sir...and showed your quality: the very highest." Faramir responds with keen perception and humility: "The praise of the praiseworthy is above all rewards."

Faramir Questions Frodo in His Quest to Judge Justly (Art by Catherine Karina Chmiel)

s Frodo and Sam draw far too close to Mordor for any comfort, Frodo sighs and says, "I'm afraid our journey is drawing to an end." "Maybe," says Sam, "but where there's life there's hope."

Sam Often Encourages Frodo to Have Hope

 

am says to Frodo, "'We shouldn't be here at all, if we'd known more about it before we started. But I suppose it's often that way. The brave things in the old tales and songs ...adventures, as I used to call them. I used to think that they were things the wonderful folk of the stories went out and look for, because they wanted them, because they were exciting and life was a bit dull.... But that's not the way of it with the tales that really mattered, or the ones that stay in the mind. Folk seem to have been just landed in them, usually—their paths were laid that way...but I expect they had lots of chances, like us, of turning back, only they didn't. And if they had, we shouldn't know, because they'd have been forgotten. We hear about those who just went on--and not all to a good end...at least not to what folk inside a story and not outside it call a good end.... I wonder what sort of a tale we've fallen into?' 'I wonder,' said Frodo. 'But I don't know. And that's the way of a real tale.... You may know, or guess, what kind of a tale it is...but the people in it don't know. And you don't want them to.... You and I, Sam, are still stuck in the worst places of the story, and it is all to likely that some will say at this point: "Shut the book now, dad; we don't want to read any more."' 'Maybe,' said Sam, 'but I wouldn't be one to say that. Things done and over and made into part of the great tales are different.'"

• Illustrated Quotes from The Lord of the Rings—Part 3: The Return
• Illustrated Quotes from The Lord of the Rings—Part 1: The Fellowship 
• J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings Reviewed by C.S. Lewis
• J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit Reviewed by C.S. Lewis 
• J.R.R. Tolkien on Númenor’s Meneltarma, the Pillar of Heaven
•  Tolkienian Hope in Debate Form: A Christmas and Easter Gift from the Professors Tolkien
•  J.R.R. Tolkien on Foul Language—Orc Speech!
•  Are you interested in learning more about J.R.R. Tolkien and how he came to write The Lord of the Rings? See A Tale of Two Lieutenants: C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien

The Lord of the Rings—Part 1: The Fellowship—Illustrated Quotes

Everyone who has fallen in love with The Lord of the Rings has a story to tell about the experience; mine is one of my first blog entries—Tolkien and Lewis: A Friendship That Changed My Life. Here I highlight famous quotes from each part of the book to refresh avid fans and, I hope, engage the minds of people who may have described themselves as "Bored of the Rings." Professor Tolkien's student Christopher Lee, who played Saruman in the movies, said he tried to read LOTR once a year, as do I—it is that good! Each pass I appreciate something new or see it in greater depth, so I intend to update these illustrated quotes as time goes on.

andalf the wizard tells Frodo the hobbit about the shadowy past of the evil Ring in Middle Earth that Frodo has inherited from his Uncle Bilbo. The story is so dark, Gandalf waits for the light to finish the long tale that only recently could be pieced together. Frodo begins to groan under the weight of an inheritance that now seems an unbearable burden, but Gandalf observes, "Beyond that there was something else at work, beyond any design of the Ring-maker. I can put it no plainer than by saying that Bilbo was meant to find the Ring, and not by its maker. In which case you also were meant to have it. And that may be an encouraging thought."

Gandalf and Frodo Discuss the Ring

wish it need not have happened in my time,' said Frodo. 'So do I,' said Galdalf, 'and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.'"

rodo makes a pronouncement upon the vile creature Gollum, whose actions now put the hellish Ring-maker on Frodo's trail, forcing Frodo to flee his beloved homeland: "He deserves death." Gandalf responds, "Deserves it! I daresay he does. Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. For even the very wise cannot see all ends."

uch was the virtue of Rivendell," the temporary refuge Frodo and his traveling companions managed to flee to when Galdalf disappeared, "that soon all fear and anxiety was lifted from their minds. The future, good or ill, was not forgotten, but ceased to have any power over the present. Health and hope grew strong in them, and they were content with each good day as it came, taking pleasure in every meal, and in every word and song."

A Refuge for Healing and Council

t Rivendell under the Lord Elrond, Council was held among representative members of the free peoples of Middle Earth: Elves, Dwarves, Men, and Hobbits. Gandalf spoke last and longest, saying in conclusion: "May Elrond and the others forgive the length of it. But such a thing has not happened before, that Gandalf broke tryst and did not come when he promised. An account to the Ring-bearer of so strange an event was required, I think." Galdalf's main eye-opener was a tale of treachery by Saruman, the head wizard, who should have known better but attempted to recruit Galdalf with soft speech to the devilry of Mordor: "A new Power is rising. Against it the old allies and policies will not avail us at all....This then is one choice before you, before us. We may join with that Power. It would be wise, Galdalf. There is hope that way. Its victory is at hand; and there will be rich reward for those that aided it. As the Power grows, its proved friends will also grow; and the Wise, such as you and I, may with patience come at last to direct its courses, to control it. We can bide our time, we can keep our thoughts in our hearts, deploring maybe evils done by the way, but approving the high and ultimate purpose: Knowledge, Rule, Order; all the things that we have so far striven in vain to accomplish, hindered rather than helped by our weak or idle friends. There need not be, there would not be, any real change in our designs, only in our means." Galdalf's reply? "Saruman, I have heard speeches of this kind before, but only in the mouths of emissaries sent from Mordor to deceive the ignorant." Good ends never justify evil means.

