This article is really stupid.

27 Jul 2001

This article is really stupid. My first hint should have been that it was linked from the front page of MSN. My second should have been that it was titled “‘The Hobbit’”: Overrated?”.

The guy is responding to the hype surrounding the upcoming Lord of the Rings movie, and the corresponding renewed popularity of the books. So, naturally, he claims it’s all hype, and The Hobbit isn’t that great. He’s your typical “well, this is popular, so let me explain why it sucks, because I’m too cool to like it; I only listen to alternative lo-fi indie country and my shit doesn’t stink” guy. You know the ones.

So what does he find to criticize in a novel that’s acknowledged as one of the greatest classics of the 20th century? The quality of the “poetry” in the book.

Give me a break. a) It’s a fantasy novel that was written for children, and b) it wasn’t supposed to be fuckin Keats, here – The varied forms of poetry used in the novel served various purposes.. Some of it was cadence in the form of marching chants, some of it was parody.. And above all, most of it was cutesy and clever stuff aimed at a younger audience. It was totally appropriate in the context of the book, and very reminiscent of that same sort of poetry in English and other cultures.

It makes me wonder if this guy read the book at all, and if maybe he should work on dislodging the baseball bat from his rectum.