Some Comparisons

Abstract

In this article, author J.D. Collins compares three books together; The Lord of the Rings, the Chronicles of Narnia, and the three Garner books. He spends most of this essay comparing the Lord of the Rings with the Narnia books, with a focus on immersion and detail. He discusses the method of learning of the world, which for both books is through adventures. He feels as though Narnia is another world, where Middle Earth is this world. He also notes the different ways the characters act - the children in Narnia mainly have agency over their actions, but Frodo is pressured (by the social situation, as well as the fact that the ring needed to be destroyed) into spurring his adventure. He feels as though Narnia felt disjointed and odd with its world as if the facets of the world were made on the spot. This is not a bad thing, he notes, as C.S. Lewis’s humor makes up for the slightly odd paces and disbelief. However, he affirms that Tolkien provided endless opportunities for the reader to be involved. With the history of the four races, two full continents, the power of evil, and three different ages to explore, Collins believes this makes for a more immersive world. In Narnia, the world only existed while he read the book. For the Lord of the Rings, the world exists outside of the story. In addition, he believes the poetry of the Lord of the Rings creates a plethora of stories, separate from the main plot, that exists as supplemental worldbuilding that creates a more fully furnished world. He ends this essay by returning to the Garner books, where he critiques the books for being “childish fiction” He does not feel inspired by any characters, there is very little external lore, and he claims that he is unmoved by most of the story.