Perhaps because of my renewed interest on Conqueror, I decided to re-read The Hobbit, a book that was required reading in 6th grade, and my entry ay into the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien. I have read it several times, but going through it again, I find myself laughing a little more, perhaps because I have more experience and understanding of English literary humor.
It is an acquired taste. To be sure, I got that there was a lightness about the tale, but I’m now a bit more attuned to the British sense of absurdity, and mindful of the fact that this book came out when Evelyn Waugh was writing his “smart set” books. There are some pretty clever digs that I had not noticed before.
In a sense, Tolkien was telling a tale of adventure, but also having some fun with social commentary. Of course, as I get deeper into the book, the tone changes, and it will more closely resemble the high fantasy language of The Lord of the Rings.
But at this stage of my reading, I’m getting a kick out of the sense of jovial absurdity, which is very much on display in Farmer Giles of Ham, one of the short stories subsequently published after the success of his masterpiece.
Chateau Lloyd 
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