Jrr Tolkien
...him "the father of modern fantasy," "creator of England's mythology," and great post-modern expressionist. Others see his work as childish, sexist, and silly. However, there is more to his work than both his fans and detractors see in it.
The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion are works of modern fantasy; but within them are roots which trace back to classical and Germanic cultures of Europe. Tolkien did base his Middle Earth on the ideal of England; however, his myth has gone far beyond his homeland and encompasses all of humanity. One could classify his environmentalism and disdain for modern industry and technology as post-modern; yet, his feelings come more from a yearning for an unreachable past than from any hope for the present.
Childish is not so much the barb his worst critics hoped it would be, but an accurate depiction; a childlike sense of wonder and adventure constituted half of his creative process. He may be called sexist, and it would not be hard to imagine as he enjoyed male company more so than female throughout his life, and many of his characters develop without the presence of strong women in their lives. But some of the most heroic deeds of his tales are accomplished by women, and he in no way downplays their accomplishments in light of the men in their lives. As for silly, Tolkien's creativity sprung not only from childlike wonder but also a serious love of language and mythology. Linguistics and myth were driving forces behind why he wanted to write the lore of Middle Earth in the first place, and the scholarly nature of his study in these areas appear in his writing.
In order to fully understand such an individual as J.R.R. Tolkien, we must first ask, who was he? Where did his influence come from? Why did he create what he did? These are necessary if anyone is to look at his body of work.
Tolkien the Child...
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