Backstory: Dreamflower's Shire
Feb. 16th, 2009 04:03 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dreamflowerWell, here's another little bit of that backstory material of mine, if anyone is interested.
I'm posting it mostly for my own benefit, but I'd like some feedback as well--it's useful in refining my ideas, and in giving me bunnies! *grin*
Backstory: Dreamflower's Shire-verse
This is a place where I am attempting to gather up the threads of things I have hinted at in my fics, my own ideas of what the Shire was like, and the background/history of hobbits as I envision it.
Warning: everything in this is FANON, not canon. While I do try to be canon-friendly in my interpretations and conjectures, interpretations and conjectures are ALL they are.
Shire Society:
Education and Literacy
For a rural and agrarian pre-industrial society, literacy in the Shire was fairly high--possibly as much as 60%. Of course, for the most part, an education was the bare basics of reading, writing and simple arithmetic.
It was expected that the parents would be responsible for seeing that they taught these basics to their children. A child's first teacher was usually his or her mother, unless there was an older sibling who could take that duty. (Merry's first teacher was Frodo, who, although his cousin, was living at the time as his foster brother; Pippin's first teacher was Pearl.) Naturally, this meant that children in a family in which the parents were illiterate would not "learn their letters". Often if the child were apprenticed or employed, their Master or their employer would see to their education--as Bilbo did with Sam.
We are told that the Shire Post was kept very busy with correspondence. All Post-hobbits had to be literate; for a copper farthing, they would read letters sent to those who were illiterate, and for the same small fee would write short letters or notes. Most communities also usually had an obliging scribe who would also write more lengthy letters for not much more.
Among the gentry, when a child reached his or her mid-teens, they would begin to take lessons with the family tutor, who was always a relative--usually a bachelor cousin or uncle-- for the more advanced subjects thought necessary for an upper-class hobbit--history, geography, estate management, advanced mathematics and so forth. Bilbo was the Family tutor for the Bagginses until his reputation was ruined by his Adventure, however, once Frodo came to live with him, he took up teaching once more--teaching Frodo and Samwise, and when Frodo's younger cousins came for extended visits he set them lessons as well. At Brandy Hall, Rorimac's younger brother Dinodas was the main tutor for at least three generations of young Brandybucks, while at the Great Smials, there were four or five cousins who handled the task of teaching young Tooks. However, if the father was well-educated, he might continue his child's education himself, as Bungo did for Bilbo--if he had the time.
If there were some talent that needed learning, that too, was seen to by a relative. If a child needed music lessons or art lessons, an accommodating aunt, uncle or cousin would take on the task. Frodo had art lessons from his cousin Calla Brandybuck; Pippin learned to play the fiddle from his Aunt Esmeralda, the lap harp from his Aunt Peridot, the bagpipes from his Cousin Ferdinand. (And the shepherd's pipes from Legolas!) After the Quest, he himself began giving music lessons to Ilberic Brandybuck!
Although we are not told of printing presses, we know that there were also a goodly number of books in the Shire, since Bilbo's cousin Milo had borrowed enough of Bilbo's books to fill a bookcase. Most of the larger towns had a stationer's shop, where writing supplies were sold and books were bound. These stationers usually employed copyists. And for some literate hobbits, the copying and binding of books was a pastime and hobby. Bilbo and Frodo were among that number. Bilbo, however, usually copied only for his own library, his spidery hand not being elegant enough for others. Frodo, however, had an artist's understanding of calligraphy, and could write in a very fine hand. He often copied books for Bilbo, or as gifts for others.
The bent for writing and scholarly pursuits seemed to run in the Baggins family. Drogo was one of Bilbo's best students, and he later enjoyed writing brief treatises on Shire flora and fauna; and Dora, his sister, was famous not only for her many letters of advice, but in her later years she wrote a book, "Miss Dora Baggins' Book of Manners: or The Shire Hobbit's Guide to Proper Behaviour for Every Occasion" that was considered the last word on hobbit ettiquette, and was a frequent wedding gift to young couples.
