bronweathanharthad:

bronweathanharthad:

The problem with a lot of post-Tolkien high fantasy is that a lot of authors took the wrong lessons from his works.

Yes, they commit to worldbuilding, languages, and epic battles, but they forget about Tolkien’s message about friendship and hope.

Tolkien’s works are not without betrayal and death, but the importance of hope and cooperation cannot be stressed enough. Bilbo forms an unlikely friendship with thirteen dwarves. Legolas and Gimli put aside millennia of interracial tension and become best friends. Frodo forgives Gollum of his betrayal. Sam remains a voice of hope in the face of impossible odds. Merry and Pippin earn the trust of human monarchs who had never heard of hobbits, and Beleg ignores his own people’s warnings to save Túrin.

If your Tolkien-inspired high fantasy has a tone of “everything is bad and you can’t trust anyone,” then it is not a Tolkienian work.

Also, there is a point to the suffering that Tolkien’s characters undergo. While The Silmarillion, especially the Children of Húrin section, is an obvious exception, in general his characters seldom suffer simply for the sake of suffering.

Gandalf dies, but he is resurrected and returns to Middle-earth more powerful than ever. Bilbo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin all gain self-confidence from their misadventures. Boromir’s death further strengthens Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli’s resolve and causes Faramir to do more for his people. Éowyn’s near-fatal encounter with the Witch-King gives her the will to live rather than seek death. Frodo has to sail to Valinor because his suffering was far too great, but his suffering leads to the liberation of Middle-earth, and he still receives an opportunity to find healing, even if he cannot live in the world that he saved.

Many high fantasy authors make their characters suffer just to suffer. Tolkien does not shrink away from the fact that his characters have suffered, but they learn and grow from their ordeals.