Odd.

Basically, A bildungsroman (coming of age novel) written by the elderly for the imagined edification and indoctrination of the young. The aging writer tries to recapture the idealism of youth, with its clarity, innocence, moral certainty, loyalty and determination to succeed through perserverance. Basically, its propaganda for surly selfish kids, written by disillusioned, tired old farts. But the formula works, which is why we see it so often repeated. The wise old coach guides the noble young athlete (with the aid of the spunky team of misfits) to defeat the cheaters. Its all designed to reinforce the virtues the aged always see as lacking in the young: loyalty, perserverance, and self-confidence. Its pretty obvious and quite shameless, really. Its one of the many basic themes in mythology.

Young Hero: Arthur, Harry Potter, Luke Skywalker, Frodo Baggins
Old Mentor: Merlin, Dumbledore, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Gandalf
Nasty Villain: Mordred, Voldemort, Darth Vader, Sauron
Wacky Sidekicks: Round Table, Harry’s friends, Luke’s Allies, Ring Fellowship
Magic Weapon: Excalibur, Elder Wand, Light Saber, Sting
Warrior Ally: Launcelot, Sirius, Han Solo, Aragorn
Hottie: Guinevere, Hermione, Princess Leia, No sex please, we’re British

And something happened to me regarding science fiction, fantasy and mythology in the late ’60s. It got so weird, so off-the-wall that I found myself unable to deal with it.

I have to admit I haven’t read any of the LOTR, or any of the Harry Potter stuff, or any other science fiction. And this is from a person who used to go through the library reading all of the Verne, Asimov, Heinlein and their ilk stuff. Every bit of it. Loved it.

There is no doubt in my mind this stuff is great, too many people I admire like it, I’m sure it’s charming. I just can’t bring myself to start.

The reason his created ‘verse is so rich is because He wrote, and re-wrote, the ancient history of Middle Earth a long time before either the Hobbit or LOTR came along. Many are written as poetic lays. In a way, those books were essentially tacked onto the end of a story arc covering thousands of years. His mythology includes the creation of the Cosmos, and the origins of all the creatures that inhabit it. The kingdoms and battles of the Third Age (when LOTR is set) are just echoes of the earlier stories. For me, that’s what makes LOTR so enjoyable. Middle Earth is attractive because it has a history which is woven into the narrative. All the ruins of previous kingdoms the travelers encounter are reminders of a distant past that create a curiosity in the reader to want to learn more. One gets the feeling that the book is just scratching the surface.

Take the enigmatic Tom Bombadil, for example. Who and what the hell is he? Why is he even in the story? Firstly, Tolkien wrote a children’s story about this character long before LOTR so Tolkien had him laying around and wanted to included him. But the character is also there, at that point in the story, to introduce the hobbits to an important concept in Tolkien’s philosophy: that there is good in the world that cannot be corrupted. At this point in the story, the young hobbits have faced the Black Riders and the evils of the forest. They need a bit of a break and a reminder that not all is evil along their journey, “friends unlooked for..” Who is Bombadil is a topic hotly debated among fans, keeping the mystery alive. (pretty much a god/angel (“Valar”) who quit his day job to live in the woods with the beautiful Goldberry.)

I agree with your suggestion that Bombadil was Tolkien finding his stride at this point in the story. The Hobbit was a book for children, a bit of a throw-off piece for his children. When the publisher wanted a sequel, he started Fellowship of the Ring, which starts out with a tone just slightly more mature than the Hobbit but gets darker and darker as the tale unfolds. You might observe that by the end of the trilogy the language gets even more Shakespearian than at the beginning.

I could ramble on more, but I’ll spare you my fandom. Unless you’ve questions while you read, I’d be happy to answer what I can.

Meanwhile, while you read, a map is helpful, and this one is excellent:

http://lotrproject.com/map/#zoom=3&lat=-1315.5&lon=1500&layers=BTTTTT