The interest in languages that Tolkien demonstrated all his life is evident in The Hobbit, as well. The book begins with an explanation of runes, the ancient northern system of writing. In addition, the names of places and characters, while entirely invented, sound like authentic ancient northern dialects. Tolkien invented languages from the time he was a student and even wrote poems in some; his invented languages have a coherent grammar and a linguistic structure that renders them quite believable. His linguistic facility is on display in The Hobbit and in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, in which he uses invented languages much more extensively.
Tolkien is often given credit for reviving and popularizing the fantasy genre. His old friend at Oxford, C. S. Lewis, was probably influenced by him in the writing of his science fiction novels and his fantasy series for children, The Chronicles of Narnia.
