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The one truly original element that the Prof created, that is now copied in most fantasy novels, is the Hero as a "small person".
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There's a little story about David and Goliath that was written way before Tolkien was born.
The only way to be free of Tokien's influence is to never have read him, and to never have read anything by anyone who did read him. The only way to write original fiction is to never read anyone elses fiction. Maybe you couldn't read anything at all, or even talk to anyone depending on how extreme you want to get with the word "original". No one on earth is truly original. Tolkien's genius was in taking his influences and putting them together in a new way.
Tolkien created a world from made up languages. The basic elements of each were not original. Tolkien was influenced by every language he knew and every word he ever read. But the idea of putting the two pieces together that way was original, as far as I know.
Hmm..I didn't go to the other threads linked to this thread. I hope I'm not repeating anyone.