Tolkien was greatly influenced by the mythology and folklore of past civilizations. When creating the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, Tolkien creates a fantasy world for the adventures to take place. This world was not created without help, as Tolkien intertwined various different civilizations mythology and folklore to help him craft his own world. Tolkien revolutionized literature with the creation of this realm, and he combined many aspects of past literature with his new ideals.
The various races that were included in Middle-Earth were not created by Tolkien without the influence of the modern world. First, each race that appears in The Hobbit or the Lord of the Rings was based upon a mythological creature or a group of humans in Europe. Through analysis of his works, parallels of real humans at the time and the created race can be found throughout the novels. These similarities show that Tolkien was influenced by the world around him. The story of the Noldorin elves exile is very similar to the story of Tuatha de Danann. Dimitra Fimi writes, “The story of the rebellion of the Noldor and their departure from Valinor to return to Middle-earth is already present in ‘The Book of Lost Tales,’ . . . and its main elements are already there: Feanor urges the Gnomes to follow him back to Middle-earth to regain the Silmarils that belong to them, the Sun and the Moon are made by the gods subsequent to their departure, and the Gnomes fight their first battle with the Orcs as soon as they land. In this first version, however, the Gnomes do not use the ships to cross the sea but abandon them, setting fire to some of them, and get to Middle-earth by crossing the ices of Helkarakse (sic), while Maedhros is captured by Morgoth and sent ...
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...ome of these tales in his own world, so these tales are a prevalent influences to the development of his world. Lastly, Middle-earth was made for the hosting of adventures similar to other mythological expeditions. These stories lead to the development of races and adventures of these races. The races are a large influence over the creation of Middle-earth, as these races must be located in the right areas for the adventure to be presented correctly. Tolkien writes, “This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, and found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected.” This quote shows the reader that the quest came first, and then the development of the geography would be molded to the aspects of the adventure. Thus, mythology, folklore and modern-day earth influenced Tolkien and the creation of his own world where his long-winded adventures take place.
The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien is said to be one of the greatest children's novels of all time. The novel, due to its use of such characters as goblins, elves, trolls, giants, and others is in tradition, a fairy tale. The tale centers on a small hobbit by the name of Bilbo Baggins. It follows the journey of a band of dwarves, a wizard named Gandalf, and their robber, Bilbo on their way to retrieving treasure that had long been taken away from them. The hobbit traveled all over Middle-Earth, beginning with Bilbo's tiny hobbit-hole in the ground, to Mirkwood forest, to finally reaching the Mountain in which the dragon Smaug lives. Tolkien uses a large amount of imagery in his writing which can been seen through settings in The Hobbit. The imagery is usually either dark or light, depending on Bilbo's mood and contrast of his surroundings. J.R.R Tolkien uses dark and light imagery in The Hobbit to effectively set an eerie and mysterious mood and to foreshadow events such as Bilbo's journey in Mirkwood and his adventure in the Mountain.
This story begins with a small fellow by the name of Bilbo Baggins. This fantasy story was written in 1956 by J.R.R. Tolkien. It is about a hero’s journey through the dangers and wonders of Middle Earth. Although it was not meant to become such a well-known book, it is filled with much literature. Throughout the book, Tolkien uses literary devices such as repetition, similes, and metaphors to develop the theme of cunning and cleverness.
Imagine yourself in a pre-industrial world full of mystery and magic. Imagine a world full of monsters, demons, and danger, as well as a world full of friends, fairies, good wizards, and adventure. In doing so you have just taken your first step onto a vast world created by author and scholar John Ronald Reuel Tolkien. Tolkien became fascinated by language at an early age during his schooling, in particularly, the languages of Northern Europe, both ancient and modern. This affinity for language did not only lead to his profession, but also his private hobby, the invention of languages. His broad knowledge eventually led to the development of his opinions about Myth and the importance of stories. All these various perspectives: language, the heroic tradition, and Myth, as well as deeply-held beliefs in Catholic Christianity work together in all of his works. The main elements of Tolkien’s works are Good versus Evil, characters of Christian and anti-Christian origin, and the power of imagination.
