Quote:
Originally Posted by Zigūr
I disagree with this. Tolkien may have been heavily inspired by medieval sources, but he lived for almost his entire life in the twentieth century and was influenced by his context. Tolkien was not a "Modernist" but I believe he was "Modern".
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The term "Modern" isn't referring to the time-and-place in which they were written.
It is referring to the philosophical themes and Beliefs held by Tolkien, and depicted within the works.
The Lord of the Rings and
The Hobbit are "modern" only in that they are novels, a Post-Enlightenment product.
Tolkien, though, was not a fan of much of the products of Modernity, and the novels both tend to be Romantic Epics ("Romantic" in the sense of a "Chivalric Romance" and not in the terms of a Modern "Romance" Novel, where the theme is involving women and men seeking personal love, and/or lust) which highlight his distaste for Modernity.
Tom Shippey, in
The Road to Middle-earth covers this relationship to "Modernity."
And he isn't the only one to point out the decidedly non-Modern aspects of the world and works.
Only the Hobbits, within Middle-earth are a narrative link to Modernity, as the Hobbits represent a narrative connection between an archaic world, and that of a Pastoral Victorian England of the Shire (This is Tom Shippey's Thesis, I just happen to agree with it, as it is well-supported - others seem to share that Thesis).
MB