Tolkien's Mighty Pen

Dragons, goblins, trolls, elves.  These creatures and characters conjure up some image in the mind of just about every member of Western civilization.  This world of fantasy which all of us have some connection of one kind or another is due almost entirely to “The Lord of the Rings”, JRR Tolkiens epic tale.   That Tolkien created, or as has often been stated, discovered, an incomparably imaginative universe is a fact accepted without question.  Indeed, it can be stated without equivocation that “The Lord of the Rings” spawned an entire genre of literature, fantasy and the fantasy epic, one of the very few works in history that can make such a claim.  That one book is almost solely responsible for an entire culture devoted to it, its trappings and imitators, from questionable Hollywood adventure films to the game Dungeons and Dragons and to a list of modern culture references far too voluminous to name.  One mans fertile imagination has gripped a firm hold on Western civilization.

This incredible impact on popular culture, on literature and on people has nevertheless left Tolkiens’ work perhaps the most misunderstood major work in existence.   Opinions as to the books ultimate merit differ wildly.   This difference of opinion is not unique in literature, but no grand work has such disparate views held among the public and the literary elite.   Certainly no major work has had such a huge impact on people, such huge commercial success, and yet not had its place in history and art settled within reasonable limits.

Is Tolkiens myth a top-tier work like Shakespeare or a top allegorical mythical epic like Milton?  Is it perhaps less than that, a modern update perhaps on the model of the Arthurian tales?  Is it great literature, but only on par with the great modern authors such as Hemingway or Orwell? Is fantasy capable of being the greatest of literary works?  Or is it even only an interesting fantasy story?   That last opinion is one you will hear often from the critical literature elite arena, those who feel that nothing from the 20th century or anything that has to do with elves and magic can be considered a great work. Tolkiens work has, probably unfortunately, often been associated with a hippie type of subculture, (a phenomenon bemoaned by Tolkien himself).  Consequently, there are those who feel the “Lord of the Rings” can not be studied with Hardy or Shakespeare, that a book that appeals to such a crowd, or to so many people period, can not make a great statement about humanity.   “Oh, it’s a fun story, but… is a familiar refrain from those who feel that a work high schoolers can understand and love can not be considered great. This is not an uncommon opinion among self-appointed “experts” and “scholars” in the literary establishment, or among those who have never read Tolkien.

It is well settled that the “Lord of the Rings” is a fascinating, imaginative book.  This is common consensus.  The question is where does it fit into the panorama of literature? Why does it so vividly grab the human heart and conscious?  Can a book that so obviously strikes a chord in its readers (from all walks of life) be just an interesting tale?  Or does it strike such a chord because it speaks to us of the most important questions of life?

These are large questions in scope and probably best answered by others, however, we can state some obvious observations about Tolkiens place in literature.  The question of the greatness of a work must first be answered by defining the term great.  Is it the philosophy, the moral behind the work?  Is it how each work resonates with the reader, the shared experiences of humanity?  Is it the power of the characters created or the storytelling ability of the author?   If these questions get some objective answer, where does Tolkiens work fit?  While it is beyond the scope of this ‘primer’ to dwell overly long on the intricacies of literary criticism, and this author is not qualified to do so, it is enough to judge Tolkiens work on the factors mentioned above in comparison to other works.  Here, we will get some sense of how great Tolkiens work is, and why it is so great, and what we can learn from it, which is, quite frankly, an enormous amount about the truth of God’s creation.   In some sense, the “Lord of the Rings” and the “Silmarillion” are a continuation of Milton, or Morte’d Authur, but the scale is so much grander, the statements made and the ideas realized so much more majestic, and the writing so much better, that comparisons are almost fruitless.  Tolkiens’ writing is more than another in a line of Arthurian English mythology, it is its own great myth, a myth that exposes the truth.

Completely flawless in style, the “Lord of the Rings” is unmatched whether the category is continuity of story, believability and strength of characters, storytelling acumen, any category of writing skill.  Tolkiens’ wisdom, knowledge and skill score perfect hit after perfect hit.  In style and content, The “Lord of the Rings” is awesome.  Yet it is Tolkiens grand theme which cements “The Lord of the Rings” as the greatest piece of fiction ever written.  Great literature asks great questions, finds answers. The ultimate question for humanity is, of course, the meaning of life.   This question has meaning because death exists.   Death and how humanity