Today marks the 70th anniversary of the release of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, which reinvigorated the fantasy genre — some might argue that it created “modern fantasy” — and gave generations of nerds something to talk about.
Of course, The Hobbit, and the more complex and mature Lord of the Rings, also bred countless inferior imitators. But you have to take the good with the bad.
September 21st, 2007 at 1:14 pm
It’s also the birthdays of H.G. Wells (1866) and Stephen King (1947).
September 21st, 2007 at 1:18 pm
Ugh. Horrible piece of literature.
Doesn’t get any more black and white than Tolkien.
September 21st, 2007 at 2:11 pm
Actually, I remember the Hobbit as being pretty fun, and not bogged into what the politics in LOTR displayed and the like. And even then pretty entertaining.
Besides, the other nerd totems like Heinlein and CS Lewis and Ayn Rand and the rest are much much worse, in terms of politics on sleeves. And at least for the latter nigh on unreadable.
September 21st, 2007 at 6:48 pm
Doesn’t get any more black and white than Tolkien.
I think your statement there is pretty black and white…
September 22nd, 2007 at 8:08 pm
How come only the right-wingers get bashed for having politics? Nobody ever bitches about Alan Moore wearing his politics on his sleeve.
September 23rd, 2007 at 12:58 pm
That’s because Alan is frequently sleeveless.
September 23rd, 2007 at 2:36 pm
It’s funny, I was just watching the documentary on the first LotR extended edition, and Tolkein made it pretty clear that he hated allegory and there was no political overtones to his books. Everything the readers took from the books came from themselves, not the work.