The work of J.R.R. Tolkien has had a profound effect on contemporary fiction and film making, yet criticism often places him at the margins of twentieth- and twenty-first century thought and experience. He actually sits near the centre of the last century's intellectual landscape: his fiction created a new market for the “fantasy trilogy,” his academic work represents what philology can still accomplish in academe and beyond, and his Catholic faith retains great meaning for millions of persons worldwide.

Imaginative literature continues to grow even as publishers cut back on creative fiction: recently it has moved energetically into film, gaming, and, and online fan fiction, but in the twentieth century it bridged the gap between “leaned” and “popular” spheres of interest and readerships.

Tolkien's living landscape continues to please, instruct, and inspire, drawing new generations of audiences to Middle-earth for the pleasure of adventure and to grapple with the upheavals of his time and their aftermath.