The Hobbit

J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Hobbit' is a timeless classic of fantasy. Tolkien was a member of the Inklings, though, and so purposefully devoted a lot of time to infusing literary, philosophical, and theological themes into The Hobbit. This lecture examines the background to The Hobbit and Tolkien's ideas in his writing the Lord of the Rings.
For the best books on Tolkien and his background check these out:
Tom Shippey's biography: amzn.to/2dChoJu
Classic biography: amzn.to/2dCh5hY
The Road to Middle Earth: amzn.to/2dCikOb
For the best books on C.S. Lewis and his background:
George Sayer's biography 'Jack': amzn.to/2hHlUJQ
Alan Jacob's book 'The Narnian': amzn.to/2gNeFy8
Michael Ward 'Planet Narnia': amzn.to/2hyhJx1
Ryan M. Reeves (PhD Cambridge) is Associate Professor of Historical Theology at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Twitter: / ryanmreeves Instagram: / ryreeves4
Blog: blogs.thegospe...
This is Lecture 1 in the course 'Lewis and Tolkien'. All material is copyrighted.
For the entire course, see the playlist: • Lewis and Tolkien

[@andrewczuba498]

how did only 319 of 37,506 viewers only give Ryan a thumbs up? Really? come on now people, Ryan is the man. gotta give it up for him !

[@KTChamberlain]

Eleven years ago, I first read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings when I was 15, after having enjoyed the movie trilogy and learned more about J.R.R. Tolkien himself, when I read both books I experienced a revelation of sorts and that was when I realized that I wanted to be creative writer and a good storyteller. Tolkien's my favorite author because of that and in the process made me a better observer.

[@Yesica1993]

***** Wow, that's wonderful! All the best to you.

[@alpbaba7380]

I like Tolkien to. Mu Allah friends koline me because İ read Lotr one thing disturbing me J.R.R.TOLKİEN dıdn't like otomdan and Türkistan people and İ m turkısh

[@Mr._Anderpson]

Take it the context of Tolkien writing to inspire his fellow Englishmen. The Ottoman Empire cast in with Germany in WWI & Turkey was neutral in WWII. Looking at it that way, is it really surprising the Haradrim would be sewn into the story as opponents?

[@stvbrsn]

John Harrison Good point! Doesn't make you any less of a homicidal psychopath, but very good point!

[@NiklasAdv]

i dont know why but i like to listen to you. what i mean is that some people just have the thing that wants you to take in what they have to say. just wanted to stop by and give you credit!

[@DaneStolthed]

You got yourself a subscriber Dr. Reeves, I thoroughly enjoyed your lecture, big thumbs up!

[@athb4hu]

I enjoy your lectures, thanks. I also read the Hobbit at an early age (my aunt and uncle bought it for me for my birthday - I still have that copy more than 40 years later), and Lewis's space triology while still at school. I only came across the Narnia books when in my 30's but I enjoyed them then. I love both these authors, and I am also interested in theology so this channel is a particular treat. Just to note that W. H. Auden was English as I recall, but he did live in America in later life.

[@dburgd99]

I have binge watching your channel for the past few days. Thanks so much for sharing.

[@rev.j.rogerallen9328]

Another wonderful lecture from Dr. Reeves.

[@probro9898]

I think the "whistle of an engine" was a simile aimed at the modern reader; I don't think Tolkien was suggesting any of the characters would have thought in those terms.

[@ryant2418]

These are informative and enjoyable, both the parts on Tolkien and on faith. Thanks for posting them.

[@frunknuckle]

Thanks for posting these wonderful lectures! I am enjoying them tremendously!

[@2Granule]

'Thank you for your lecture: I suggest you watch the 1968 episode from BBC's series "In Their Own Words British Authors". Tolkien is explicit when he discusses why he wrote LOTR after writing the Hobbit. The problem with the source I recommend is that it is dated by strange production values of 1968 Britain.

[@VCYT]

1968 britain used the standard tv definition of the time - HD didnt exist !

[@billrussell7672]

well done sir, I came watching the Merovingian and Carolingian and descended into your best work

[@LaFedelaIglesia]

The best way to understand "The Hobbit" (and "The Lord of The Rings") is through Catholic lenses, J.R.R. Tolkien wrote, "The Lord of the Rings is of course a fundamentally religious and Catholic work; unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision."

[@twogungunnar9456]

I want to see Lewis and Tolkien in a tag-team cage-match with Howard and Lovecraft. With color commentary provided by Lee and Kirby.

