Hobbit Lessons: A Map for Life's Unexpected Journeys - Softcover

Brown, Devin

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1426776020 ISBN 13: 9781426776021

Verlag: Abingdon Press, 2013

Inhaltsangabe

A Map for Life’s Unexpected Journey For generations, The Hobbit has been loved and shared by readers who thrilled to the challenges faced by Bilbo Baggins and a band of stout-hearted dwarves on a dangerous quest. Now Devin Brown teases out the themes woven into Tolkien’s timeless story, revealing life lessons about loyalty, selflessness, friendship, and dedication—lessons as precious as a golden ring. Discover these (and more) valuable truths from Bilbo’s journey—without the danger of being eaten by a dragon: • When Adventure Comes Knocking, Let It In (Even if It Makes You Late for Dinner) • Have Your Friends’ Back (Someone Has Yours) • Be Fond of Waistcoats, Pocket Handkerchiefs, and Even Arkenstones (Just Don’t Let Them Become Too Precious) "Devin Brown makes the labyrinthine world of Tolkien's Middle-earth easily accessible. He shows how a love of reading about dwarves, elves, wizards, and hobbits is also good for you." -- Charlie W. Starr, author, Light: C. S. Lewis's First and Final Short Story "Devin Brown has established himself as a leading scholar in both Tolkien studies and Lewis studies, combining thorough research and fresh insight with sprightly, readable prose." -- David C. Downing, author, Looking for the King: An Inklings Novel "Hobbitish charm and wizardly wisdom." -- Philip Tallon, author of The Poetics of Evil "Devin Brown’s uncanny knack for unpacking big ideas is incredibly engaging. He presents important themes in such a way that readers immediately realize they are learning something significant." -- Greg Bandy, filmmaker, director of C. S. Lewis: Why He Matters Today

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Devin Brown is a Lilly Scholar and a Professor of English at Asbury University where he teaches a class on Lewis and Tolkien. He is the author of The Christian World of the Hobbit and Hobbit Lessons, both published by Abingdon Press. He has spoken at Lewis and Tolkien conferences in the UK and the U.S. Devin has published numerous essays on Lewis and Tolkien, including those written for CSLewis.com, ChristianityToday.com, SamaritansPurse.org, and BeliefNet.com. Devin earned a PhD at the University of South Carolina and currently lives in Lexington, Kentucky.

Auszug. © Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

HOBBIT LESSONS

A Map for Life's Unexpected Journeys

By Devin Brown

Abingdon Press

Copyright © 2013 Devin Brown
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-4267-7602-1

Contents

A LETTER TO READERS........................................................
1
PROLOGUE A Story of Long Ago..............................................
5
CHAPTER 1 When Adventure Comes Knocking, Let It In (Even If It Makes You 
Late for Dinner)...........................................................
13
CHAPTER 2 Have Your Friends' Backs (Someone Has Yours)....................
35
CHAPTER 3 Be Fond of Waistcoats, Pocket Handkerchiefs, and Even 
Arkenstones (Just Don't Let Them Become Too Precious)......................
61
CHAPTER 4 Remember Not All That Is Gold Glitters (In Fact, Life's Real 
Treasures Are Quite Ordinary Looking)......................................
85
CHAPTER 5 Recognize You Are Only a Little Fellow in a Wide World (But 
Still an Important Part of a Larger Story).................................
103
EPILOGUE Find the Enchantment All Around You (Even If You Are Not a 
Wizard)....................................................................
125

CHAPTER 1

WHEN ADVENTURE COMES KNOCKING,LET IT IN

(Even If It Makes You Late for Dinner)

* * *

I am looking for someone to share in an adventure.—The Hobbit, Chapter One

Adventures come in many forms, but they alwaysmean something new for us. And what isnew is always somewhat mysterious. Sometimes wecan see adventures coming down the road to us longbefore they arrive—the adventure of starting highschool or going off to college, the adventure of a newjob, the adventures of becoming engaged and gettingmarried, the adventure of becoming a parent.

But sometimes adventures appear with no warning,when we least expect them. In the opening pagesof The Hobbit, adventure seems to be the last thingon Bilbo Baggins's mind.

As Bilbo stepped out his front door after breakfastto take in the glorious day, the sun was shining,the birds were singing, and the grass was growing.Stretching out on the seat by his door, he lit his pipeand sent a perfectly round smoke ring rising lazily upinto the blue sky above him.

He had no idea that adventure was about to comeknocking.

