Classifying The Hobbit versus The Lord of the Rings: Questions of Genre, Tone, and Audience Anonymous College

The genre classifications of J. R. R. Tolkien’s fantasy anthology have always been an interesting discussion topic for both scholars and casual readers alike. Not many compendiums can claim they range in style from children’s book, to modern fiction, to poetry collections, and (for all intents and purposes) history textbooks over the course of the series. Most notable and well-known in Tolkien’s legendarium are the novels The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Although they are installments in the same series and the latter is directly sequential to the former, it is clear that the two books can be distinguishable with respect to their genres—mainly through differing use of narration and character themes.

The most significant differentiator between the two novels is arguably the style of narration. While the two both use a third-person omniscient narrator, The Lord of the Rings is told in a much more informational and didactic manner—the thoughts and views of the characters are portrayed, but opinions on the plot are seldom (if ever) offered. The Hobbit’s narrator, on the other hand, is what’s called an obtrusive narrator—one that can almost be considered a character his/herself. This style uses direct address—speaking directly...