[@Dariuz001]

I enjoy all Your lectures and videos very much:) thank you

[@hariseldon2577]

In the stories there is a sense that the world is 'unsatisfactory' as the Buddhists would express it. The world is 'imperfect' in that there is always change, that nothing lasts and there is a perpetual feeling of loss. Tolkien was also writing during the 1930's, after a cataclysmic war had occurred and the seeds of a new war were starting to sprout. A melancholic time in Europe with change occurring at a faster and faster rate with a consequent loss of older things that he new as a boy in England.

[@mikewysko2268]

Wonderful lecture. I thank you Sir!

[@stevegreen7520]

I had heard that Tolkien had named Hobbits after the word habit, but I like your explanation better.

[@scottwmatson2386]

I am thoroughly enjoying this lecture series! Dr. Reeves, do you know of a good biography of Tolkien? I'm really wanting to get my hands on a solid work. Thanks!

[@RyanReevesM]

+Scott Matson // The best overall (and shorter) biography I've read so far is H. Carpenter's biography. It was one of the first and he did a great amount of research to kick off the subject. Tom Shippey's 'Author of the Century' is after that the best one to go with. Shippey held Tolkien's chair of Anglo-Saxon Literature at Oxford and is stunningly insightful in what makes Tolkien and his literature work: how it is Christian, where is it drawing from Scandinavian sources, etc. Happy reading!

[@reepacheirpfirewalker8629]

One of the letter's I remember being a thing that pushed him away from allegory was because of the Vietnam War and America (Nixon)[Sauron] that this was not the allegory that some written within it.

[@theodorearaujo971]

Hit "show more" above where he lists suggested biogrphies, including: Tom Shippey's biography: amzn.to/2dChoJu Classic biography: amzn.to/2dCh5hY The Road to Middle Earth: amzn.to/2dCikOb

[@Holistic-Healthcare]

Brilliant lecture!

[@franciscowalker1151]

This is EXCELLENT...I love it. Thanks!

[@laurienichols1209]

love your lectures. learned a lot.

[@the_original_Bilb_Ono]

I like to think of the ring as a very addictive drug. that's why gollum is so twitsted, because he's abused the ring for so long.

[@Mr._Anderpson]

Is the hobbit/rabbit connection actually as crazy as Prof. Reeves says? Both have large, hairy feet & live in warm, comfy holes under the hill.

[@RyanReevesM]

Oh I wouldn't say it's crazy, per se (though I may have acted like that live...can't remember). Just that no scholar takes this view. It seems to be almost an inside joke because Tolkien alludes to it in several places.

[@basknation]

Terrific lecture Dr Reeves.

[@erudite6640]

Wow! Great lecture Dr. Reeves, I love Tolkien's works. They are some of the greatest literary works of our time. I always sensed that the Christian influence was there.

[@rosesandsongs21]

I was watching some history of religions and I felt like changing subjects for a while so I found this, now that's much better than... Hey, same guy! (oups)

[@oldschoolthrashmetal5566]

your lectures are interesting

[@codychurch6355]

There's much pre-Christian symbolism as well,all of the races of middle Earth are based on pre-Christian spiritual concepts. A cyclical view of time, maintaining balance between extremes.Culture heroes in each age performing deeds that quell the forces of darkness,the deeds(or failures) of those heroes(characters like Isildur) influencing the future outcome of events(wyrd).The free people's of middle earth (innangeard),doing all that is necessary to prevent the forces of chaos (uttangeard) from devouring them. Darkness will always exist as long as there is light to relate it to.

[@Asbury907]

Dr. Ryan, would like to know what you make of the Silmarillion and any allegorical Christian/Gnostic influence there. Love your videos, I never knew how little I understood about European history/dark ages until now.

[@marioriospinot]

Nice.

[@zindi1138]

didnt Hobbitlan mean hole builder? ( citation needed )

[@Holistic-Healthcare]

So the ring could relate to the Yetzer Hara?

[@destiny-1831]

Mind blown

[@vicb493]

Thank you Dr. Reeves for this interesting lecture. It was very amusing to learn the origin of dwarfish names in The Hobbit. I had been jarred by you saying (at kzbin.info/www/bejne/gHeWpWaOrZmma6Mm48s) "...he refers to the whistle of a train...", because I was pretty sure no train was ever mentioned in The Hobbit. But on re-reading, the book does say "Poor Bilbo couldn't bear it any longer. At may never return he began to feel a shriek coming up inside, and very soon it burst out like the whistle of an engine coming out of a tunnel.", so you are actually right there :)

[@BigBadassR]

Tolkien hated change. Every day brought a little bit more change. Of course he felt there was always something not quite right.

[@jeeology8574]

Change is not always a good thing, although it can be.

[@gardenerofgroovemiyagi3894]

he is a little off on tolkien being the originator of fantasy. The Hobbit was written in 1950s, authors like Robert E Howard we're already writing fantasy stories in the 19 twenties and thirties Robert E Howard is of course the creator of Conan the Barbarian. Tolkien was working in your genre that was already established. this isn't to say tolkien didn't do it extremely well. just thought I'd point that out.

