I'd like to bring to readers of this thread the important essay,
The Demarcation of Sword and Sorcery, by
Joseph A. McCullough V. Here's the link:
https://www.blackgate.com/the-demarc...d-and-sorcery/
McCullough argues three cogent points that define the Sword & Sorcery genre:
1) Heroes are men [or women] of action.
2) Outsiders (barbarians) who are outside the norms of society.
3) They're scoundrels. (Think Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser.)
John O'Neill, in his
Introduction to The Best of Heroic Fantasy Quarterly: Volume 1, 2009-2011, adds a 4th category, that of
Setting.
O'Neill then elaborates upon this idea, and then argues for the distinctions that exclude Tolkien's work from being Sword & Sorcery. Rather, he classifies it as Heroic Fantasy.
It's a fascinating essay for those readers inclined to understand the categorical distinctions of what they read.