Exploring Tolkien
Exploring Tolkien is a weekly show that dives deep into JRR Tolkien and all the ages of Middle-earth. Jonathan Watson and Michael Grumbine are your hosts as they read through Tolkien’s works, interview other Tolkien enthusiasts and authors, and critically examine how Tolkien’s world is being treated by mega-corporations like Amazon.com and Warner Bros.
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Once Tolkien finished writing The Lord of the Rings, it became clear to him that The Hobbit needed to change--particularly Bilbo and Gollum's interaction. But what exactly did he change?
The 2nd half of "Riddles in the Dark" is the most rewritten part of The Hobbit in the 1951 rewrite! And it's where Bilbo takes a giant leap (so to speak) into the future of his adventure.
"Riddles in the Dark" is not only the most memorable event from all of Middle-earth -- it's also the turning point that ultimately let to The Lord of the Rings.
The goblins of moria grab the dwarves (and hobbit) who decided to camp out on their "front porch", leading to some real terrifying moments!
The first part of Chapter 4, Over Hill and Under Hill, is unique for it's direct correlation with Tolkien's own past. We discuss: Tolkien's hiking experience and how it influenced this section of The Hobbit VERY obviously. Stone Giants... are they even necessary or part of Middle-earth? And what ARE they? What's the s
When Tolkien attempted to rewrite the Hobbit in 1960, he just gave up halfway through Chapter 3. In this episode we look at: Changes in time and distance Changes in Prose and style Why he gave up His detailed notes on timeline and itinerary that outlined his changes to The Hobbit In our extended episode (available for
