Writing Forum

So, who are our favorite prosesmiths? Who do we believe are universal prose masters? For me, number one, hands down, is JRR Tolkien. I realize a lot of folks, especially younger readers, struggle with old granddad graytop. Tolkien loved his literary diversions---spending twelve chapters describing the beauty of a single tree, crazy things like that. His language was often archaic, not just the vocabulary but the syntax as well, the phraseology, the sequences he would use to form individual sentences---these aspects of his prose can confound readers... or even lull them to depths of suicidal boredom.

However, we would be hard-pressed to find many critics or scholars who would denigrate Tolkien's prose work.

Check it out...

"'Begone, foul dwimmerlaik, lord of carrion! Leave the dead in peace!'

A cold voice answered: 'Come not between the Nazgûl and his prey! Or he will not slay thee in thy turn. He will bear thee away to the houses of lamentation, beyond all darkness, where thy flesh shall be devoured, and thy shrivelled mind be left naked to the Lidless Eye.'

A sword rang as it was drawn. 'Do what you will; but I will hinder it, if I may.'

'Hinder me? Thou fool. No living man may hinder me!'

Then Merry heard of all sounds in that hour the strangest. It seemed that Dernhelm laughed, and the clear voice was like the ring of steel. 'But no living man am I! You are looking upon a woman. Eowyn am I, Eomund's daughter. You stand between me and my lord and kin. Begone, if you be not deathless! For living or dark undead, I will smite you if you touch him.'

The winged creature screamed at her---but then the Ringwraith was silent, as if in sudden doubt. Very amazement for a moment conquered Merry's fear. He opened his eyes and the blackness was lifted from them. There some paces from him sat the great beast, and all seemed dark about it, and above it loomed the Nazgul Lord like a shadow of despair. A little to the left facing them stood whom he had called Dernhelm. But the helm of her secrecy had fallen from her and her bright hair, released from its bonds, gleamed with pale gold upon her shoulders. Her eyes, grey as the sea, were hard and fell, and yet tears gleamed in them. A sword was in her hand, and she raised her shield against the horror of her enemy's eyes.”

― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

Holy Epic Trilogies!! That's some powerful prose. At least in my humble opinion it is. 'Begone, foul dwimmerlaik, lord of carrion! Leave the dead in peace!' There is an unsurpassed, compelling beauty in the urgency of such language. Her eyes, grey as the sea, were hard and fell... It stirs the aspirant inside me, moves me to pick up pen and paper. 'You stand between me and my lord and kin. Begone, if you be not deathless! For living or dark undead, I will smite you if you touch him.'

But then again, just about every young wordsmith who dreams of writing stirring fantasy stories has read JRR Tolkien. So, this is a bit of an obvious one. There are some other, more modern writers that compel me just the same. I'll post some of their names later on as well.

Begone, if you be not deathless.