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| Drawn by J.R.R. Tolkien and published in the first impression of The Hobbit, in Chapter 4 (Over Hill and Under Hill). |
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| The Heraldic Device of the House of Hador, as drawn by J.R.R. Tolkien |
What
I believe to be the guiding principle behind and purpose of the Fantasy Genre
at its best, the Spirit of Tolkien is the optimistic spirit and integrity which
the books try to impart upon the reader. Characters like Gandalf[1]
all show the value of deep knowledge and wisdom along with the fact that such
lofty things are not exclusive to the old but may be attained with experience
and general cleverness; the Hobbits, after all, along with Harry Potter, Eragon,
and so many others grew into wisdom probably without realizing it by the end of
it all. Most importantly though, the Spirit of Tolkien teaches selflessness in
the face of evil and that virtue can and often will be victorious in the end.
It stands for the idea that it is the everyday deeds of ordinary folk which
keeps the Dark at bay. Simple acts of kindness and love and a refusal to give
in and abandon personal integrity when there is an easy but amoral solution to
various kinds of trouble.
It
is about compassion, courage, curiosity, and a refusal to give up hope even
when all seems lost and world in burning up around you. It is about the fact
that, deep down, there is more Good in the world than Evil and that even the
smallest candle can deep the Dark at bay. It is the spirit that teaches us to
seek to make the world a better place, but to value the simply joys in life and
not seek power for ourselves. It is the spirit that recognizes evil and
foulness, but retains optimism about and with the world at large and fights for
the best and brightest future possible. It is the spirit of the idealistic
realist.
The
Spirit of Tolkien is what I believe Fantasy is all about – it’s clear and
bright purpose – and the man himself describes it best of all:
"Fantasy
is escapist, and that is its glory. If a soldier is imprisoned by the enemy,
don't we consider it his duty to escape?...If we value the freedom of mind and
soul, if we're partisans of liberty, then it's our plain duty to escape, and to
take as many people with us as we can!"
–
J.R.R. Tolkien
“I
do not love the bright sword for it's sharpness, nor the arrow for it's
swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend.”
– J.R.R. Tolkien
– J.R.R. Tolkien
“Fairy
tale does not deny the existence of sorrow and failure: the possibility of
these is necessary to the joy of deliverance. It denies (in the face of much
evidence, if you will) universal final defeat...giving a fleeting glimpse of
Joy; Joy beyond the walls of the world, poignant as grief.”
–
J.R.R. Tolkien
“Many
that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to
them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement.”
– J.R.R. Tolkien
– J.R.R. Tolkien
“Even
the smallest person can change the course of the future.”
– J.R.R. Tolkien
– J.R.R. Tolkien
“The
world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still
there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with
grief, it grows perhaps the greater.”
– J.R.R. Tolkien
– J.R.R. Tolkien
“Some
who have read the book, or at any rate have reviewed it, have found it boring,
absurd, or contemptible, and I have no cause to complain, since I have similar
opinions of their works, or of the kinds of writing that they evidently prefer.”
– J.R.R. Tolkien
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| J. R. R. Tolkien ("Beren", 1892–1973), author and academic, together with his wife Edith ("Lúthien", 1889–1971) |
[1]
Dumbledore, Allanon, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Yoda, Aslan, Halt the Ranger, Brom &
Oromis, Merriman Lyon, Cadvan, Belgarath, and Luthe.
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