6 July 2012
I once typed this into google (or roughly this, anyway) and a huge list of articles came up. I quoted from one of them a while back on Opuss. However, I thought I'd come up with my own debate. Feel free to join in on the comments page if you'd like, that'd be great!
My recent attempt at The Hobbit novel led me to the conclusion that Tolkien is a crap writer. I found it stuffy and dull, and just not the sort of thing you'd expect from a fantasy novel, which are supposed to be deep, but also exciting and strong. Tolkien has a brilliant imagination, don't get me wrong (which is why the films work so well) but he couldn't put his ideas into flowing words. His books require just too much effort, and cause many people to give up.
But then I considered that they are Tolkien's attempt to write an English mythology, which have a very different style of writing to them (and can quite often be heavy going but you persevere because they are culturally and historically significant and they are really rather good.) I attacked The Hobbit (which I have read before, albeit with my teacher's toe firmly up my backside, but I did it!) with the view in mind of it being just an ordinary fantasy story written by a rather heavy going writer, but I will not let that get the better of me because if I can't read it that means I'm not clever enough to do so, and I pride myself of my intelligence, and that would be a kick in the face if that happened so I HAVE to do it. So I tried, and I failed. So I passed him off as someone with a great imagination but just can't write.
And then I realised I was approaching it the wrong way. If you THINK of it as being a mythology, and read it in acceptance of it being in the style of a mythology (of which I have read a few, namely versions of the Norse Myths by Kevin Crossley-Holland which is very good) it has a very different feel to it and starts to feel much better, and you start to see what Tolkien was trying to do. So maybe he isn't crap after all!
I haven't tried to reread the books since I have had this sudden revelation, just little sections, but does that make a difference? Can anyone tell me? Tolkien will never be my favourite fantasy writer (JK Rowling firmly stealing that crown, and George RR Martin a little way down at second) but perhaps with those new thoughts in mind, I may begin to see the 'genius' of JRR Tolkien.
Can Tolkien Actually Write? • Opuss № I