The first is some very intelligent fellow encouraging everyone to reread the Hobbit before the movie, because they will be surprised to discover that it is not as lacking in literary merit as the Tolkien apologists (who invariably worship the Silmarillion) would have us all believe:
http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2012/09/ ... um=twitter" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
And then, news to me, Tolkien revised the Famous Riddles in the Dark chapter so that it would work with the Lord of the Rings series. And here is a link with the text of the original Riddles in the Dark next to the text of the revised Riddles in the Dark:One of the most consistently underappreciated elements of “The Hobbit” is Tolkien’s use of poetry and song throughout the book. Most readers skim over the poems or even skip them outright, but they miss out on some of Tolkien’s most thoughtful and compelling literary moments. The songs in “The Hobbit” are not merely verses embedded in the story; they are poems carefully designed to capture the voices and illustrate the attitudes of their singers.
The simple chant of the goblins when they first capture Bilbo and the dwarves, for instance, gives readers a stark insight into the goblin outlook on life in just the first few short lines: “Clap! Snap! the black crack! / Grip, grab! Pinch, nab!” The harsh, explosive consonants and the action-focused, verb-heavy monosyllables instantly immerse readers in the hard, violent world of the goblins, who take simple pleasure in acts of cruelty. The dwarves’ song in Bilbo’s kitchen, in which they cheerfully threaten to “Chip the glasses and crack the plates!” sounds similar, but reflects their comparative mildness and the domesticity of their (merely humorous) threats through the complexity of their phrasing and poetic lines. The Wood-elves also sing a monosyllabic song as they watch their barrels roll into the river, but their soft liquid consonants (“roll-roll-rolling down the hole!”) and their enjoyment of amusing sounds (“Heave ho! Splash plump!”) show that their simple pleasures are as innocent as the goblins’ are cruel. Tolkien’s poetry enriches and complements not only the plot of the story, but the development of his fictional world.
http://www.ringgame.net/riddles.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
"Where iss it? Where iss it?" Bilbo heard him squeaking. "Lost, lost, my preciouss, lost, lost! Bless us and splash us! We haven't the present we promised, and we haven't even got it for ourselves."
"Where iss it? Where iss it?" Bilbo heard him crying. "Losst it is, my precious, lost lost! Curse us and crush us, my precious is lost!"