#it's fascinating and it's fun and it is absolutely still high fantasy cause JRRT doesn't have a monopoly on how high fantasy should be writ

[aspiringwarriorlibrarian]

You know, it's kinda funny how much of high fantasy centers around kings and nobility and courtly intrigue considering that the archetypal high fantasy, Lord of the Rings, had the rather explicit moral of "saving the world is up to this backwater hick and his gardener because no politician, least of all inherited nobility, would have the ability to see past their own ambition and throw away a weapon". Oh sure, Aragorn is a great king and all, but there's a reason he's over there running a distraction ring while the hobbits do the real work. Sauron loses because he gets distracted by kings and armies and great battles (i.e. typical high fantasy stuff) letting Frodo and Sam sneak through his back door and blow it all to hell.

Just saying, maybe old Jirt knew what he was saying when he said that the small folk doing their best and holding to each other was more powerful than a dozen alliances and superweapons and we should respect him for it.

#high fantasy #tolkien #lotr #lord of the rings #to be clear i don't mind courtly intrigue high fantasy #it's fascinating and it's fun and it is absolutely still high fantasy cause JRRT doesn't have a monopoly on how high fantasy should be writ #what i object to is the idea that it is the only or the best way to write high fantasy when we have such a stunning counter example