A fantasy world is believable when readers find themselves lost in it; when their minds and imaginations can let go of the world they know and become completely absorbed in that other, fictional setting, which the author has painstakingly constructed, layer by layer.
However, no matter how whimsical and imaginative the secondary world is, it must be founded on universal principles of reason and logic in order to ensure a consistent, coherent, and credible reality. It must also contain certain elements, such as characters, settings, and themes, which are easily recognizable and can serve as signposts by which readers can navigate the unfamiliar territory in the book.
The Hobbit: An Introduction to Middle-Earth
Tolkien’s Middle-Earth is a prime example of a believable secondary world. Middle-Earth comes complete with maps, languages, folklore, and histories so rich it has supplied material for many other stories. As a preface to The Hobbit there is a concise explanation of the languages and letters of Middle-Earth, and the first chapter begins with a detailed description of hobbits in general and Bilbo Baggins in particular.
Intriguing names and phrases on Tolkien’s maps awaken memories of similar landscapes that we ourselves have seen before, even if only in photographs and movies, and invite us to imagine the great mountains, forests, rivers and waterfalls among which Bilbo’s adventures take place.
In order to give comforting and familiar touches to a world which might otherwise seem too strange, remote, wild and frightening, Tolkien makes copious use of commonplace objects and activities (for example, walking sticks, pocket-handkerchiefs, breakfast and tea-time), in much the same way that a great pile of dirty dishes convinces Bilbo that his unexpected visitors had not been just a dream.
Food, that ultimate source of comfort, figures prominently in the book. Bilbo’s adventures are inaugurated with a lavish tea. The first encounter with danger is also precipitated by food: Thorin and Company are drawn to the trolls’ campfire, where there is roast mutton turning on a spit.
Inhabitants of Middle-Earth
Upon this mixed canvas of home and wilderness, safety and peril, Tolkien paints his characters, also giving them familiar shapes, tones and colours by giving them British speech and mannerisms, which his original readers would have instantly recognized. Bilbo speaks and behaves exactly like a country gentleman, while the trolls are thick, slow, and loutish, with Cockney accents.
The characters, both human and mythical, are also believable because they exhibit traits which readers can easily identify in themselves. Bilbo is not a “Warrior” or a “Hero” nor even an expert burglar, but a food-loving, comfort-seeking, easy-going character, much like humans are. Greed and pride, two very recognizable human characteristics, are what motivate Thorin and Company to try and reclaim their lost treasure.
Magic of Middle-Earth
However, not all of the characters and objects that appear in The Hobbit are ordinary, and not everything that happens is normal – that is, according to this world’s standards. Tolkien’s stories, after all, are not merely fiction but high fantasy. Middle-Earth contains its own special brand of magic. There are characters who can wield the magic, such as Gandalf, or who are magical in essence, such as Beorn. Other characters are mythical creatures (dragons, goblins) or animals that exhibit human qualities (lordly eagles, evil spiders, wise thrushes). Some objects are also invested with magic and power. The trolls’ purse squeaks when someone tries to steal it. Bilbo finds a ring that makes its wearer invisible.
The magic is believable because it is an elemental part of Middle-Earth, something that the characters accept and acknowledge as a force in their world. It is not alive nor is it inherently good or evil, but a neutral entity that can be used for good or evil. This is also logical and reasonable, comparable to forces in the real world, like electricity. It frightens them at times, not because it is strange, but because it is all too real, and has real consequences. Warned by Beorn, Thorin and Company avoid touching the waters of the Stream of Forgetfulness. Logically, a magical event startles them only when it is caused by a non-magical character, as when Bilbo appears out of nowhere by taking off the ring, which his companions don’t know he has.
Finally, at the heart of The Hobbit is the theme of finding greatness where it is least expected. The story of how an unadventurous hobbit rises to the challenges set before him is not only thoroughly entertaining but also immensely encouraging. Everyone wants to believe that he is greater than he thinks he is. Finding out that this is true is the most exciting adventure of all, and the most compelling proof that one can believe in magic.
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