Before this paper truly examines the endurance of Frodo, those reading need to increase their knowledge of Frodo’s environment, immediate and far away. Though there are no true divisions of lands such as we have, so this next part of the paper shall as best possible to relate their boundaries to our divisions. The Shire is the country in which Frodo and Bilbo live. It is an insignificant place with many knolls which house hobbits. The continent in which the Shire resides is Middle-Earth. Middle-Earth is a fairly peaceful place, yet the cultures within it resemble this earth’s medieval ages added that all the folklore from ours was true in theirs. It remained peaceful and happy for many years.(Tolkien)
In literature it is common for authors to borrow elements of a different story and make it their own. In “Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”, Tolkein follows the hero’s journey and uses many concepts found in the poem, Beowulf. Beowulf is an ancient English story of the king of the Geats, Beowulf. Beowulf is a superhuman King that’s fights magical creatures in hope of being remembered. In “Lord of the Rings”, A young hobbit, Frodo, is given the great responsibility of protecting an evil ring until it can be destroyed. Because Tolkein was a Beowulf scholar, elements of Beowulf are depicted in “Lord of the Rings”. Both protagonists, Frodo and Beowulf, are similar by how they receive their call to adventure, their strength, and their motives. Beowulf and Frodo can be compared by these three aspects however, they have contrasting details for each.
As we can see, the landscapes in The Lord of the Rings are pertinent to the overall storyline. Tolkien develops the setting is such a way that it is believable to the reader, as well as realistic and relatable. In this way, he gives his story more depth and enhances every scene as it happens. Furthermore, Tolkien uses the landscapes to improve the key scenes by giving incredibly detailed descriptions of the places, and relating the setting to the struggles that the characters face.
I want to introduce you to, The Fellowship of the Rings, by J. R. R. Tolkien. It is the first book to the Lord of the Rings, written by Tolkien. The settings in this book changed many times from the hills of the Shire, where the hobbits live, to the deep darkness of the mines of Moria. The book takes place in Middle Earth, which is described by Tolkien as a mysterious place that is full of good and evil. The way Tolkien described each place is amazing and it is as if you were looking at a picture and copying it down into your head. The setting in the book is very important to the story. It kept me thinking and wondering what was going to happen next, which made me read more and more. I couldn’t even begin to describe the setting of the whole book, so I mainly mentioned some of the major locations that took place in the book.
I believe that Tolkien is a supreme storyteller. The very idea of creating a mythical land of middle-earth to allow so much versatility is ingenious alone. The characters are so real they seem to leap from the pages. They are the result of great thought. They have their own very developed vocabularies, eccentrics, and weaknesses yet each character draws an impeccable strength from one another. I believe that this work is a classic because of the very developed plot, characters, and its openness to each individuals interpretation. Whether the reader believes it is implying religious values, social values or telling a unique story unlike any others it is a must read for anyone who enjoys great literature.
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born on January 3, 1892 in Bloemfontein, South Africa. He studied at Oxford pursuing a degree in English language and literature. This later gave him the thought of creating his own imagined world known as Middle-Earth. He then later married Edith Bratt, had four children, and became a professor at Oxford. The Hobbit, first published in 1937, had some of Tolkien’s invented language and mythology. The plot and character’s of The Hobbit combined the ancient heroic Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian epics, which he studied at Oxford. The Hobbit “is immersed in folk tradition” (Matthews). The character Bilbo Baggins was inspired by the rural Englishman of the 1930s. Tolkien was inspired by ancient European myths leading him to write Lord of the Rings, a prequel to The Hobbit. On September 2,1973, J.R.R. Tolkien died at the age of eighty-one.
