Originality in fantasy Post-Tolkien - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Eruwen · 04-25-2004, 02:54 PM

I agree with Imladris on this topic, Lumiel, but I would like to elaborate a little on it.

It amazes me sometimes how much is in Tolkien's writings of Middle Earth. Whenever I sit down to read or write, even when it comes to reading the Bible, I find things that resemble Tolkien. I see character and place names that seem familiar and countless events that are parallel to those of Tolkien. I don't think it's necessarily the fact that writers want to copy Tolkien, it's just the fact that it's hard to write anything that doesn't resemble it in some way.

Tolkien's stories have so many plot lines within plot lines and so many events that happen, that it's hard to find an event that Tolkien did not write about. I have found that the Lord of the Rings itself is packed with just about every type of incident and character type possible. Take the movie "A Beautiful Mind", for instance. You could take Russell Crowe's character and say that the writers were copying Gollum by making the character Skitzo. That's one of the less defining examples there, but it's all I could come up with at the time.

My point is that yes, some writers for some reason are cynical and feel a need to copy and criticize Tolkien, but most do not. Many are just stuck in a rut, whether they know it or not, of not being able to write a story that does not veer towards Tolkien. Tolkien was a very good and broad writer. Sadly, he has made it hard on all of rising writers to be creative in our works. That's just how it is.

04-25-2004, 02:54 PM	#7
Eruwen Registered User Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 892	I agree with Imladris on this topic, Lumiel, but I would like to elaborate a little on it. It amazes me sometimes how much is in Tolkien's writings of Middle Earth. Whenever I sit down to read or write, even when it comes to reading the Bible, I find things that resemble Tolkien. I see character and place names that seem familiar and countless events that are parallel to those of Tolkien. I don't think it's necessarily the fact that writers want to copy Tolkien, it's just the fact that it's hard to write anything that doesn't resemble it in some way. Tolkien's stories have so many plot lines within plot lines and so many events that happen, that it's hard to find an event that Tolkien did not write about. I have found that the Lord of the Rings itself is packed with just about every type of incident and character type possible. Take the movie "A Beautiful Mind", for instance. You could take Russell Crowe's character and say that the writers were copying Gollum by making the character Skitzo. That's one of the less defining examples there, but it's all I could come up with at the time. My point is that yes, some writers for some reason are cynical and feel a need to copy and criticize Tolkien, but most do not. Many are just stuck in a rut, whether they know it or not, of not being able to write a story that does not veer towards Tolkien. Tolkien was a very good and broad writer. Sadly, he has made it hard on all of rising writers to be creative in our works. That's just how it is.