J. R. R. Tolkien or C. S. Lewis??
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Re: J. R. R. Tolkien or C. S. Lewis??
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I loved The Hobbit but found Lord of the Rings difficult to get through. I'd put Narnia in the middle of these.
- alexsbookhoard
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Nothing against C.S. Lewis, at all! He did brilliantly with The Chronicles of Narnia and his nonfiction works. But for me, Tolkien stands above all fantasy authors. He truly is a mythmaker, to the extent that he used his extensively knowledge of mythology and folklore to create his own world mythology for the world in which Middle Earth was but one part. Each character has a life, a backstory, and a motivation. The characters who come from other lands and have deeper connection feel like they have the gravitas to match the otherworldliness that they are given.
He also took the time, made his own language for the series, and wrote more about the extended lore of his world than he wrote in the four books that chronicle the hobbits' adventures. He knew, forward and backward, the world he created. And while pieces of lore changed through the writing and revising (as seen by some conflicting information in the extended writings), he kept track of his lore and held it firm.
Lewis is good, but for me, it's got to be Tolkien
- metaphysical_muse
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When it comes to works that they are famous for, Lewis wrote an allegorical, Platonic-bent series, with relatable characters and very clearly written to a younger audience. Tolkien wrote a series packed with meaning, languages, and an entire system of lore. It's famously said that he wrote LOTR just because he wanted a book to put his own language in, which right away tells you that the system is going to be significantly more intricate. Both are glorious and all-time favorites of mine, but on two completely different levels.
When it comes to theology, as I think OP was discussing, Lewis comes out on top for me. His writing is significantly clearer and more accessible to me, whereas Tolkien's is, like some of his lore, mystifying and more time-consuming to digest (although just as rewarding). Anyone read Tolkien Dogmatics?. It's on my list...I'll get to it eventually!
Both authors...10/10!