Tolkien Stereotypical

[Legolas]

Tolkien made a point to separate his elves from the Leprechaun-like fairy tale characters people envision. They stand as tall as men (or taller) and are much more attractive in appearance.

Tolkien's book was not "stereotypical" at the time. It has come to be thought of as stereotypical by some because it spawned a huge legion of imitators. It is actually an archetype -

1. An original model or type after which other similar things are patterned; a prototype: “‘Frankenstein’... ‘Dracula’... ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’... the archetypes that have influenced all subsequent horror stories” (New York Times)
2. An ideal example of a type; quintessence: an archetype of the successful entrepreneur.

Hobbits are indeed from a children's tale (The Hobbit) that was attached to The Silmarillion and its world, and as such innocent, simple folk, they are obviously very out of place in the epic story of The Lord of the Rings, the story that ends Tolkien's history and brings the time into our own. They are there for a specific purpose though...they give the story another dimension.

If he thinks the stories of the Third Age are so boring, he should check out The Silmarillion - a much more serious work with less comic relief and warmth.