Lamron Literature: Becoming the father of modern fantasy (The Lord of the Rings)

“Someone else always has to carry on the story.”

~J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

Having done ten other articles describing the best of the best in terms of literature, not a single other article has been as intimidating to me as the one you are currently reading. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings stands not only as a monument of fantasy writing, but as the structure of literature as we know it. From its length to its characters, the geography and culture, the plot and mythology, there is no other trilogy of fantasy novels so widely recognizable save those who came in the wake of Tolkien’s success.

Of course, with success inevitably comes discourse. Tolkien’s works are often criticized for being long and monotonous. Many say the stories rely on tropes that are done to death, even more saying Tolkien succeeds only in his ability to draw from others’ ideas. While there’s a certain amount of accuracy in these statements—Lord of the Rings is long, it set the stage for many tropes that are deemed predictable today, and Tolkien was a researcher of languages and classical literature, much of that being inspiration—there is always someone who sees these flaws as strengths. 

Take the hobbits, for example—a small group of nobodies who are given tasks beyond their reckoning, the fate of the world resting in their hands. Merry and Pippin find themselves in wars larger than has been seen in centuries. Sam and Frodo are tasked with carrying the One Ring to Mount Doom to destroy it, something no creature has ever had the power to do before. It’s often I see people criticize these as tropes; the idea that this group are clearly ‘chosen’ and that it makes little sense for so much to rest on such introverted mortals. The easy response is that the Hobbits very clearly don’t want to be in this situation—they do it because it’s the right thing to do.

“Frodo: I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.

Gandalf: So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”

When it comes to the real ‘chosen ones’ of the story—Aragorn, heir to the throne and Arwen, immortal elf who falls in love with him—there is tremendous amounts of difficulty in finding a clear path forward. It requires sacrifice and doubt. The characters are ever-changing, evolving over the course of the books. Is love alone enough to sacrifice immortality?

And yes, The Lord of the Rings is literature. There’s a common misconception that fantasy stories can’t be categorized as literature or high scholarly writing, but this is simply untrue. Tolkien’s saga largely comes from his experiences in World War I where he saw firsthand the calamitous ruin that comes about from wars and machine weaponry. It’s no coincidence the wisest and fairest of all beings in Middle-Earth, the Elven Queen Galadriel, is queen of a forest, one who swears to protect life in all forms, nor is it coincidental that living, moving, talking trees play an instrumental part in the heroes strive for victory. 

Fans of all genres and styles will find refuge in Tolkien’s beautiful, terrifying, magnificent, enormous, soul-capturing world. In the fields on the Shire, one will remember days long past when all was well, where there was no need for adventure because all one wanted was a relaxing day at home. 

Along the long paths and roads our heroes take, one finds a weariness to slow down mixed with the anxiety that ruin is right on your heels. In the expansive fields of war, one witnesses along with the characters the true meaning of battle, the true loss of human life and spirit. In the boggy swamps and molten hills of Mordor, one feels the weight of the Ring around their neck, choking them, and finds themselves being swept up and carried along by their closest friend.

I first read The Fellowship of the Ring in middle school. I’m now on my fourth read-through of it. Each time I find myself holding my breath in anticipation, falling in love with the characters, and discovering new bits of lore I had missed before.

This article is the last for the Middle Earth Mar. series, belatedly published due to the April Fools issue, unfortunately. If there’s one thing you take away from this trilogy of articles, let it be that not all is as it seems—greatness often arises in the most unexpected places. Whether you’ve never read fantasy before in your life, you have just a minor craving to try it, or even if you’re a connoisseur who’s been avoiding the classics, there is no going wrong with Middle Earth.

“Deeds will not be less valiant because they are unpraised.”