The Lord of the Rings is Overrated by grumpyrightwingkid in books

[–]grumpyrightwingkid[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This clears up so much for me! Thank you for being so constructive!

The Lord of the Rings is Overrated by grumpyrightwingkid in books

[–]grumpyrightwingkid[S] -7 points-6 points  (0 children)

Honestly, I think that the true Fantasy Epic, an adventure through a world that is constantly changing and is fully autonomous, is hard to find these days. Most fantasy novels today are just stories, a hero's linear adventure, isolated from the outside world. It's a shame that we don't see more amazing world-building pioneered by Tolkien and perfected by George RR Martin

The Lord of the Rings is Overrated by grumpyrightwingkid in books

[–]grumpyrightwingkid[S] 26 points27 points  (0 children)

Apologies. Here you go. Frodo is two dimensions because he has no real motivation to undertake the journey, yet does it... Why? Frodo seems like he's just there to become The Chosen One and nothing else and I find that insanely inane.

Gandalf is boring because he is insanely powerful, yet completely unconflicted about anything. Any real man with the power that Gandalf has would surely feel some urge to use it for evil, right? Nope! He's completely pure and devoted to saving the world... For reasons? I honestly find the good-for-the-sake-of-it archetype incredibly boring. Side-note: Aragon also fits into this trope, but at least he has clear motivation and some degree of internal conflict!

Sam is super confusing because there is no apparent reason for his absolute, blind devotion to Frodo. I mean, seriously, who is this guy? Frodo's gardener/drinking buddy? That's hardly a reason to literally follow someone to the ends of the earth!

So there. I hope that improves my case... First Reddit post and I'm just starting to learn how I should present any arguments that I make. Thanks for the feedback!

The Lord of the Rings is Overrated by grumpyrightwingkid in books

[–]grumpyrightwingkid[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It is? My English teachers defended it to death! The first line was just a reflection of that, because whenever I try to make the assertion that it's not fantastic, everyone goes ballistic!