Middle Earth in Bamberg

The second lecture “Negotiating Power in The Hobbit” was held by Barbara Kehler and showed impressively that Michel Foucault’s discourse theory is never outdated. We learned for instance that Thorin’s and Bilbo’s relationship is determined by the interrelated discourses of home and family. Additionally, it was showcased that there was a slight shift from the novel to the adaptation. More specifically, in the novel the discourse of riches was the most important one as the dwarves wanted to get back their treasure. However, Peter Jackson altered this in the adaptation, focusing on the discourse of family and home. As a result, without the discourse of riches, the characters are more likeable. Consequently, Thorin Oakenshield, who is rather annoying in the novel, is more endearingly depicted in the adaptation. This is a fact that cannot only be attributed to the charming actor Richard Armitage who embodies Thorin Oakenshield. Thus, the audience learns that discourses influence the everyday behaviour and that, according to discourse, power structures are always in a state of flux.

The second event took place on the 13th December, and led many Tolkien fans from the university to Nuremberg to see The Desolation of Smaug in English, shortly after its release. The excitement was already perceptible at the train station. Although we had the chance to visit the Christkindlmarkt, everyone was only talking about The Hobbit, and the tension increased. Finally, the time came to enter the cinema, and as soon as every seat was taken Kerstin Münderlein introduced a competition to us. Everyone who was willing to write an essay about Bilbo’s shifting power position had a chance to win a prize. The winning essays can be found below.