LotR, an Edwardian Adventure Story? - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Lalwendë · 03-13-2006, 06:11 PM

The Edwardian period was, in terms of Britain's longer history, just a flash in the pan, but it was also Britain at its greatest heights. This was the time when there was empire, opulence, and the beginnings of the education system and democracy. In those respects, we might say that Tolkien did look to that time as an inspiration, as his idyllic Shire might be the idealised (but definitely not realistic) country village of the early 1900s. But it was also a time of huge cultural change, and rather than the adventure stories of the day, the literature which best represents that time would be works such as those by EM Forster, which challenged the outgoing Victorian values and gave a hint of the changes to come.

I think Tolkien has more in common with writers such as Philip Larkin and others from around the late 40s/50s, which instead of challenging the Empire, accepted that there was now little Empire left and instead focussed on Britain. Tolkien rails against the fate of the English countryside just as did Larkin, and he himself admitted that Death was a main theme in his work, just as Larkin did. I think there are also similarities with John Betjeman.

Perhaps its a symptom of age that I often find the adventure aspects of Tolkien's work less important to me than the lyrical aspects - though the importance of story is still the most paramount aspect. But the sword fights and the near escapes are something I focus on less than the sadness and the poignancy of his work. And so I find Tolkien has more in common with his poetic and even musical (Britten, Vaughan Williams) contemporaries than with either the boisterous adventures of Rider Haggard or the challenging social views of Forster. I think Tolkien's work reflects the middle years of the Twentieth century more than the early ones.

03-13-2006, 06:11 PM	#24
Lalwendë A Mere Boggart Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: under the bed Posts: 4,737	The Edwardian period was, in terms of Britain's longer history, just a flash in the pan, but it was also Britain at its greatest heights. This was the time when there was empire, opulence, and the beginnings of the education system and democracy. In those respects, we might say that Tolkien did look to that time as an inspiration, as his idyllic Shire might be the idealised (but definitely not realistic) country village of the early 1900s. But it was also a time of huge cultural change, and rather than the adventure stories of the day, the literature which best represents that time would be works such as those by EM Forster, which challenged the outgoing Victorian values and gave a hint of the changes to come. I think Tolkien has more in common with writers such as Philip Larkin and others from around the late 40s/50s, which instead of challenging the Empire, accepted that there was now little Empire left and instead focussed on Britain. Tolkien rails against the fate of the English countryside just as did Larkin, and he himself admitted that Death was a main theme in his work, just as Larkin did. I think there are also similarities with John Betjeman. Perhaps its a symptom of age that I often find the adventure aspects of Tolkien's work less important to me than the lyrical aspects - though the importance of story is still the most paramount aspect. But the sword fights and the near escapes are something I focus on less than the sadness and the poignancy of his work. And so I find Tolkien has more in common with his poetic and even musical (Britten, Vaughan Williams) contemporaries than with either the boisterous adventures of Rider Haggard or the challenging social views of Forster. I think Tolkien's work reflects the middle years of the Twentieth century more than the early ones. __________________ Gordon's alive!