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Tolkien’s Middle-Earth wasn’t a place. It was a time in (English) history

• eesmith 3y ago
  > Despite his stature and success, Tolkien has largely been ignored by literary critics. Is that really true? I mean, even outside of the Middle-Earth books, I thought Tolkien's translation of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" [1] and view on Beowulf [2] had a very impact on the literary world. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Gawain_and_the_Green_Knight https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Gawain_and_the_Green_Knigh... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beowulf:_The_Monsters_and_the_Critics https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beowulf:_The_Monsters_and_the_... > Just as England was already occupied by the Celts before the arrival of the Germanic tribes, so too does Tolkien hint that the Shire — a land everyone associated with hobbits — was once populated by another people. Isn't that true of much of Europe? > If the Shire is meant to represent Britain shortly after the migration of the Anglo-Saxons, The Shire has clocks and tobacco. > The culture of Rohan, like that of the Anglo-Saxons, revolves around family, loyalty, and bravery. In life, they fight for honor and glory. Isn't that true of basically every culture?