Dickens, Ratty, and Middle Earth | T. M. Doran | IPNovels.com
Many who have read and treasured The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings have insisted that no other story has had a comparable effect on them. People point to other literary myths and fantasy stories that have been enjoyable reads, but which pale in comparison to Tolkien’s masterpiece.
Such observations seem to suggest that The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings came out of nowhere, but the truth is that no story comes out of nowhere; every story is derivative of other stories in one sense or another. J. R. R. Tolkien himself pointed to many influences, including the epic myths, and medieval stories and legends.
It’s important to separate such creative derivations from pastiche and mere copycats. How many stories written since The Lord of the Rings could be put in these categories?
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