The Foundation of Fantasy Literature

When thinking about fantasy authors, many people’s minds tend to remember people like C.S. Lewis or George RR Martin. However, the true pioneer and foundation of modern fantasy is J.R.R. Tolkien. John Tolkien is the greatest author of the fantasy genre because he was dedicated, original, and a great writer who also set many archetypes for the genre.

To give some background on Tolkien, his father died in his youth while they were living in South Africa, where he was born (Carpenter, J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography). The family moved to rural England where Tolkien’s mother passed away when he was seven years old. He spent much of his childhood writing prose and making up languages. These languages became the backbone of his writings, which he called his mythology. Before John left to fight in WWI, he read and translated the Finnish mythological story of Kullervo, a tragedy. Upon doing this, Tolkien realized that England had no real mythology to give the land a story; so he set out to make one (Carpenter, Tolkien and Tolkien, The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien). To do this, he gave his languages, Sindarin and Quendi, origin stories. This is different from other authors of the fantasy genre because it sets up a whole context and history for a world in which his stories take place. On the other hand, other authors just throw you into the middle of an unknown, crazy world. Tolkien essentially wrote a whole new history for a made up world. This can be read in the Silmarillion which outlines the conception of Earth, or Arda, and its Gods (Tolkien, The Silmarillion). This was Tolkien’s life work, and, even at his death, The Silmarillion was incomplete. His son, Christopher, published the unfinished book after his death.

Certainly C.S. Lewis and George R.R. Martin have great worlds in which their stories take place; however, Tolkien’s world is leaps and bounds beyond his “competitors” because the history he created allows the reader to be a part of the world and better understand the characters’ origins and behaviors. When the reader knows where a character comes from, it is much easier to build a connection with them and understand their intentions. An example of this is the different races of people in Middle Earth which provide different aspects of character to each person and their relationships with each other. Elves and dwarves, for example, have a long history. At the time of the Lord of the Rings, the two races are known to hate each other and not get along. This is just one example of how Tolkien’s history provides new dynamics between characters that aren’t usually seen in fantasy and certainly were never seen before him.

Also, Tolkien writes purely to amuse himself and his readers. On the other hand, Lewis’ writings were allegorical. Tolkien wrote not to get a point across to the audience, but simply for the love of fantasy and literature. This makes the Lord of the Rings much more enjoyable because it was 15 years of hard work in which all of Tolkien’s focus went towards making a good story and not towards proving, for example, a political stance. This provides the reader with an escape from the real world because it is so disconnected from it. However, it is so complete that it feels like a real world; just that it is a different world: Middle Earth. The reader is able to escape and invest himself fully in a great realm of fantasy.

Furthermore, Tolkien was extremely dedicated to his work. Through many hardships he was able to write many masterpieces. He was a professor at Oxford like his friend C.S. Lewis. He was often busy proofing and grading essays. Tolkien also had four children and an often-sick wife to look after. It seemed that he was always busy between the hard work of being a college professor as well as the hard work of being a father and husband. In addition, John faced a shortage of paper after WWII. The cost of paper, typing, and publishing was through the roof. Through these many hardships he was able compose his great writings and eventually publish them.

Just because Tolkien’s work is not allegorical, that does not mean that it has no meaning. Many lessons can be learned from his work and are seen in famous quotes of his. Many of these quotes go hand in hand. Take the following, for example: “Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens,” and “Little by little, one travels far” (Tolkien, The Two Towers) (Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring). These two expressions present the idea that no matter what journey you are on, you will encounter obstacles and problems. The only way to reach your goal is to keep going, no matter how slow the going is.

Another great lesson that may be found in the Lord of the Rings is in the form of a poem titled “Riddle of Strider”, and is as follows: “All that is gold does not glitter / not all those who wander are lost / the old that is strong does not whither / deep roots are not reached by the frost” (Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring). This poem is wonderful because each line has something new and insightful to offer. The first line is a play on a cliché accredited to Shakespeare (Martin), reversing the words ‘glitter’ and ‘gold.’ This alteration of the composition of this line gives it a whole new meaning. It shows that even if someone or something does not look pleasing or helpful, they may have a heart of gold and you can always expect help in people unlooked for; a common motif found in Tolkien’s work. The second line suggests the idea of how most people, the pack, view a wanderer, the stray, as lost. The opposite, most times, is in fact true. A stray is someone who has broken away from the pack. They have begun their journey which must be travelled in order to reach their goal. They are a leader. The people of the pack are the ones who are lost because they are on no journey. They sit idly in quiet judgement of those who are different. Furthermore, the third line presents the idea that old things have been through much, and if they are still standing, they will not whither because they have been strengthened by the hardships. Finally, the fourth line reveals Tolkien’s Christian ideology leaking into his writing. It shows that one who has a deep-seated faith in something or a strong will to accomplish something cannot be halted by an obstacle. They may be hindered or interrupted, but the ‘evil’ can never truly reach your heart and stop you from your goal.

The last of Tolkien’s quotes that I will present in this essay is also my favorite. It is found in the Hobbit and is along these lines: “If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world” (Tolkien, The Hobbit). It is simple. It is straightforward. It is true. These three quotes show how, even though Tolkien wrote to amuse the audience, you may still find meaningful and powerful words in his work.

Aside from being a great writer with great values and dedication, what exactly did Tolkien bring to the fantasy genre? Well, it can be argued that many archetypes of the genre were made popular by Tolkien himself (Grant). Some examples include the characteristics of elves, the wizard tower, and a quest by a feeble few to save the world. Many fantasy authors after Tolkien could not seem to break away from these standards that he set because they were just so perfect. One of the biggest influences he had in this area was that he created the words “dwarves” and “elven” (www.tolkiengateway.net). That may seem like a surprise! In fact, the correct words for these terms are “dwarrows” and “elfin”; however, we almost never hear those words used in modern culture. These few examples of Tolkien’s originality show how other authors could do nothing but try to imitate his genius.

In the end, Tolkien is an essential part of fantasy and literature as a whole. His dedication and creativity allowed him to create one of the most complete, and entertaining collections of writing. Even after Tolkien’s death in the 70’s, his influence over the genre is seen among all other authors who have found it hard to break away from his archetypes. J.R.R. Tolkien is the foundation of fantasy literature, and, without him, the genre as a whole would be completely different.

Works Cited

Carpenter, Humphrey. J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography. Boston: Houghtin Mifflin, 2000.

Carpenter, Humphrey, J.R.R. Tolkien and Christopher Tolkien. The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien. Boston: Houghtin Mifflin, 1981.

Doughan, David MBE. www.tolkiensociety.org. n.d. 10 October 2017.

Grant, Patrick. www.crosscurrents.org. n.d. 11 November 2017.

Martin, Gary. www.phrases.org.uk. 2017. 20 October 2017.

Tolkien, J.R.R. The Fellowship of the Ring. Boston: Houghtin Mifflin, 1994.

—. The Hobbit. Boston: Houghtin Mifflin, 1994.

—. The Silmarillion. Boston: Houghtin Mifflin, 1977.

—. The Two Towers. Boston: Houghtin Mifflin, 1994.