Quote:
Originally Posted by Mithalwen
The Lord of theRings is one of the top selling books of all time and was voted book of the 20th century by readers. That is quite successful whatever the literati may have thought fifty or sixty years ago. Most authors and publishers would be happy with that.
Many younger academics find him quite worthy of their attention. Some of them even post here. I like the Harry Potter books though I think Order of the phoenix could have lost a hundred pages. I also think Rowling really loves language as the raw material of her work and knowa her mythology but maybe since I read her as an adult I don't find her world aa engaging.
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Academics are probably wising up to the fact that it's now a market out there and students want to study works they feel they will get something out of as opposed to those they are told they should get something out of - and as forums like this prove, there's actually endless picking to be had from Tolkien's work. It will go on regardless.
JK Rowling's Harry Potter books are
very under-rated by a lot of adults, but her work too stands up to digging. Just one thing I realised the other day was how she pays homage to Tolkien by using some of his Hobbit surnames. I love Order of the Phoenix for the pin sharp satire on the Civil Service, and maybe a worse enemy even than Voldemort, Dolores Umbridge.