Perspective in “The Hobbit”
Perspective in The Hobbit Introduction The Hobbit is an excellent, lighthearted adventure novel written for children by JRR Tolkien. However, don’t be fooled by the silly jokes and linear story. The Hobbit is more complex than it seems, where perspective and relative tone underscore major world-building principles. Perspective and relative tone In-universe, The Hobbit was written by the main character Bilbo Baggins. Within the book, Tolkien presents himself as a translator and narrator of Bilbo’s tale rather than the author. Even without being introduced to Bilbo as a character, his perspective and personality become apparent through the book’s writing style, especially when compared to the Tolkien’s other books. Even though the real life author is the same, The Hobbit does not share the same tone or style as The Lord of the Rings or The Silmarillion . The differences in tone and style therefore seem to be purposefully incorporated as an indication of the different...