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J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit: Bilbo’s Journey with Joseph Pearce
Recorded course taught by Joseph Pearce for High School, Middle School Modern Literature
Summary

Sign up to join renowned Tolkien scholar Joseph Pearce in studying this riveting tale of Smaug the dragon and Bilbo the hero. The Hobbit is the Christian journey of self-sacrifice out of love for others, and abandonment to providence and grace. A classic for ALL ages (including parents!).


Instructor Access (Optional grading support) is available for this course. Please note: this is ONLY recommended if you wish to write the optional paper. All quizzes are internally graded in this course. Optional papers will be completed via this page (click here) for an Instructor Access fee of $75.

Instructor: Joseph Pearce

Course Description: Professor Pearce unlocks the Catholic meaning of The Hobbit. This course takes the students beyond dragons, dwarves and elves on a journey of discovery into the surprisingly deep meaning of Tolkien’s classic story. How is Bilbo’s journey our journey too? How does it reflect the truths of the Gospel?

Total classes

6

Duration

55 minutes per class

Prerequisites

The ability to read and enjoy the book

Suggested grade level

8th to 10th grade

Suggested credit

½ semester Literature

Outline

Class 1: Bilbo as Everyman. Introducing the author J. R. R. Tolkien, a lifelong practicing Catholic. Tolkien’s Catholic philosophy of creativity. Bilbo Baggins as an Everyman figure who holds up a mirror to the reader.

Class 2: Read Chapters 1-4. Home-Loving Hobbits, Deadly Dragons and Clever Orcs. Following Bilbo from the Shire to the Misty Mountains. The danger of creature comforts. The necessity of adventure. The demonic nature of dragons. The wisdom of wizards and elves. The wicked cleverness of orcs.

Class 3: Read Chapters 5-8. Gollum, the Ring and the Power of “Luck.” The role of Gollum and the Ring in The Hobbit versus their role in The Lord of the Rings. The role of “luck” in the riddling game between Bilbo and Gollum. The euphemistic use of “luck.” The relationship between luck and the freedom of choice. Providence and free will.

Class 4: Read Chapters 9-12. Bilbo’s Ring and the Return of the King. The Franciscan spirit of Radagast and Beorn. Gandalf flies the nest. Bilbo comes of age. The return of the King in The Hobbit versus the return of the King in The Lord of the Rings. Thorin versus Aragorn.

Class 5: Read Chapters 13-16. Dragon Sickness. The sun as a signifier of God’s omnipotence and omnipresence. “Above all shadows rides the sun.” The wickedness of Smaug. The contagiousness of dragon sickness. The dragon sickness as a prefigurement of the power of the Ring.

Class 6: Read Chapters 17-18. The Death and Resurrection of Bilbo Baggins. Bilbo’s return home. The wisdom of the elves. Bilbo’s “death” and resurrection and its overarching significance.

Materials

The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien (any edition, but Prof. Pearce will be reading from ISBN-10: 0261102214 or ISBN-13: 978-0261102217). Recommended, but not required, is Bilbo's Journey: Discovering Hidden Meaning in The Hobbit by Prof. Joseph Pearce, ISBN-10: ‎1618900587 or ISBN-13: ‎978-1618900586

Homework

Reading assignment for each class and weekly quizzes graded by the computer for immediate feedback. Estimated time outside of class each week: 90 minutes of reading, reviewing, and quiz-taking.

Course name
J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit: Bilbo’s Journey with Joseph Pearce
Instructor
Joseph Pearce
Semester
Recorded
Category
Literature ➤ Modern Literature
Grade levels
High School, Middle School
Start time
August 19th, 2023 at 12:00 AM ET
Course type
Recorded, free with subscription
Relative due dates
Relative due dates are disabled for this course.
Enhanced quiz security
Enhanced assignment security

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Joseph Pearce
jpearce.co@outlook.com

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About Joseph Pearce

A native of England, Joseph Pearce is the internationally acclaimed author of many books, which include bestsellers such as The Quest for Shakespeare, Tolkien: Man and Myth, The Unmasking of Oscar Wilde, C. S. Lewis and The Catholic Church, Literary Converts, Wisdom and Innocence: A Life of G.K. Chesterton, Solzhenitsyn: A Soul in Exile and Old Thunder: A Life of Hilaire Belloc.

His books have been published and translated into Spanish, Portuguese, French, Dutch, Italian, Korean, Mandarin, Croatian and Polish. He has hosted two 13-part television series about Shakespeare on EWTN, and has also written and presented documentaries on EWTN on The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. His verse drama, Death Comes for the War Poets, was performed off-Broadway to critical acclaim. He has participated and lectured at a wide variety of international and literary events at major colleges and universities in the U.S., Canada, Britain, Europe, Africa and South America.

He is Visiting Professor of Literature at Ave Maria University and a Visiting Fellow of Thomas More College of Liberal Arts (Merrimack, New Hampshire). He is editor of the St. Austin Review (https://staustinreview.org/), series editor of the Ignatius Critical Editions (www.ignatiuscriticaleditions.com), senior instructor with Homeschool Connections, and senior contributor at the Imaginative Conservative and Crisis Magazine.

His personal website is http://www.jpearce.co.  

Testimonies from students:

“I appreciated and enjoyed the class, I understood the teacher even with his accent.”

“I LOVE Mr. Pearce's British accent! I also greatly appreciated the email response that was given when I asked a question.”

See Courses & Videos

Click here for more info about Joseph Pearce!

© 2023 Homeschool Connections; Joseph Pearce. All Rights Reserved.

  • This material is only to be used for its intended purpose by active subscribers of Homeschool Connections or purchasers of the course. Any other use without explicit permission is in violation of the seventh commandment, and in violation of US and International copyright laws.
  • You may print or download to your own storage extracts for your personal homeschool and non-commercial use only. This is not to be used for homeschool co-ops without express written permission from Homeschool Connections.
  • Upon completion of the course, you must delete all copies of course materials from any storage on which you saved permissible extracts.

Violation of the above copyright policies may result in expulsion without any refund and/or legal action.