History homework and The Hobbit

I just finished the rough draft of my history essay (topic: emancipation of the Russian serfs).  Eight pages wouldn't have taken long, if it weren't for the research and footnotes.  You know, that pocket guide book is everything it says on the tin!  The internet helps, though.  Also very grateful to my English 101 professor - outlining has worked wonders ever since.  Now if he'd only taught us Chicago instead of MLA...ah well, it doesn't hurt to know both!

Remember Zola, Ishiguro, and Forster?  It turns out that my elective course for next quarter (early American arts/lit/music/etc.), includes Hawthorne's The House of the Seven Gables as required reading.  So that will be four books total from my (official and unofficial) reading lists. I approve.

It's just as well, because all the reading I've been making time for is The Hobbit.  Did you hear tickets for it have already outsold Skyfall and Breaking Dawn pt 2?!!  There's still hope for society (if just barely).  I think the only thing I will "dislike" about the first movie is seeing it come to an end, most likely before Mirkwood. 

This is my second read through the book.  I'm not very well-read when it comes to Tolkien - is there any indication, in any of his writings, that Smaug is another version of Sauron?  Because The Hobbit reminds me a bit of Genesis, in that there's a serpent-like dragon and Bilbo goes from being an innocent hobbit to a ring-bearer, soon to be corrupted.  Maybe it's just me...   On another note, Richard Armitage will be amazing as Thorin, of that I am convinced.  It's fascinating to see how the treasure, more particularly the Arkenstone, reverts the relationship between Bilbo and the dwarves back to one of dislike, and imminent distrust.  Movie-firsters will be in for a shock, that's for sure!

One more thing - Tolkien was very smart and careful not to make the Ring as a "means justify the ends" tool, as many fantasy authors would.  With Boromir, he clearly illustrated that that is unacceptable.  Bilbo, on the other hand, is unaware that the Ring is evil (though Gollum ought to have given him the hint, lol).