The Hobbit, or There and Back Again language analysis

Before starting the analysis, it needs to be pointed out that the present paper is based
only on 2 pages from the book, therefore the analysis may be imperfect and some
features may be omitted. To start the actual analysis, it seems, despite its obviousness,
to define The Hobbits genre. The genre is fantasy novel. This means it is set in a
fictional supernatural universe full of supernatural beings such as the titular hobbit,
wizards, elves, dwarfs, dragons, goblins etc. Moving further, the narration is mostly
third-personal and omniscient. However, sometimes the narrator becomes first-personal
and approaches the reader directly, like in the following fragments: I suppose hobbits
need some description (), Now you know enough to go on with, As I was saying
(), () which I have just described for you () or You will notice already that
Mr. Baggins (). Therefore, the narration is hybrid, but most of the time third-personal
and only occasionally shifting into first-personal. The dialogues are in indirect speech
and sometimes are followed by protagonists thoughts. As for the vocabulary, it is rather
simple which is not surprising, since this novel was meant to be a book for kids with
fairy-tale-like mood. When it comes to grammar, the thing that easily rivets attention is
the structure of sentences, especially in cases of descriptions. The description and
explanation of what a hobbit is can be a great example. Therein are lots of complex
sentences with lots of clauses, commas and semi-colons. The semantic meaning,
especially in dialogues, changes depending on various contexts. This is nicely illustrated
by the following quotations:
Good morning! said Bilbo, and he meant it. The sun was shining, and the grass was
very green.
But Gandalf looked at him from under long bushy eyebrows that stuck out further than
the brim of his shady hat. What do you mean? be said. Do you wish me a good
morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want not; or that you feel good
this morning; or that it is morning to be good on?
All of them at once, said Bilbo. ()

Very pretty! said Gandalf. But I have no time to blow smoke-rings this morning. I
am looking for someone to share in an adventure that I am arranging, and it's very
difficult to find anyone.
I should think so - in these parts! We are plain quiet folk and have no use for
adventures. Nasty. disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner! I cant
think what anybody sees in them, said our Mr. Baggins, and stuck one thumb behind
his braces, and blew out another even bigger smokering. Then he took out his morning
letters, and begin to read, pretending to take no more notice of the old man. He had
decided that he was not quite his sort, and wanted him to go away. But the old man did
not move. He stood leaning on his stick and gazing at the hobbit without saying
anything, till Bilbo got quite uncomfortable and even a little cross.
Good morning! he said at last. We don't want any adventures here, thank you! You
might try over The Hill or across The Water. By this he meant that the conversation
was at an end.
What a lot of things you do use Good morning for! said Gandalf. Now you mean that
you want to get rid of me, and that it won't be good till I move off.

As Gandalf notices, a simple and obvious phrase good morning expresses various
different thoughts, such as wishing good morning, claiming the day is good indeed,
feeling good, being good and casting an unwanted guest off. The meaning depends on
the context and the protagonists mood. Besides sentences structure, it is also necessary
to describe the tense which is passive and both in active and passive voice. The
narration itself is humorous and the following quote pictures it well: () large stupid
folk like you and me come blundering along, making a noise like elephants which they
can hear a mile off. This presence of humorous phrases and jokes creates rather
informal and playful atmosphere. However, the atmosphere can also become more
elevated, more ceremonial. This change of atmosphere is presented in the quotation
below:
Gandalf, Gandalf! Good gracious me! Not the wandering wizard that gave Old Took a
pair of magic diamond studs that fastened themselves and never came undone till
ordered? Not the fellow who used to tell such wonderful tales at parties, about dragons
and goblins and giants and the rescue of princesses and the unexpected luck of widows'
sons? Not the man that used to make such particularly excellent fireworks! I remember
those! Old Took used to have them on Midsummer's Eve. Splendid!

As it was mentioned before, the novel picture emerges as a book with fairy-tale-like
quality by the means of simple vocabulary, supernatural elements and beings directly
from fairy-tales (dragons, elves, wizards, goblins, dwarfs etc). The author wrote this
book for children, so it is not weird that conventions from fairy-tales were used. By
looking at the whole store of the novel, it can be deduced that it consist of even more
fairy-tale elements such as moral tales and motifs of a journey, fight of good with evil
and motif of a wise old man.