To
begin with, the title of this first chapter of The Fellowship of the Ring echoes the
title An Unexpected Party, the first chapter of The Hobbit. Tolkien reports that he began trying to write
a sequel to his surprisingly popular children’s book a mere three months after
it was published in 1937. As it happened, it was 1954 before the first volume of
this sequel came out; that’s a whole 17 years. And The Lord of the Rings
became more than the simple adventure that the publishers Allen & Unwin had
requested and expected.
The Tale
To
summarize the events: Bilbo Baggins, having lived to the respectable age of 111,
is preparing ‘a party of special magnificence’. His neighbors, family, and
friends are all humming with anticipation and are busy remembering and
recounting his peculiarities and history. For one thing, he has never married
but has adopted young Frodo, who is both his first and second cousin (not his
nephew). The wizard Gandalf comes to Bag End to visit his old friend and to set
off his fireworks at the gathering. Gandalf and Frodo are the only ones who
know that Bilbo has a special surprise planned for the end of the party.
The
evening of the birthday celebration arrives, and after hours of feasting and
entertainment (including fireworks), Bilbo gets up to give a speech. After
teasing and insulting his special 144 party guests, he astounds them all by announcing
that he is leaving the Shire; then, using his secret magical ring, promptly
disappears. He leaves the party field and returns to Bag End. While he is
preparing to depart, Gandalf comes in to see him off. After some disturbing
behavior from the old hobbit, Gandalf finally persuades him to leave his ring
behind for Frodo, and Bilbo hits the road, heading for the Lonely Mountain with
three dwarves who had come to assist him.
The
next day Frodo is left to manage the aftermath of the party. As Bilbo’s legal
heir and the new master of Bag End, Frodo must deal with Bilbo’s legacies and
the legal ramifications of his disappearance. It has particularly upset his
relations the Sackville-Baggins who have been waiting for sixty years (since
Bilbo’s first disappearance on the Quest to Erebor) to take over Bag End and
the headship of the Baggins family. Gandalf briefly visits Frodo and advises
him to use the ring as little as possible or not at all; his suspicions have
been aroused by Bilbo’s troubling actions. The old wizard leaves and Frodo does
not see him again for a long time.
Bits and Bobs
As
this is the oldest chapter, it is also the most heavily re-written, especially
as Tolkien tried to feel his way into the tale. He had little or no idea of
where it would go. As is told in The Return of the Shadow (History of
Middle-earth Vol. 6) at one point in Tolkien’s many efforts Bilbo even had a
son, named Bingo (so-called after a family of teddy bears owned by daughter Priscilla), who through many permutations eventually turned into Frodo.
What is particularly fascinating about this process is noticing how many
elements and phrases remain basically the same, no matter how rearranged or
repurposed they are. It is also filled with reminders and elements from The
Hobbit, from dwarves to Dale to dragons to treasure, forging the links
between ‘the enchanting prelude’ and the new epic.
“A
Long-Expected Party” is the most concentrated example of Hobbitry in the whole
saga. As remarked by Tolkien elsewhere, the short stature of the Hobbits reflects
the reach of their imagination, and he seems to delight in recounting their
simple (but occasionally shrewd) outlook on life. Some readers have found them
more annoying than delightful, but that is part of their charm. Even Frodo, who
has a larger grasp of the world, finds them smug and tiresome at times. They
are a down-to-earth rustic folk, with all the good and bad qualities that
implies. Their world, with its post offices and birthday parties, is one we can
easily slip into before going on to more unusual adventures.
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