Bodman 1

Isaac Jay
ELAC 100
9/4/14
Writing Sample

The Fantasy Problem

It is a warm fall day in nineteen thirty-seven, and inside of the greatest
literary mind in the history of the multiverse, the idea of a sequel is spawned.
Although originally intended for children, J.R.R Tolkien sees potential for it to
spread out and become a work of true genius, and, arguably, the most pivotal and
interesting work of fiction ever created The Lord of the Rings and its canonical
works. (e.g. The Silmarillion, The Histories of Middle Earth, and The Children of
Hurin.)
I was introduced to Tolkien and other Epic Fantasies at quite a young age.

Although the majority of my family seemed to have an aversion to reading and

especially to reading fantasy, my uncle was the opposite. Tolkien had been his
favorite author for most of his lifetime, and when he noticed my love for fantasy, he
introduced me to The Lord of the Rings. It was then that I formulated the belief that
J.R.R. Tolkien was the greatest and most revolutionary author ever to pick up a pen.
Before Tolkien revolutionized the world of literature that we have come to
know and love in this era, fantasy was an underdog among authors and readers.

Bodman 2
This is due mostly to the fact that there were almost no original ideas. The books,
instead, were simply retellings of old folk tales or ancient mythology. Tolkien took
these to aspects and created an entire world from them. And not just any world, but
a world with a complete mythology about its creation, marring, and reshaping, a tale
that describes how his world will come to an end, physical geographical features
that change over time and throughout the complicated history of the canonical
series, entire languages that are complete with phonics guides and formulation
rules, epic storytelling, and fantastic prose!
Many have argued that J.R.R. Tolkien ruined fantasy. Not because his works
were inferior or inadequate in any way, but instead due to the fact that they were so
revolutionary and ahead of their time that most modern fantasy authors cannot
escape his influence. I disagree. Without Tolkien, almost every great art of fantasy
we know that imitated Tolkien would not exist. Tolkien in my opinion and
supported by facts, was perhaps the most revolutionary author ever.