Place and Influence of Tolkien's work in litterature

This is a topic that has as an objective to debate and enlighten the position of Tolkien's work in the world of litterature, more precisely in that of Science Fiction, and even more so High Fantasy.

Tolkien is most known for his self created world of Middle Earth, where he tells the tales of its people, its gods and its creatures.

Through extensive descriptions and vivid depictions, as well as thorough cretion of support material using his linguistic and Nordic mythological knowledge, Tolkien has created one of the few, self sustained worlds in the history of litterature.

In his effort to create this world and picture it as much as he possibly could, Tolkien had spawned a whole new genre, and if it was not entirely new, he brought it to life once again, and made it soar to unknown hights.

Tolkien is often pictured as the "Father" of classic Fantasy, more precisely High Fantasy. Indeed, he and C.S.Lewis were the two pillars of the genre, opening the doors of two entirely unkown worlds to all readers.

But what of today? Where does Tolkien's influence surface in the boiling magma that has become the realm of fantasy litterature?

In my opinion, I would state that Tolkien set the standards for characters of any high fantasy books. The strict distinction between good and wrong are a trademark of fantasy books, and was one of the main focuses of his Lord of the Rings trilogy, contrasting with the troubled period of the second world war, questioning the "rightiousness" of it all.

Also, I would say that he set the standards, as well as with Lewis, for high fantasy magic.
High Fantasy magic is not something you learn. It is something that has always been there, inside of you, waiting to be expressed. It need not be mastered, for it will do exactly what you wish it to. It is ancient, and cannot be broken unless dire consequences are to be expected. It is all powerful, as it brings back the dead and vanquishes the mightiest foes.
High fantasy magic, much like the magic of Aslan or Gandalf, is different from all others, and is in my opinion the source of all magic types that exist, be it from Harry Potter, or A Song of Ice and Fire.

Please share your opinions on the place and influence of Tolkien's work on litterature. Thank you for your time.

He invented "mithril"....
Nuf' said...

Forgive the critical beginning, but the word is: Literature, not Litterature. Sorry, but I had to get that off my chest.

To start, I would say that Tolkien's influence on the realm of fantasy literature is without question. His skill at linguistics, and world-building are without equal. His characterizations are iconic, and (Middle) Earth-shaking. He helped to put the works of fantasy into an acceptable reading genre, and encouraged others to follow his example.

The greatest influence of Tolkien's work, in contemporary fantasy, is how writers strive NOT to imitate his style. Modern readers tend to prefer their heroes more flawed, and their villains to be more understandable and less omnipotent. Tolkien created a world, guided by the mythological stories of the past, and generally followed the tenets of myth-building. His depictions of Good and Evil are clearly defined, and easily understood, but iconic paragons of virtue, or infamy, no longer hold the interest of the average reader for very long.

Magic, is one of the cornerstones of the fantasy genre, but is best when used sparingly. The greatest wizards, in my opinion, are the ones who know when it is, and isn't, necessary to unleash their power. Even Gandalf knew how to wield a sword when the occasion arose. Tolkien understood that the wars of Middle Earth were the wars of the common soldier, and that magic might sway the outcome but not ensure it. When magic becomes too commonplace, it tends to trivialize the world of the mundane. Magic, in today's literature, is far too prevalent, especially in novels like, 'Harry Potter.' Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed every one of those novels, but does every problem really have a magical solution?

Sorry ^^' and thank you for correcting me, I'm Franch and in french you write "Littérature" So it is confusing.

Commenting on your depiction of the distancing of modern fantasy writers with Tolkien's work, I agree with you on the fact that they try to differentiate themselves on the basis that a two sided world like the one in Middle Earth is too "ideal".
The more "greyish" tones that their characters take on are becoming more and more common. But they have spawned a whole new genre, called low-fantasy, called like so because it is more similar to our world in the ways the characters are made, or maybe the universe in which the story evolves gravitates around our own reality.

This separation you talk about is normal, and I would concur with you to say that Tolkien's white and black world does not seduce some, while the grey seduce most.

But that is also why his work is such a lighthouse in the mist. Because of its pure, steady characters and because of its unyielding hope that drives it forward.

