word order - Can you explain the sentence structure 'In a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit'? Why put the verb before the subject?


The opening sentence to The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien reads,



In a hole in the ground there lived [verb] a hobbit [subject].



I wonder if there are accepted stylistic purposes for such a structure. When is it natural, and when is it unnatural?




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