Quote:
Originally Posted by QuantumIguana
If any book of the 20th century will survive the test of time, it's Lord of the Rings. It's endured despite being looked down upon, now you can study it in college literature classes.
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Let me premise - I am a big fan of Tolkien's. I read everything he has written, completed or not, many times over. As a kid I re-read the Lord of the Rings twice a year. I watched the animated movie over and over, despite how much it sucked. And played MERP way more than I care to admit.
But... no. Just no.
It's a fun book. It's an astonishing world. It's a beautiful story. It made me weep.
But there are countless works from this century that have a literary value LOTR not only does not achieve, but did not even aspire to.
And, as far as college classes go, they read Dan Brown, Harry Potter and, by now, even the shades crap. The fact that we dedicate college classes to what is, basically, entertainment, is a sad testament to how dumb this society is getting, how little we expect of our children, and how much we are wasting money that should be used to teach REAL skills.