I have a video you can watch. It is about people remarking about Tolkien's work and you can learn a bit of the background behind his work. The part on how the literary establishment first reacted to Tolkien's work is more relevant. (I can tell that it is not positive)

Includes Judi Dench, Chirstopher Tolkien, Tom Shippey, Queen Magarethe of Denmark, Rayner Unwin and other Tolkien experts and celebrities.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCqd9U43XGs
The Life of JRR Tolkien.

Is it all right if we can discuss characters in some of Tolkien's books? I can discuss more about that.

While I agree that he was a great writer and no doubt created a great many masterpieces but I think that the way he writes is not very beginner friendly. Embarrassingly, I only knew about his works through Lord of the Rings the Trilogy. I have to say that I was thoroughly entertained by it. In response, my friend borrow me one of his books. I think it was set in the same Middle Earth but it was about another tale of a different time. Sad to say that because I have not read Lord of the Rings or any of his other books, I have no idea what was going on and was confused. Especially when he brought out stuff like "Lord something, Son of someone, whose the son of someone else and the son of the half brother of someone else" I have no idea how majestic is that supposed to be and frankly it's really frustrating when you have no idea who was who.

On the other hand, I found one of his book particularly enjoyable. It was called the Hobbit I believe. My friend told me it was the prequel to LOTR. I believe it was the tale of Bilbo Baggins? In any case, that book was simple and easy to understand and the story was very interesting. I don't understand why his writing changed so much with 2 books....

In the Fantasy genre, I prefer Terry Brooks. The Elfstones of Shannara was a masterpiece in my opinion.

Of course, discussion about the intricate and complex character background of Tolkien's characters is one of the subjects that can and must be discussed.
Quoting Damienthedevil:


we can see in each and every of his books that the universe in which he builds his tales is profoundly researched and is, to me at least, one of the closest to "truth" worlds that I have seen in litterature. The extensive geneology of his characters gives his books that exact Tolkien feel that I find no where else, or maybe slightly in Counts of Amber, and that make his books so complete.



True, Tolkien's work is arduous reading for the unprepared, but one mustn't be discouraged by extensive descriptions and references. You must remember that for almost forty years, he lived in a world of his own, one that he had constructed from legends and brought up in his mind with every detail set.
Its a bit like when you want to draw a picture of a beautiful thing, you can't bear to have one omission in your work, because you wouldn't feel complete.



There is nothing to be embarassed about. These movies are still to this day one of the greatest, if not THE greatest, accomplishment of fantasy literature in the realm of cinematographic representations.

But, and there is but one but, one must still credit the books for their success. The complex story, the intertwining and making of destinies could not have come out of a mere filmmaker's hat (I do not disregard them, I respect them, and only poin t out their limits when it comes to scenario).
On this aparte I must add that sadly, this is happenning to the tremendous and in my opinion, soon to be the equal of Tolkien's majectic work, A Song of Ice and Fire.

You might know it by its more common name, A Game of Thrones, a popular TV series by HBC of which the second season is ending. Grabbing the new series, internet memes have sprung and all over the world people praise the series to be awesome and glorify it. Not many have read the books, and that...annoyes me. That the original work, so sublime and dignified, could be run down by its little brother, which by the way is style ewtremely satisfying for a reader, as it is quite true to the books.

But back to our subject, no disgression from it, only from time to time.
Please do not comment on my little "heat stroke" about A Game of Thrones, and scurry on to discuss Tolkien. If you want to discuss it, feel free to pm me or create a topic, i'll be sure to join.

And yes, The Hobbit is the prequel of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, but it was written after the Silmarillion, the "true" book Tolkien wanted to write.

I think the one my friend borrowed me was the Silmarillion. I'm sorry to say that I couldn't understand what was going half the time and I don't remember half of the character's name and I'm not even sure if I knew who the main character was. It was too complex for me to follow. I normally like complex stories but after all the reference and descendants, I gave up.

Thats because the Silmarillion doesn't truly have a main character. It faces the grand task of telling the creation of Middle Earth and Tolkien's world as we know it.

Its quite...extensive and long, so I understanb your feelings. You should read the Ring trilogy, its much easier to read.