OK: YES. IT IS THAT GREAT.
And no, I'm not saying that because it is so famous and so many people like it, that I've been duped into pseudo-loving it. It is that great.
Originally posted by Lucky Joe
There is clearly no doubt in anybody's mind (even mine) that LOTR is considered a classic. However as you yourself (Ouroboros) pointed out just because something is popular or a crowd pleaser that in itself shouldn't consitutue it's status as a classic and unfortunately I think that definitely has a lot to do with it in LOTR's case.
As for it topping polls in magazines and so on, it has one thing in its favour that modern fantasy novels don't, in that it's been around for so long and it is very famous so at some stage a lot of people (including those who wouldn't normally touch fantasy with a barge pole or don't even consider themselves to be avid readers) have gotten around to reading it. In fifty years time or so as many people might have read anyone of a number of what we today consider modern fantasy authors.
That's sort of ridiculous, no? Fortunately, I think this has very little do to with LOTR being regarded as a classic. Imagine the conditions under which this book was published. There was no giant advertising campaigns, no Fantasy/Sci-fi mags or websites to review it, there was no fuzz whatsoever. And yet, lo and behold, it is now the bestselling novel of all time, bestselling book of all time next to the bible.
How do you think it became so famous? Because Tolkien was an advertising genius? Certainly not. Because people all over the english-speaking world suddenly all came under the same delusion that this book was good, and subsequently, all others felt compelled to agree to this as to not look stupid? I really don't see how this argument holds water.
And if you read Tolkiens biography, you'll notice a story about some reading society in England (don't remember the name, but obviously with literary credence), which was having a poll to find out what their intellectual and cultivated members thought was the greatest piece of fictional literature of all time. But instead of any of the "expected" works like Don Quijote, Ulysses etc., LOTR won. They weren't satisfied with this, as they thought the outcome unfavourable for their reputation, so they took the poll again. And again, LOTR won. And when it won for the third time, they had no choice but to make the results public.
Interesting, don't you think, that not only the general public, but also the "elite" of book readers find this "mediocre book" to be the best work of fiction ever published?
I think anybody who likes fantasy should take a look at LOTR for themselves and see what they think. But how many people start a book find they can't get into it put it aside and try again and again and again with any other book than LOTR? and how many do it with LOTR? Normally I don't give books a second chance, I gave LOTR about ten second chances and skimming through this thread it looks like a few other people here did too.
Well, what can I say? I never had anything grip me so thoroughly and profoundly. You'll find plenty of people, I'm sure, willing to swear upon their hearts and souls how much better music Korn or Papa Roach makes than J.S.Bach. I know what I think, though.
"arguably one of the most popular works ever written in the english language" very arguably, again its got time on its side, let's give it another fifty years and see if it still stands up against other work in what is still (again imho and correct me if I'm wrong) a fairly young genre. Personally I don't think it stands up against half the work in the genre now but that's just my opinion.
Yes, let's do that. You know, let's do the same with the Beatles (yes, I know, enough with the music analogies already!). Let's see in fifty years who people like best; them, or the much better and much more popular N'Sync. Yeah, let's do that.
And I should probably stop now,
Cheers and keep smiling. If you disagree with me that's fine I'm full of Sh*t anyway.
Nothing further, your honour
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And to some others here: until you learn how to spell the guy's name right, it comes off as kind off ridiculous to come down on his writing abilities.
T O L K I E N
Greetings
Artaxiad
Sorry about that.
that is, however, my own humble opinion.