In The Hobbit, four races, live a tumultuous world where dragons and magic take place, these four races hobbits, dwarves, elves, and humans. They’re different and yet alike, among many different aspects. The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien, is about Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit, who is enlisted into an adventure with a Thorin & Co. a group of Dwarves, and Gandalf a wizard. Through his journey, he would encounter many new things and come out a different person. The many races and their distinct differences stack against each other and make for an interesting set of people and morals with those people.
The structure of the history of Middle-earth is based on the natural cycle of life. Tolkien’s chronicle, stretching back through the various ages of the world, is at its heart a simple story of good vs. evil. The balance of power does not swing chaotically however. Tolkien sets the world on a cyclical system. As Gandalf says, “Always after a defeat and a respite, the Shadow takes another shape and grows again.”(Fellowship, 76).
The Hobbit, written by John R. R. Tolkien, is a fantasy novel published on September 21, 1937. It was written as a prelude to the famous series, The Lord of the Rings, written seventeen years later. The Hobbit introduces the reader to an incredibly immersive fantasy world, that enriches the reader into its epic storyline. The story takes place in a land called Middle-earth, a land filled with enchanting surprises and magical wonders. It was the perfect playground for Tolkien to develop his main character Bilbo Baggins. Bilbo Baggins was a small hobbit, who unaware in the beginning would become a large role in the plot. It is through this character that Tolkien implemented the theme of heroism into the story. Bilbo’s unexpected adventure with the dwarves and the wizard gave him the opportunity to develop into the ultimate hero of Tolkien’s tale. Bilbo’s epic journey to become the hero of the story begins when Gandalf, the wizard, tells Bilbo of an expedition that would soon change his life forever.
Although centuries distance the creation of Beowulf from The Hobbit, J. R. R. Tolkien took inspiration of different essential morals and character traits from Beowulf. In Beowulf, an epic hero Beowulf experiences significant tribulations and an ultimate battle that leads to his demise. In The Hobbit, Bilbo experiences similar tribulations, however, he gains courage and reverence throughout his journey. The nature of each book, how Bilbo experiences maturation when Beowulf experiences death, does not discredit Tolkien’s inspiration from Beowulf, it instead promotes the idea that each book was written for a different audience.
J.R.R Tolkien’s work of fiction The Lord of the Rings, have with the advent of Peter Jackson’s film adaptation brought the series to newfound heights of fame. As with many works of it’s kind, The Lord of the Rings depicts a battle between good and evil, with the main characters in the books striving to thwart evil’s plan. In many other works, the author’s personal belief system or worldview drives the narrative, with the message being paramount and the characters the vehicles of conveyance for the point of the story. C.S Lewis, a friend and contemporary of Tolkien’s, is a prime example of this. Lewis’ popular series The Chronicles of Narnia is an allegorical work, teaching Christian principles through the use of fiction. While raised as a Catholic himself, Tolkien does not explicitly promote his religious background, nor does he engage in allegory. However, Tolkien’s views of morality can be found throughout the work, specifically in the way in which evil is portrayed, the use of power and moral freedom of choice. Randel Helms writes in his book, Tolkien’s World, “Tolkien’s particular myth parallels his Christianity, … positioning a malevolent and corrupting outside influence, spiritual and probably eternal, against which man is doomed to fight, but which he has no hope of conquering” (67).
The most famous work in the epic fantasy genre is The Lord of the Rings, written by J. R. R. Tolkien over the course of ten years and published in 1954. Over the last few decades, there has been a lot of controversy over whether or not a story in this genre could be considered a valuable literary work. It was suggested that fantasy was clichéd and too unrealistic to be in touch with the daily life. However, when one reads between the lines, one can find a different interpretation within the same story; an interpretation that might not be as clichéd and farfetched as one might think. While it is often claimed that literary works in the genre fantasy cannot have any literary value, the The Lord of the Rings-trilogy contains the beautiful, the true and the good (Flood) and therefore is original, is historical or ethical relevant and has human truth value, which are necessary qualities for a literary work to be valuable.