Since Quora likes to collapse my answers in an effort to keep me quiet, I’m copying and pasting some of the Quora Q and A’s in which I’ve participated. Here’s a question from Quora.
Question: What did Tolkien add to the fantasy genre that weren’t already elements of mythology?
Addendum: It seems that preexisting mythologies such as Norse mythology had a lot of the same elements as modern fantasy and inspired Tolkien. What were Tolkien’s contributions that made him the father of modern fantasy?
Answer: I agree with the whole premise.
Tolkien just mished-mashed it all together, and the readers made it a success.
Frankly, I think Tolkien is a crappy writer and Martin, too, for that matter.
They added no elements that weren’t a part of the Arthurian Tales or tales of Vikings. I think both writers suck, but until now, no one has offered anything of value. That’s the problem. Readers need a new writer to rally behind.
Now, after my seething answer, allow me to elucidate.
There are no original ideas. There are only original presentations. I’ve said it before, and I won’t tire of saying it.
No writer out there today, be it Tolkien, Martin, King, or anyone else has new ideas, original concepts never before presented in stories of any genre. Yes, there can be new elements.
If, for instance, someone writes a new novel today, a sci fantasy along the lines of Final Fantasy, but in novel form, and they include something like social media, yes, that’s a new element you won’t find in Germanic Folklore, or even most current novels, but it’s a new presentation of an existing idea–communications.
See what I mean? A writer needs to find something new, but it’s a new presentation, not a new idea.
What makes a writer great, or a story great, is the presentation of the correlated ideas, not the ideas themselves.
Yes, there are readers of fantasy who consider Tolkien and Martin great writers, but compared to whom?
What other writers are there of that genre for average readers? Le Guin? She’s actually underrated, and many die hard fantasy fans prefer Le Guin to Martin or Tolkien when it comes to fantasy books. Then, there’s Jordan, who is also widely underrated.
Also, don’t forget that before the Harry Potter movies, The Lord of the Rings movies, and The Game of Thrones T.V. series, none of those writers were as popular as they are now.
There was time when only nerds and dorks read The Lord of the Rings, but after the movies came out, everyone went back and read the books.
There was a time when only children read Harry Potter, but after the movies came out, everyone went back and read the books.
There was a time when only nerds and dorks read A Song of Ice and Fire, but after Game of Thrones came out, everyone went back and read the books.
Unfortunately, the Earthsea miniseries ran Le Guin into the ground, and now she’s begging people for a kickstarter campaign to help her fund her documentary.
Are you kidding me? Is she not a successful writer?!
There are two things to take away from this post.
- There really are no new ideas.
- People will only be able to enjoy that which they find.
It has become increasingly difficult to find material worth reading, especially in the fantasy genre. Truthfully, there are numerous unknown writers like Barnitz who are far and away better than Tolkien and Martin, but if no one is making movies or shows out of their short stories, novels, and series then few people will find those great books without a great deal of leg work.
Sure, everyone thinks Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, and A Song of Ice and Fire are the best of the best, but are they? Or are they just the most popular?