Gnomes and Fairies

[Galadriel55]

Sorry about the double post, but it has just occurred to me to ask this now.

Originally Posted by Formendacil

(Actually, my first question was "what about the use of 'gnome' in The Hobbit, but in Googling that to catch the exact quote, I ended up discovering that the reason I couldn't remember it by heart is because I've never read it--it was only there in the first edition and second editions. It was revised for the third edition, contemporary with the LotR's second edition, but even so, 1966 is fairly late; The Hobbit had been out for nearly 30 years by then and had seen a few translations.

I am a young and unlearned hobbit, and none of the texts I read (aside from those quoted on the Downs) used the word "gnomes". So for me, the issue is largely moot. On the other hand, you've seen the word in context in BOLT, and also in The Hobbit (from the first editions) - what do you think it adds to / takes away from the story? From your perspective, did the taking it out alter the feel of the story in any way?