Adventures in books and movies are loads of fun.As we read about someone else's adventures or watchthem unfold on the silver screen, we are ushered intoa world of excitement without ever having to leaveour comfortable armchair. But who of us really wantsan adventure in our own life? We may say we do. Wemay even think we do. But look at how we typicallyreact when something interrupts our regular routineor requires us to do more than we normally do orbe more than we normally are. On a day when weare running late, just the printer running out of inkor forgetting that we needed to get gas can bring usclose to a meltdown. A morning when we can't findour homework, our keys, our phone, or our whateveris more than enough drama for us.

So while we might like to think of ourselves as theadventurous type, truth be told, like Bilbo, most of usprefer to have our lives be quite predictable, to haveeverything completely under control, and to know exactlywhere whatever it is we are looking for is at alltimes.

Even If It Makes You Late for Dinner

"Adventures?" replies Bilbo to Gandalf, who hasshown up on his doorstep looking for someone tojoin thirteen dwarves on a quest to take back theirtreasure from the ferocious dragon who currently hasit. "Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Makeyou late for dinner!"

And so in the opening chapter of The Hobbit,we meet Bilbo Baggins—by anyone's definition, anunlikely candidate for a quest. Someone who doesnot like being disturbed. Someone who likes to becomfortable or, more accurately, hates to be uncomfortable.Someone who likes to have his dinneron time.

Someone who looks more a grocer than a burglar.

Someone who, despite the fact that he has bigfurry feet and lives in a hobbit-hole in the imaginaryworld of Middle-earth, is remarkably like us.

Not only does Bilbo like having his meals ontime, thank you very much, he, like all hobbits, likeshaving six of them a day whenever possible. Andwhen we meet him living his comfortable, undisturbed,predictable life at the start of chapter one, itis always possible.

"Sorry! I don't want any adventures, thank you,"Bilbo tells Gandalf. "Not today. Good morning! Butplease come to tea—any time you like! Why not tomorrow?Come tomorrow! Good bye!"

And with that Bilbo closes his perfectly roundgreen door with its shiny yellow brass knob in the exactmiddle, completely shutting out (or so he believes)the call to adventure he has just been issued.

Gandalf Tea Wednesday.

This is what Bilbo should have written down. Butbeing somewhat rattled by his encounter with thewizard on his doorstep and even more so by Gandalf'sabsurd invitation, Mr. Baggins feels the need fora second breakfast—and which of us wouldn't?—tocalm his nerves and help him return to his ordinaryroutine. But even after Bilbo treats himself to anothercake or two, he is still too flustered to remember torecord his engagement in the Engagement Tablet heuses for such things.

"Dwalin at your service!"

"Balin at your service!"

The next afternoon, hungry dwarves begin toshow up at teatime, like hungry dwarves at teatime.In one sense, simply accommodating Gandalf and thethirteen unexpected dwarves is an adventure in itselffor Mr. Baggins, for while he likes visitors, we aretold that he likes to know them before they arriveand prefers to ask them himself. Nevertheless he risesto the unanticipated occasion and makes room in hislittle hobbit-hole for the entire company and sets offto find something from his cupboards and cellar toshare.

As Bilbo begins to throw together this and that,we are given a hint of the great provender which lineshis pantries. Tea and tea-cakes come out, of course,but as more (and more) dwarves appear, the hobbitalso produces beer and seed-cakes, coffee and butteredscones, raspberry jam and apple tarts, mincepies and cheese, pork pies and salad, ale and eggs,and to top it all off—cold chicken and pickles.

So what is Tolkien's point here about good food(and the good cheer that goes with it)? One thingTolkien is not saying is that we should all renouncethe pleasures of the table and live on nothing but ahandful of brown rice and a couple of beans each day.

Quite the contrary.

Tolkien makes it clear that good food shared withgood friends is an essential part of a good life. In fact,in Thorin's dying words to Bilbo, Tolkien will havethe dwarf tell the hobbit: "If more of us valued foodand cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would bea merrier world." By contrast, Tolkien's narrator willtell us that one of the characteristics of goblins, whoembody the opposite of all that is right and good, isthat they hate everybody and everything.

We could say that the importance of hospitality isone of Tolkien's most important lessons—one that weneed to be reminded of today. Beginning with the unexpectedparty in chapter one with its tea cakes, seedcakes,and all the rest, Bilbo will share a good mealwith all of the good people...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Abingdon Press
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2013
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1426776020
• ISBN 13: 9781426776021
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 144
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: preigu GmbH & Co. KG; mail@preigu.de; ; Lengericher Landstr. 19; Osnabrück; Niedersachsen; 49078; Deutschland