Fantasy: Pre and Post Tolkien

[Hookbill the Goomba]

I personally have no problem with fantasy writers doing a nod to Tolkien. If they do, though, I like it to be nice and subtle. Not too stare in the face obvious. The sort of thing where a select few will say "Ah! I know what that is a reference to! " and be tremendously happy about it.

The problem comes in the fact that the older fairy tale style of telling a fantasy seems not so popular these days. It doesn't seem to matter how compelling the story or interesting the events, if not told in the grant Tolkienesque way, publishers don't want to know. I handed someone a copy of The Golden Key recently and when he gave it back he said 'Not very good is it? I mean the story's okay, but the guy talks like its all made up and not real.'

Perhaps that is the issue. Maybe the wider audience want the realness. I myself like the unrealness of The Golden Key and others, for me it is part of the appeal.

Another thing is the 'visitor from our world goes to other world' premise is a useful plot device, really. There always has to be that ignorant party through whom the reader learns about the world. Tolkien is a little more subtle in the way he goes about this. There are many ignorant parties, but none so blindingly obvious. All of the Hobbits have their field of expertise which they exploit to give us information about The Shire. Once they are out of it, Strider then gives them the information. But it is different. The Hobbit's stories and Aragorn's tales are given to them on a level the characters understand, first and foremost. Which explains why one friend of mine once said 'I'm always amused when Tolkien goes off on one. You know, mentions some random person you've never heard of and tells you his life story. I remember thinking "Who the hell is Feanor?" and "What on earth is Earendil?"' Here is Tolkien's genius! The characters have some sense of what it is, but you do not. The mystery is in the lack of knowledge. Not everything is unveiled, there is darkness around the edges.

Originally Posted by Rumil

Hi all,

I was wondering if anyone had read any pre-Tolkien 'modern' (ie not Homer, the Edda or mediaeval) fantasy. I'm thinking of Lord Dunsany here who I've heard of but never read. How does pre-Tolkien fantasy compare to Middle Earth? Are they forgotten masterpieces or as formulaic as some of the current crop? Did they influence Tolkien?

Most of all is it worth my while seeking them out at the bookshop?

George MacDonald and Andrew Lang are two that I have read.