J. R. R. Tolkien and Great Prose
The Lord of the Rings
“The road must be trod, but it will be very hard. And neither strength nor wisdom will carry us far upon it. This quest may be attempted by the weak with as much hope as the strong. Yet it is oft the course of deeds that move the wheels of the world: Small hands do them because they must, while the eyes of the great are elsewhere.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
These few sentences cut to the heart of fantasy’s timeless appeal. Deep down, I believe most people hope their lives will impact the world’s greater story in some tangibly positive way, and fantasy gives them the chance to see that hope realized. LOTR, like many of the most popular stories in fiction (fantasy or otherwise) follows the hero’s journey, the cumulative growth of deeds done by small hands while the eyes of the great lie elsewhere, until of course, the great are forced to acknowledge the previously small. Hell, if you used this short passage alone as a guide for storytelling, you’d probably come out alright.
“Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
Using this quote felt like cheating given the run it’s gotten after the movies. I put it in anyway. The message has been said more concisely in the past (Judge not lest ye be judged) but its use at this point in the book and its impact on Frodo has major ramifications on the rest of the trilogy, and it’s written with a cadence that you can practically hear as you read it.
“War must be, while we defend our lives against a destroyer who would devour all; but I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Two Towers
Passage is well written? Check. Conjures clear imagery? Check. Sends a nigh unmistakable message of Justice that I am totally onboard with? Check. Abolsutely sings when you read it? Also check.
“It is not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till. What weather they shall have is not ours to rule.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
Throughout the LOTR, Tolkien proves himself a poet. His way with words is undeniable and unique. Here again is an example of his ability to say something profound in a beautiful way. This passage, as with most I choose to highlight, speaks to me on a philosophical level and is relevant no matter the era (though it feels particularly apt at the current crossroad of American Individualism, Misinformation, and Climate Change)
“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
The best part about looking back on these books was the pressing urge to read them all over again. They are filled with love and emotion and hope, and Tolkien does an excellent job of capturing that hope. The first sentence alone tries hard to bury that peeping light behind the cloud-wrack and the dark tor, but hope (particularly Sam’s) is not snuffed out so easily, but only masked temporarily.
The Children of Hurin
“A man that flies from his fear may find that he has only taken a short cut to meet it.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Children of Hurin
Another quote that speaks to my own beliefs and has a heavy presence in fantasy in general. The way I see it, fear comes in many forms and should be addressed rather than ignored whenever possible. You do not cure yourself of shortcomings or ignorance or fear by pretending they aren’t there or hoping they’ll go away, but by approaching, embracing, and understanding them. This single sentence conveys most of that (imo) without wasting page space.