Literary hostility to J. R. R. Tolkien

Re:Literary hostility to J. R. R. Tolkien by Victerius on Saturday September 17, 2022 @09:19AM (#32877317)

> In 1956, the literary critic Edmund Wilson wrote a review entitled "Oo, Those Awful Orcs!", calling Tolkien's work "juvenile trash", and saying "Dr. Tolkien has little skill at narrative and no instinct for literary form."

I would love to dismantle this criticism piece by piece, but others would no doubt be delighted to do that in my stead. I'm just going to say that the year is 2022 and absolutely no one remembers who the fuck Edmund Wilson was, while Tolkien is one of the best-selling authors of all time and his books sell millions of copies every month even half a century after his death. For a man with supposedly no skill at narrative, hundreds of millions of people have thoroughly enjoyed his narrative. How many movies have been made based on Wilson's books? That's right...

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Re:Literary hostility to J. R. R. Tolkien by dweinus on Saturday September 17, 2022 @01:23PM (#32879285)

I don't think ad hominems or the success of LOTR belittle the critics here at all. As someone who really enjoyed both the books and the movies, I read through this list nodding my head at each flaw. I think it's healthier to just admit that even things that are cherished can have flaws.

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Re:Literary hostility to J. R. R. Tolkien by hertzrat on Saturday September 17, 2022 @10:00AM (#32877593)

> absolutely no one remembers who the fuck Edmund Wilson was

Can’t we strive to be more civilized on this site?

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Re:Literary hostility to J. R. R. Tolkien by bazoom42 on Saturday September 17, 2022 @10:05AM (#32877623)

By your logic 50 Shades of Grey is also above criticism.

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Re:Literary hostility to J. R. R. Tolkien by flimsythoughts on Saturday September 17, 2022 @10:10AM (#32877650)

No, he's talking about decades later. It remains to be seen if 50 Shades is still popular 50-80 years later.

I suspect not.

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Re:Literary hostility to J. R. R. Tolkien by Victerius on Saturday September 17, 2022 @10:16AM (#32877699)

For having sold tens of millions of copies, one must concede that 50 Shades of Grey has some literary qualities.

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Re:Literary hostility to J. R. R. Tolkien by panick21_ on Saturday September 17, 2022 @09:24AM (#32877348)

> Edmund Wilson Jr. (May 8, 1895 – June 12, 1972) was an American writer and literary critic who explored Freudian and Marxist themes.

Wonder why.

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