The Road and The Ring

[Lush]

I think that what’s at work is two different narrative forms that have developed in response to different kinds of hero.

Hi there, fellow Barrowdowner and resident of beyond cloud nine.

How do you fit The Lord of the Rings into the above idea?

It would be interesting to hear your thoughts before I post mine.

Also, the epic did precede the novel, and the novel's conception was due partly to the fact that society was beginning to evolve in a different direction. Um, in case you didn't realize that...Who am I kidding? Of course you do. But perhaps the history of both should be taken into account when addressing the LotR?

Also, is a novel necessarily a fairy-tale and a fairy-tale necessarily a novel? And are you sure about the fact that in our modern world we tend to celebrate the epic hero more? I would agree with that if we were talking about the realm of cinema, but literature? I am not entirely sure.

Also, are you positive that Odysseus is a fairy-tale hero?

Per your suggestion that Tolkien's work has different types of heroes living under one roof, I agree wholeheartedly. Hence my original post.