[@luigiquick24]

the hobbit was the first book I read and I hate reading lol It opened my mind to the world of books

[@nightinthetwilight]

I haven't read the Hobbit or the Rings books but I did read the first Narnia book. It was quite dull to me. I appreciated it for what it was, but I think especially now after hearing this lecture it's potentially in part of these books that a lot of writers use a lot of christian or Jesus imagery or what have you in their stories. I feel so over-saturated with these same themes over and over again that it's become so tedious. It's just not interesting as a concept anymore and I really wish a lot of writers would move on, because it's no longer clever.

[@christopherepperson3328]

I'm at home here.

[@fuzzydunlop7928]

Dude gives me a hipster Glenn Beck vibe.

[@RyanReevesM]

Uh oh. The sound you hear is me burning all my clothes now...:)

[@whosmanisdis]

Fuzzy Dunlop 🤔🤔................😂😂 ur so right lol

[@fuzzydunlop7928]

No no, man, you pull it off. Puts Beck to shame. You keep doing your thing. You are the anti-beck.

[@ChipKempston]

Do you have any other shirts or did you record this series all at one time? :)

[@RyanReevesM]

Weekend model school, so a lot of the broken up videos were all at once yes :)

[@ChipKempston]

Ryan Reeves Ha ha, I figured. Watched a bunch of your videos and it didn't hit me at first. Great series.

[@WeWander2]

Touching on this topic diminishes my

[@leggonarm9835]

Scripture-Fiction stories to promote goodwill, well at least the Old Testament.

[@gloriosatierra]

Both of these authors were truly inspired by the Lord's Holy Book, which towers over any other book written by His creation.

[@plumeria66]

Tolkien is on the left, not right.

[@officialExcerpt]

+plumeria66 I wonder if being a speaker, he meant right as in the right from the point of view facing the audience.

[@RyanReevesM]

+ExcerptHD // That was it exactly. :)

[@flex3580]

The LotR series is literally the bible backwards.

[@NargyleNurr]

Why would you look at this from such a christian perspective? It has very little to do with religion, people like fantasy and it's not just Narnia and LotR or Hobbit that attract so many people. Look at WarCraft, Warhammer, Star Wars, Star Trek, etc., those are huge immense Universes with even bigger audiences. It's not about Christianity or whatever, it's about being sucked into a world of fantasy and imagination. Sure, Christianity is just the same fantasy like those, but it is also just another fantasy made-up story, just like the rest, it's not greater in anyway, it's actually smaller than the ones I listed.

[@CathDad4]

*Comes to a theological seminary's lecture video speaking on devoutly Catholic and Christian men's works which were explicitly stated by both authors to have Christian overtones, and is confused why anyone would look at them through a Christian lens.* I get the Cognitive Dissonance is tough for you.

[@originalblob]

So after the Bible you take on other Fantasy stories. (Couldn't resist)

[@Magar6]

The Hobbit is such a wonderful book. It is such a shame that its author was able to create a beautiful myth, yet not realise that the myth in which he was indoctrinated in childhood (ie. his religion) is also a myth. The main difference between the two myths is that one is beautiful (the Hobbit) and the other is deplorable (the Bible).

[@Yesica1993]

Magar6 "It is such a shame that its author was able to create a beautiful myth, yet not realise that the myth in which he was indoctrinated in childhood (ie. his religion) is also a myth. " Oh, yeah? And what study did you do to come to that conclusion? Show me the evidence of his "indoctrination". "The main difference between the two myths is that one is beautiful (the Hobbit) and the other is deplorable (the Bible)." What vile words. Can you tell me when you read the Bible cover to cover and came to this conclusion and upon what basis?

[@seanf.merrigan4650]

The tragedy of your comment is that you fail to grasp the Ultimate authority who have Tolkien his creative genius in the first place...LOTR and all ensuing Tolkien works stem from his devout allegiance to Christ and especially the Eucharist as he was a daily communicant..get a clue

[@hosoiarchives4858]

Magar6 lol Tolkien is smarter than you, the atheist biggest fear is realizing that Christians understand the atheist argument just fine, as well as you do or better, but God is infinitely more compelling.

[@mouthpiece200]

Whether religious or not, the Bible is a treasure of literature and history. You wouldn't call other ancient works deplorable, just because they have violence. Don't do the same for the Bible. The Bible is deeply interwoven in European history and world history. Its a huge part of the human story. And actually, it does have a lot of good teachings as well.

[@chrisharrison763]

Magar6 Get over yourself.

[@lionhartd138]

oh great. a christian's perspective. how are y'all gonna screw this up i have to wonder.