Field Notes - ENGL 817AJ - The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien

Another new semester, another new class!

The Cartographic Imagination.

What a lovely title to explore literary theory using maps in books as a way to aid in analyzing a text, contribute to theoretical conversation, or assist with understanding the journey of a story.

The first novel we've read for this class was The Hobbit (1937). A classic. And, one of the most notable texts that comes to mind when you think about maps in literary novels, albeit not the first (as my professor has thus informed us). The fantasy genre is likely one of the largest sources of maps in literary texts though because of the desire - no, the need - to follow a book's various characters through an often unknown land and made-up world. Tolkien's Hobbit just happens to be one of the most famous of these fantastical lands. (I would argue that Westeros is a close second thanks to Game of Thrones now.)

I read The Hobbit for the first time long ago, so this was a pleasant revisit for me. Especially since I have not read the book again since the films came out (more on that later, as Gérard Genette would say). I still read a lot of YA books in my own time for my own please, so the fact that it was actually a children's book was not odious to me. It still holds up a lot more to a YA novel now than I would say a kid's book. Perhaps kid's books were more daunting in the early 1900s than today... but that is not really an area I am familiar with. Regardless, it was an enjoyable, funny, and easy to follow along adventure with familiar characters that felt a little like coming home to a world that I have always adored.

Source: Tolkien Gateway.net

Watching the films again after having revisited the book in context with the cartographic focus of this class raised some interesting observations that otherwise might never have occurred. The main 'map' that we focused on from the book is Thror's Map from the opening preface. This map is available to the reader's view but is also used by the characters in the novel on their journey - a journey the reader is following along on with the assistance of an unknown narrator. In the novel. Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror (maker of the map), does not seem to have any particular feelings either way about going to Rivendell to see Elrond despite it stated that dwarves think elves are silly. However, in the film, Thorin is very resistant about visiting Rivendell, but Gandalf is very persistent because he declares that Elrond is the only one who can read the map. The map contains moon runes, which despite his forefathers having made the map, Thorin cannot read, nor in the book, did he know they were there. In both cases the map remains a mystery until Elrond reads it.

This elaboration I'll call it, on the scenes surrounding the reading of the map bring into question the authenticity of the author of 'Thror's Map'. Thorin's indifference/resistance in visiting Rivendell, had it been heeded, would have rendered the map unreadable and completely useless at the end of the journey. But, because Gandalf was persistent (and sneaky) with his plans for stopping at Rivendell the map was read and key pieces to the puzzle of entering the mountain were revealed. To me, it seems like Gandalf had ulterior motives from the onset of the journey. This pit-stop at Rivendell appears to have been required in order to continue. Gandalf is very old... was he there when the map was drawn? Was there an elvish hand in this as well? Only Elrond it seems could read the map; knew exactly how to read the moon runes; and everyone conveniently arrived in Rivendell at the exact time that it could be read. Perhaps not Elrond himself was the assisting hand with the writing of the moon runes, but perhaps another elven hand? The King of the Woodland elves, Thranduil himself? There was once an alliance between the dwarven kingdom of Erebor and the Woodland elves. All of these questions spring from the map being deciphered at Rivendell.

Another interesting thing about Thror's Map, is that it is not the only map included in The Hobbit book. There is a larger-view map of the whole adventure's journey at the end of the novel, title the 'Map of the Wilderland'. Well, technically it's not the whole adventure because Bilbo's known lands of Hobbiton and the Shire are not included on this map either, despite the location being the very beginning of the company's journey. This secondary, supplementary map (perhaps), is more detailed in the geography being covered, specifically in where the Misty and Grey mountains border the Mirkwood to the west and north and the Running River that borders it on the east. Also, the fact that it is oriented North-as-up rather than East-as-up in the dwarven map. Furthermore, the Mirkwood forest contains markers on the path taken, or the one not to the south, and various other notations on places and landmarks, even ones not mentioned in the story (ie. Mount Gundabad and Withered Heath located in the Grey Mountains.) 

Source: Tolkien Gateway.net

My particular interest in this second map is two-fold: who is the author? And, why is the area around the Lonely Mountain less detailed, almost childlike in its depiction compared to the rest of the map? I think, the author of this more detailed supplemental map can be and is assumed to be Bilbo. It is what could/would have appeared as the map included in the writing of his tale "There and Back Again" that we see him writing in the film adaptation. This makes the most logical sense. Otherwise, there is no author attributed to this second map at all (aside from Tolkien who drew the map for the story). It just appears at the end of the story with no reference at all. Perhaps its only as a guide to help the reader follow the whole journey of the company? Again, authenticity of the author, if there is one at all, comes into the conversation.

As for the detail-less area of the Lonely Mountain, it reminds me of the need to zoom in on Google Maps to get a more detailed view of a specific area. It's almost as if the author of this second map knew about Thror's Map and its significance as a mystery: a treasure map made only for the dwarves. Hence why my assumption is that the author of this map is Bilbo. He would not include specific details on his supplemental map for his own story because he knew the other map's purpose and wouldn't want to reveal any of the secrets that weren't meant for anyone else but Thorin's company, or other dwarves. Thror's Map is almost required in order to make this second map complete. The detail around the Lonely Mountain is missing, so Thror's Map is a key to the whole picture and complete picture of not only the map, but for the whole journey.

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Upcoming field notes on Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island (1883) and Thomas More's Utopia (1516) in the next couple weeks! And I will 100% be bringing up Muppet Treasure Island (1996), you can count on that. Plus, thoughts and ideas on my seminar paper plans for Utopia.