I'm posting it mostly for my own benefit, but I'd like some feedback as well--it's useful in refining my ideas, and in giving me bunnies! *grin*
Backstory: Dreamflower's Shire-verse
This is a place where I am attempting to gather up the threads of things I have hinted at in my fics, my own ideas of what the Shire was like, and the background/history of hobbits as I envision it.
Warning: everything in this is FANON, not canon. While I do try to be canon-friendly in my interpretations and conjectures, interpretations and conjectures are ALL they are.
Shire Society:
Education and Literacy
For a rural and agrarian pre-industrial society, literacy in the Shire was fairly high--possibly as much as 60%. Of course, for the most part, an education was the bare basics of reading, writing and simple arithmetic.
It was expected that the parents would be responsible for seeing that they taught these basics to their children. A child's first teacher was usually his or her mother, unless there was an older sibling who could take that duty. (Merry's first teacher was Frodo, who, although his cousin, was living at the time as his foster brother; Pippin's first teacher was Pearl.) Naturally, this meant that children in a family in which the parents were illiterate would not "learn their letters". Often if the child were apprenticed or employed, their Master or their employer would see to their education--as Bilbo did with Sam.
We are told that the Shire Post was kept very busy with correspondence. All Post-hobbits had to be literate; for a copper farthing, they would read letters sent to those who were illiterate, and for the same small fee would write short letters or notes. Most communities also usually had an obliging scribe who would also write more lengthy letters for not much more.
Among the gentry, when a child reached his or her mid-teens, they would begin to take lessons with the family tutor, who was always a relative--usually a bachelor cousin or uncle-- for the more advanced subjects thought necessary for an upper-class hobbit--history, geography, estate management, advanced mathematics and so forth. Bilbo was the Family tutor for the Bagginses until his reputation was ruined by his Adventure, however, once Frodo came to live with him, he took up teaching once more--teaching Frodo and Samwise, and when Frodo's younger cousins came for extended visits he set them lessons as well. At Brandy Hall, Rorimac's younger brother Dinodas was the main tutor for at least three generations of young Brandybucks, while at the Great Smials, there were four or five cousins who handled the task of teaching young Tooks. However, if the father was well-educated, he might continue his child's education himself, as Bungo did for Bilbo--if he had the time.
If there were some talent that needed learning, that too, was seen to by a relative. If a child needed music lessons or art lessons, an accommodating aunt, uncle or cousin would take on the task. Frodo had art lessons from his cousin Calla Brandybuck; Pippin learned to play the fiddle from his Aunt Esmeralda, the lap harp from his Aunt Peridot, the bagpipes from his Cousin Ferdinand. (And the shepherd's pipes from Legolas!) After the Quest, he himself began giving music lessons to Ilberic Brandybuck!
Although we are not told of printing presses, we know that there were also a goodly number of books in the Shire, since Bilbo's cousin Milo had borrowed enough of Bilbo's books to fill a bookcase. Most of the larger towns had a stationer's shop, where writing supplies were sold and books were bound. These stationers usually employed copyists. And for some literate hobbits, the copying and binding of books was a pastime and hobby. Bilbo and Frodo were among that number. Bilbo, however, usually copied only for his own library, his spidery hand not being elegant enough for others. Frodo, however, had an artist's understanding of calligraphy, and could write in a very fine hand. He often copied books for Bilbo, or as gifts for others.
The bent for writing and scholarly pursuits seemed to run in the Baggins family. Drogo was one of Bilbo's best students, and he later enjoyed writing brief treatises on Shire flora and fauna; and Dora, his sister, was famous not only for her many letters of advice, but in her later years she wrote a book, "Miss Dora Baggins' Book of Manners: or The Shire Hobbit's Guide to Proper Behaviour for Every Occasion" that was considered the last word on hobbit ettiquette, and was a frequent wedding gift to young couples.
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Date: 2009-02-16 02:26 pm (UTC)What a great detail. I'm really enjoying these snippets.
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Date: 2009-02-16 03:02 pm (UTC)I'm glad you are liking it!
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