The Impact of J. R. R. Tolkien on American Culture
“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.” It is extraordinary for such a simple, yet ridiculous phrase to start what some might call a literary cult. The writer of this phrase, J.R.R. Tolkien, was born into a poor family, and later became an orphan. His natural ability to learn languages and his skill as a writer helped turn him into a world famous author. In his life, he wrote around thirty books that were published. His first and possibly his most well known book, The Hobbit, brought him into the limelight. He managed to build on his success and satisfy his fans by writing the The Lord of the Rings, trilogy. Tolkien himself never lived in America, but his works have greatly influenced American culture.…show more content… Tolkien caused a ripple of literary inspiration that has affected multiple authors after his time. The website, The Tolkien Society, proves this by stating, “The cult, not just of Tolkien, but of the fantasy literature that he had revived, if not actually inspired, was really taking off.” He revived an entire genre of literature with his works and it all started with the simple phrase “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.” on an empty exam paper. “On 29 November 1971 Edith died, and Ronald soon returned to Oxford, to rooms provided by Merton College. Ronald died on 2 September 1973. He and Edith are buried together in a single grave in the Catholic section of Wolvercote cemetery in the northern suburbs of Oxford,” according to his biography on the website The Tolkien Society. His death, however, was not the end of his career because, as his online biography states “Tolkien's son Christopher has edited several works that weren't completed at the time of his father's death, including The Silmarillion and The Children of Húrin, which were published posthumously.” Tolkien’s impact on American society was evident in the time he was alive and writing and remains observable to this