Ah, I wouldn't pay much attention to what
Teh Grauniad (sic) says. Not many people in the UK do!
Certainly, I can see no credible connection between a relative economic downturn and the popularity of LotR. As has been pointed out, it has been consistently popular in the UK through good times and bad. I think that this is a case of media types trying to get a "different angle" on a story where there isn't one. Sharkû has, I think, provided the most likely explanation for the poll.
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Originally Posted by Sharkû
I soon discovered that The Lord of the Rings had a much better standing, with the critics as well, in the English speaking world.
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It would be interesting to gauge how popular Tolkien's works are in different parts of the world. The nationality demographics on the Downs give some indication of this. Obviously, the majority of members are from the English-speaking world - primarily the US and the UK, and also Australia and New Zealand. Of course, it makes sense that an English-speaking site devoted to a book written by an Englishman will primarily attract those whose first language is English. There are no doubt many non-English sites devoted to the books as well as the films (I know of a few Spanish sites, for example). But there are a good many other nationalities represented on the Downs (Phillippino, Indian, Georgian, Swiss, Dutch and Belgian to name but a few), and this gives some indication of Tolkien's popularity across the world (at least in those countries where English is, for many, a strong second language). And it does seem to me that the Scandinavian countries are (proportionately) well represented amongst the Downs population. I suspect that its particular appeal in these countries is, in part, a result of Tolkien having drawn quite heavily on Norse and Icelandic mythology and the Finnish language. I wonder whether similar considerations (the Saxon influence rather than the Norse) might account, in part at least, for its current popularity in Germany. Or is the trend too recent for this to have played any part?