Beowulf, Game of Thrones, and Middle Earth

The questions I want to bring up today are not ones that I believe have simple or straightforward answers – and I apologize if my thoughts become a little disordered!

What makes a work of literature (or art in general) stand the test of time? Must it be influential in some way? Does it need to be relatable? Is the strength behind a work due to who creates it and the historical context behind the work? Or is there something about the way a work is written that makes it important and long lasting?

In class, we’d talked about Tolkien’s discussion of Beowulf, a story dated by a manuscript from circa 1000AD (actual date debated/unknown). Tolkien writes about the many criticisms and beliefs surrounding Beowulf, from it being “rude and rough” to being “a masterpiece of metrical art,” ending this list by saying “(final universal chorus of all voices) it is worth studying” (Beowulf the Monsters and the Critics pages 8-9). Beowulf is controversial in some ways – but is this what causes it to stand the test of time and continue to be studied? Or is it the possibility of learning more about the time period Beowulf came from – the secrets it could reveal to us?

Tolkien’s own books are also long lasting. The Hobbit was originally published in 1937, The Fellowship of the Ring in 1954, and the Silmarillion in 1977. While not quite at the 100-year mark, his books are very close to it, and are still extremely influential. The Hobbit movies came out in 2012-2014, and the Peter Jackson LOTR movies are almost 20 years old now (2001/2002/2003). Just recently, we found out that Amazon would be funding a TV series based on the Second Age of Middle-Earth – clearly, Tolkien’s works are still influencing us today, and will be for the foreseeable future.

This may be somewhat controversial, but I’d like to bring up another book-to-movie series that has been widely influential and adored for the past 20+ years – the Game of Thrones books/movies. George R.R. Martin’s first book, “A Game of Thrones” was published in 1996, and while much of the material may be more mature than Tolkien’s works are (The Hobbit was meant for children, after all, and I doubt many parents would want their young children watching or reading Game of Thrones material), they do share a fantasy theme (dragons, kings, battles, adventures). I would argue that if we were trying to find a good modern day parallel to the evolution of Tolkien’s works (originally book series, became movie series, influenced other stories and culture, from conventions to fanfiction) GoT would be a decent, if not exact, parallel to draw.

The final season of Game of Thrones came out in April of 2019, and after the furor died down, it has been somewhat shocking to me to notice just how much the fervor surrounding the series has declined. Most of this I believe can be attributed to the disappointment that was the last few seasons. New directions, splitting further from the books, and general displeasure with the way character arcs and stories were treated all have something to do with this decline.

I can’t help but wonder if, in 10, 15, 20 years, GoT will still be as influential as it has been for the past 20 – or if, unlike Tolkien’s works, GoT will have had its time to shine, and then will fade from the public’s memories somewhat. If it fades, as it seems to be doing at least to me, what was the difference between Tolkien’s fantasy literature works and George R. R. Martin’s? Is it just that GoT became a TV series before it became entrenched in society as a finished book series? Or is there something intrinsic in Tolkien’s works that have led them to be so influential and remain so over the many years? I do believe there are many aspects of Tolkien’s works that contribute to this, but what do you think? What is the most important aspect that allows Tolkien’s works to continue influencing us to this day?