---
title: Fantasy and the modern age
date: 2002-12-17 12:38:00.00 -8
tags: posts 
categories: art
---
J.R.R. Tolkein's _Lord of the Rings_ saga is considered by many to be the penultimate literary accomplishment of the 20th century. David Brin analyzes the trilogy, its author, and its genre in an [excellent essay on Salon](http://images.salon.com/src/ads/match/match3_flashme.html?http://www.salon.com/ent/feature/2002/12/17/tolkien_brin/index.html).

Linked within the story is Brin's similar approach to another bit of [pop culture](http://www.salon.com/ent/movies/feature/1999/06/15/brin_main/) to which some of us have been exposed…