If, as I believe, Mr. Tolkien has succeeded more completely than any previous writer in this genre in using the traditional properties of the Quest, the heroic journey, the Numinous Object, the conflict between Good and Evil while at the same time satisfying our sense of historical and social reality, it should be possible to show how he has succeeded. To begin with, no previous writer has, to my knowledge, created an imaginary world and a feigned history in such detail. By the time the reader has finished the trilogy, including the appendices to this last volume, he knows as much about Tolkien’s Middle Earth, its landscape, its fauna and flora, its peoples, their languages, their history, their cultural habits, as, outside his special field, he knows about the actual world.
In 1956, W. H. Auden reviewed J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Return of the King.

173 Notes/ Hide

  1. stardust-bones reblogged this from pelennorfieldsforever
  2. awesomesaurus reblogged this from millionsmillions
  3. lunacita reblogged this from himmelst
  4. laipai reblogged this from pelennorfieldsforever
  5. akatrinaschu reblogged this from pelennorfieldsforever
  6. nightrae reblogged this from shineapple
  7. himmelst reblogged this from pelennorfieldsforever
  8. kimbojo reblogged this from millionsmillions
  9. unironicallyardentnerd reblogged this from pelennorfieldsforever
  10. shineapple reblogged this from pelennorfieldsforever
  11. in-pectore reblogged this from vindemesse
  12. bumblingbookworm reblogged this from pelennorfieldsforever
  13. insidewritersmind reblogged this from cinnacorn
  14. cinnacorn reblogged this from hisa-senpai-sinkingwithherships
  15. hisa-senpai-sinkingwithherships reblogged this from kazeki-chan
  16. sammisamantha reblogged this from pelennorfieldsforever
  17. thetimethatisgivenus reblogged this from pelennorfieldsforever
  18. necesitamosunarevolucion reblogged this from exfidefiducia
  19. kazeki-chan reblogged this from pelennorfieldsforever
  20. keep-on-tolkien reblogged this from pelennorfieldsforever
  21. incognitotea reblogged this from pelennorfieldsforever
  22. delilahbelle reblogged this from pelennorfieldsforever
  23. theyretakingthehobbits2gallifrey reblogged this from pelennorfieldsforever
  24. raeych reblogged this from pelennorfieldsforever
  25. souffleinspace reblogged this from pelennorfieldsforever
  26. bia1007 reblogged this from seredhiel84
  27. farbelowwillowroots reblogged this from pelennorfieldsforever
  28. thegirlwholoves-coffee reblogged this from sapphmonster
  29. gondolin-maid reblogged this from seredhiel84
  30. sapphmonster reblogged this from seredhiel84
  31. seredhiel84 reblogged this from pelennorfieldsforever
  32. kilis-impala reblogged this from pelennorfieldsforever
  33. mhrrw reblogged this from pelennorfieldsforever