“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.”
These two sentences begin the first chapter of one of my favorite novels of all time, The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. The Hobbit could be called a prologue to The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and it opens the door into the enigmatic, magical world of Middle-earth. Tolkien’s style of writing is musical, colorful, enjoyable, rich, and comforting. His sentence structure has a wide variety that is pleasing to the ear, especially when read aloud, which is enriched by his diction. Colorful adjectives such as oozy, nasty, and sandy paint vivid pictures in my mind, and leave no doubt in my mind of what a hobbit-hole is not. The musicality and color of his writing make it rich and full.
The Hobbit is a place of comfort for me because it is my respite from reality. I can rely on this novel to help me relax after a long day, and forget my worries for a time. For example, the last few words in the opening paragraph, “it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.” sound as though it is spoken or read with a sigh.
Tolkien’s writing works so well for me that I cannot truly verbalize how I feel about it. I can only hope that my writing would measure up in the slightest to his.
English in Composition: Film 