Trampling the Legacy, Remaking the Myth - Page 8
© Michael Martinez
And fantasy shouldn't be trying to distance itself from Tolkien. After reading The Lord of the Rings, some people believe Tolkien had a problem with female characters. They don't stop to think that women were extremely important in some of his other works. The best story he ever wrote was the tale of Luthien. What's wrong with that female character? She is strong, intelligent, powerful, motivated, and has weaknesses and conflicts. And she loves.
Tolkien seems to be looked down upon more than admired by the creative community. If his work wasn't good enough for modern audiences, why do people keep buying his books? If his characters were politically incorrect, why do readers keep yearning for more Tolkien-like stories? If he didn't get it right, why was he voted Author of the Century in more than one poll in the last decade of the 20th century?
Modern fantasy came so close to improving upon the foundation Tolkien laid, but it took a step back and abandoned the basics. Tolkien robbed ancient and modern sources blind. One need only look to Homer, the Bible, "Beowulf", "The Kalevala", and the Norse myths to see where he got his inspiration and style. If today's authors and editors need to be formulaic, they should stick with a formula that works across generations and millennia. If they have to break out and be innovative, then it would help if they looked at how Tolkien did it by sticking with the basics, telling a story which makes sense, and not getting caught up in faux controversies.
We can't stop people from continuing to reinvent Middle-earth, but it wouldn't hurt to stop the clock and turn it back. Starting over could bring some new perspectives to modern fantasy, which has gotten a bit too stale for my tastes. Maybe that's just me, but I don't think so.
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