Lord of the Rings: Meshing Modern Reality with the Medieval Otherworld

Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings has been described as a type of medieval mythical history for England that otherwise does not truly exist as it does, for example, in Celtic literature. Others have described it as a strictly modern fantasy that contains many allegories relating to events and politics during the time it was written. The work however cannot be so easily categorized into black and white labels. The narrative draws on both of these aspects, both acting as a medieval history of England as Tolkien claims he was trying to achieve, as well as incorporating different aspects of the contemporary as can be expected to some level in any work regardless of time period or storyline, drawing on the author’s experiences and encounters. The true success of The Lord of the Rings is not that Tolkien created a medieval world or a modern-day fantasy, but that he was able to merge the two so that no distinctive lines can be drawn between present day and the medieval allowing modern readers, even now approximately 60 yrs. after it was published, to comfortably step into the medieval setting. Tolkien’s characters and settings vary from medieval fortresses, kings, and stewards to things such as townhouses and gardeners, all interacting and unquestionably flowing together as the story progresses.