I have subscribed to The Culturist on Substack and this article popped up on my feed. I think it’s gold dust for writers, playwrights AND screenwriters, as it talks about the necessity of doing ‘the work’ in developing our characters and world-building.
“J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings has inspired millions. Both the original work and the movie adaptations have influenced hearts, minds, and — as the innumerable quantity of derivative fantasy worlds reveals — many a modern writer as well.
But what are the stories that inspired Tolkien?
What are the legends and myths that gave birth to the world of Middle-earth and the epic journey to cast the One Ring into the fires of Mount Doom?
Today, we look at five of the tales that inspired Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.”
The Culturist looks at novels that are reflected in Lord of the Rings; themes such as social and spiritual decay, despair and heroism - even if the heroes know that ultimately, their world and their gods are dying.
“The monsters are symbols of the inevitable hostility of the world itself to mortal men…they do not only bring physical ruin but spiritual despair.”
-Tolkien, Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics
Enjoy!
https://open.substack.com/pub/culturist/p/the-books-that-inspired-tolkien?
1 person likes this
Definitely an interesting article. Hard to imagine a world where we didn't have the wonderful stories--books and movies--that have become part of our culture.
Debra Holland indeed and I love the fact that he loved literature and it informed the stories he told. Which books have inspired you in your work?