lrond draws the Council to its conclusion, considering this final word from Galdalf: The Enemy "weighs all things to a nicety in the scales of his malice. But the only measure that he knows is desire, desire for power; and so he judges all hearts. Into his heart the thought will not enter that any will refuse it, that having the Ring we may seek to destroy. If we seek this, we shall put him out of reckoning." "At least for a while," responds Elrond, adding, "The road must be trod, but it will be very hard. And neither strength nor wisdom will carry us far upon it. This quest may be attempted by the weak with as much hope as the strong. For such is oft the course of deeds that move the wheels of the world: small hands do them because they must, while the eyes of the great are elsewhere." With great effort Frodo speaks, "as if some other will was using his small voice. 'I will take the Ring,' he said, 'though I do not know the way.' Elrond raised his eyes and looked at him, and Frodo felt his heart pierced by the sudden keenness of the glance. 'If I understand aright all that I have heard,' he said, 'I think that this task is appointed for you, Frodo; and that if you do not find a way, no one will. This is the hour of the Shire-folk, when they arise from their quiet fields to shake the towers and counsels of the great....But it is a heavy burden. So heavy that none could lay it on another. I do not lay it on you. But if you take it freely, I will say that your choice is right.'" Frodo accepted the burden and was blessed with companions willing to accompany him. Their company became known as the Fellowship of the Ring.

leeing their darkest trial thus far together, the Fellowship enters the haven of the realm ruled by the Elven Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel. Their guide, Haldir, remarks, "In nothing is the power of the Dark Lord more clearly shown than in the estrangement that divides all those who still oppose him." The Lady Galadriel spoke kindly to the Dwarf member of the company, who at first was not made to feel welcome, and she smiled at him as he sat glowering and sad. "And the Dwarf, hearing...names given in his own ancient tongue, looked up and met her eyes; and it seemed to him that he looked suddenly into the heart of an enemy and saw there love and understanding. Wonder came into his face, and then he smiled in answer." Later, as the Fellowship prepares to resume their Quest, the Lord and Lady pledge their help. "'Good night, my friends!' said Galadriel. 'Sleep in peace!' Do not trouble your hearts overmuch with thought of the road tonight. Maybe the paths that you each shall tread are already laid before your feet, though you do not see them. Good night!'"

The Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel Address the Fellowship

 

s the Fellowship prepares to leave the elven realm of Lorien, they discuss their route with the Lord Celeborn. He warns them not to become entangled in the Forest of Fangorn, but Boromir mildly dismisses that warning, stating, "What I have heard seems to me for the most part old wives' tales, such as we tell to our children." Celeborn graciously responds, "Then I need say no more, but do not despise the lore that has come down from distant years; for oft it may chance that old wives keep in memory word of things that once were needful for the wise to know."

Making a Friend of an Enemy by Understanding

 

he Lady Galadriel gives parting gifts to each member of the Company. When she came to Gimli, however, instead of presenting him with a gift she asked, "What gift would a Dwarf ask of the Elves?" He answered, "None, Lady: It is enough for me to have seen the Lady of the Galadhrim, and to have heard her gentle words." At once she cried out, "Hear all ye Elves! Let none say again that Dwarves are grasping and ungracious!" Gently questioning Gimli further, she received this reply, "Nothing, unless it might be...permitted to ask, nay, to name a single strand of your hair, which surpasses the gold of the earth as the stars surpass the gems of the mine." Tolkien writes, "The Elves stirred and murmured with astonishment, and Celeborn gazed at the Dwarf in wonder, but the Lady smiled. 'It is said that the skill of the Dwarves is in their hands rather than in their tongues...yet...none have ever made to me a request so bold and yet so courteous. And how shall I refuse, since I commanded him to speak? But tell me, what would you do with such a gift?' 'Treasure it, Lady,' he answered, 'in memory of your words to me at our first meeting. And if ever I return...it shall be set in imperishable crystal to be an heirloom of my house, and a pledge of good will between the Mountain and the Wood until the end of days.' Then the Lady unbraided one of her long tresses, and cut off three golden hairs, and laid them in Gimli's hand." Love, patience, understanding, and kindness are the essential tools of diplomacy.

