126.  Why Did Tolkien Change The Hobbit (and what did he change)? : The Hobbit #15
Exploring Tolkien17 Joulu 2024

126. Why Did Tolkien Change The Hobbit (and what did he change)? : The Hobbit #15

Once Tolkien finished writing The Lord of the Rings, it became clear to him that The Hobbit needed to change–particularly Bilbo and Gollum’s interaction in chapter 5, “Riddles in the Dark”. But what exactly did he change? How necessary was it? Did it make The Hobbit Better?

If you haven’t read the original chapter, you can download a PDF here!

Be sure to check out our side-by-side comparison, to easily spot the differences between the original and rewritten chapter.

This week we look at:

  • Why Tolkien though the tone and style of The Hobbit was a mistake.
  • How Tolkien ret-conned The Lord of the Rings into The Hobbit – right in the prologue!
  • Tolkien’s original depiction of Gandalf explaining Bilbo’s lies to Frodo (found in Peoples of Middle-earth).
  • How Tolkien changed the Ring into a character.
  • How Tolkien changed Gollum into a villain.
  • How Tolkien even made the orcs more sinister.

In our extended episode (available for our members) we talk about:

  • How Tolkien should really ever be the only person to write more Middle-earth stories.
  • Screenwriter Phillipa Boyen’s comments on The War of the Rohirrim movie and how the untold story is the most “compelling” story.
  • How her story can’t “ruin Tolkien”.
  • A few thoughts on the upcoming Chronicles of Narnia Netflix series.

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🔗 Episode Links
The History of The Hobbit
The Annotated Hobbit
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🔍 If You Like Tolkien
The History of The Hobbit
The Expanded Letters of JRR Tolkien (audiobook)
The Expanded Letters of JRR Tolkien (book)
The Silmarillion

The Children of Hurin
The Atlas of Middle-earth
Make Tolkien Great Again – Tengwar Hat

Jaksot(159)

125.  Bilbo Trembled and Found Pity : The Hobbit #14

125. Bilbo Trembled and Found Pity : The Hobbit #14

The 2nd half of “Riddles in the Dark” is the most rewritten part of The Hobbit in the 1951 rewrite!  And it’s where Bilbo takes a giant leap (so to speak) into the future of his adventure. In this epi...

10 Joulu 20240s

124. Miserable Riddles in the Dark : The Hobbit #13

124. Miserable Riddles in the Dark : The Hobbit #13

“Riddles in the Dark” is not only the most memorable event from all of Middle-earth — it’s also the turning point that ultimately led to The Lord of the Rings.  In this episode we look at: Tolkien’s ...

26 Marras 202451min

123. Nightmare in Moria : The Hobbit #12

123. Nightmare in Moria : The Hobbit #12

The goblins of Moria grab the dwarves (and Hobbit) who decided to camp out on their “front porch”, leading to some real terrifying moments! Does Gandalf use gunpowder? How Tolkien subcreates his worl...

19 Marras 202446min

122. The Real Misty Mountains : The Hobbit #11

122. The Real Misty Mountains : The Hobbit #11

The first part of Chapter 4, Over Hill and Under Hill, is unique for it’s direct correlation with Tolkien’s own past.  We discuss: Tolkien’s hiking experience and how it influenced this section of Th...

12 Marras 20240s

121. Tolkien Gave Up on Fixing The Hobbit : The Hobbit #10

121. Tolkien Gave Up on Fixing The Hobbit : The Hobbit #10

When Tolkien attempted to rewrite the Hobbit in 1960, he just gave up halfway through Chapter 3. In this episode we look at: Changes in time and distance Changes in Prose and style Why he gave up His...

5 Marras 202445min

120. Where the Children’s Story Ends and the Epic Story Begins : The Hobbit #9

120. Where the Children’s Story Ends and the Epic Story Begins : The Hobbit #9

In the second half of Chapter 3, A Short Rest, Tolkien seems to start a shift from a children’s story to more of an epic quest.  What prompted this change?  We have our thoughts, including: How Elron...

29 Loka 202442min

119. The Rings of Power Leaves us with Dwarf Politics and Randomly Shouting Elves

119. The Rings of Power Leaves us with Dwarf Politics and Randomly Shouting Elves

We did it!  And this time we wrangled Dan in to give us his BIG THOUGHT again! 🙂 In this final episode of Season 2, one dwarf delved too deep (and then we find out the real problem there–political in...

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