Do most fantasy novel nowadays have traceable elements of Tolkienism in them?

[blantyr]

Originally Posted by Nerwen

Reading this thread, though, I fear we are perhaps in danger of trying to talk a problem out of existence. Because, honestly, there really are thousands of books out there that do consist largely of just the kind of unimaginative cut-and-paste exercise described by the OP- which is not the same thing as "being influenced by" or "having elements in common".

I believe Theodore Sturgeon was once told that ninety percent of science fiction is crap. He responded with the claim that ninety percent of anything is crap. We could argue on the ninety percent number, but, sure, an awful lot of fiction might fit the unimaginative cut-and-paste description. I don't know that either the Tolkienesque or modern urban fantasy camp has that much of an edge over the other in this regard.

One might write in either tradition without adding to it, but if the characters feel real and the interactions between the characters feels fresh, it might still be art.