The Argonath

n Elvish boats on the great River Anduin flowing swiftly, the Company saw in the distance two great rocks approaching. "A narrow gap appeared between them, and the River swept the boats towards it. 'Behold the Argonath, the Pillars of the Kings!' cried Aragorn.... Upon great pedestals founded in the deep waters stood two great kings of stone...they frowned upon the North. The left hand of each was raised palm outwards in gesture of warning; in each right hand there was an axe; upon each head there was a crumbling helm and crown. Great power and majesty they still wore, the silent wardens of a long-vanished kingdom. Awe and fear fell upon Frodo.... 'Fear not!' said a strange voice behind him. Frodo turned and saw Strider, and yet not Strider; for the weatherworn Ranger was no longer there. In the stern sat Aragorn son of Arathorn, proud and erect, guiding the boat with skilful strokes; his hood was cast back, and his dark hair was blowing in the wind, a light was in his eyes: a king returning from exile to his own land."

  

hen the boats land, the Company must decide which direction to head. Boromir contrives to be alone with Frodo, the Ringbearer, because he wants to bring the Ring to his city, Minas Tirith, to use as a weapon against the Enemy. Frodo rebukes him: "Were you not at the Council? We cannot use it, and what is done with it turns to evil." Tolkien now expresses what it is like dealing with people bent on their way despite all costs: "Boromir got up and walked about impatiently. 'So you go on,' he cried.... 'All these folk have taught you to say so. For themselves they may be right.... Yet often I doubt if they are wise and not merely timid. But each to his own kind. True-hearted Men, they will not be corrupted.... The fearless, the ruthless, these alone will achieve victory. What could not a warrior do in this hour, a great leader?'... Boromir strode up and down, speaking ever more loudly. Almost he seemed to have forgotten Frodo, while his talk dwelt on walls and weapons, and the mustering of men; and he drew plans for great alliances and glorious victories to be.... 'Surely you see it, my friend? he said, turning now suddenly to Frodo again, 'You say that you are afraid. If it is so, the boldest should pardon you. But is it not really your good sense that revolts?' 'No, I am afraid,' said Frodo. 'Simply afraid. But I am glad to have heard you speak so fully. My mind is clearer now.'" The Ring, therefore, does not go to Minas Tirith. Boromir tries to seize the Ring from Frodo by force, but is foiled in his attempt and later repents of his deed. (At the beginning of the next book, The Two Towers, Boromir bravely defends Merry and Pippin at the cost of his own life. With his dying breath he confesses to Aragorn, "I tried to take the Ring from Frodo. I am sorry. I have paid." His last words are, "Farewell, Aragorn! Go to Minas Tirith and save my people! I have failed." "No!" said Aragorn, taking his hand and kissing his brow. "You have conquered. Few have gained such a victory. Be at peace! Minas Tirith shall not fall!")

 

rodo escapes Boromir's clutches by using the Ring. "Everywhere he looked he saw the signs of war. The Misty Mountains were crawling like anthills: orcs were issuing out of a thousand holes. Under the boughs of Mirkwood there was deadly strife of Elves and Men and fell beasts. The land of the Beornings was aflame; a cloud was over Moria; smoke rose on the borders of Lorien. Horsemen were galloping on the grass of Rohan; wolves poured from Isengard. From the havens of Harad ships of war put out to sea; and out of the East Men were moving endlessly: swordsmen, spearmen, bowmen, upon horses, chariots of chieftains and laden wains. All the power of the Dark Lord was in motion.... Then as a flash from some other point of power there came to his mind another thought: Take it off! Take it off!... Take off the Ring! The two powers strove in him. For a moment, perfectly balanced between their piercing points, he writhed, tormented. Suddenly he was aware of himself again. Frodo...free to choose, and with one remaining instant in which to do so. He took the Ring off his finger. He was kneeling in clear sunlight.... A black shadow seemed to pass like an arm above him...and faded. Then all the sky was clean and blue and birds sang in every tree."

ividly aware of the Ring's corrupting power, Frodo resoves to set out to Morder on his own. Sam, running desperately to find Frodo, stops and says to himself, "Whoa, Sam Gamgee! Your legs are too short, so use your head.... Steady...think if you can!" He figures out how to find Frodo at the risk of his own life, dismaying Frodo at first, but then "Frodo actually laughed. A sudden warmth and gladness touched his heart.... 'So all my plan is spoilt!' said Frodo. 'It is no good trying to escape you. But I'm glad, Sam. I cannot tell you how glad. Come along! It is plain that we were meant to go together.'" As Aragorn commented as their search for Frodo began, "There are other powers at work far stronger."

• Illustrated Quotes from The Lord of the Rings—Part 2: The Towers

• Illustrated Quotes from The Lord of the Rings—Part 3: The Return
• J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings Reviewed by C.S. Lewis
• J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit Reviewed by C.S. Lewis 
• J.R.R. Tolkien on Númenor’s Meneltarma, the Pillar of Heaven 
•  Tolkienian Hope in Debate Form: A Christmas and Easter Gift from the Professors Tolkien
• J.R.R. Tolkien on Foul Language—Orc Speech! 
•  Are you interested in learning more about J.R.R. Tolkien and how he came to write The Lord of the Rings? See A Tale of Two Lieutenants: C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien