For sophomore Ashwin Krishnan, 20th century literature wasn’t always a source of interest, especially not books from the fantasy genre. However, after reading Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, Krishnan said he found inspiration rooted in the series.

“My first impression of the Lord of the Rings series was that it was kind of far-fetched,” Krishnan said. “But the more I read it the more I fell in love with the story and the way it was written. I got sucked into (the Lord of the Rings) world.”

When asked about the newfound appreciation for fantasy, Krishnan said the genre puts individuals in a mindset with a fantasy world that may be better than reality in many ways, and it allows for one’s perspective to be broadened.

Krishnan is one of many individuals who enjoy the Lord of the Rings series. According to WordsRated, the trilogy has sold over 150 million copies worldwide, and was rated as the best 20th century book by the United Kingdom’s biggest book retailer Waterstone.

Jamie Beckman, teen department manager at the Carmel Clay Public Library (CCPL), said that many classical pieces of literature are still relevant to today’s world through creating relations based on classical literature.

“Having something to talk about, you know, bouncing ideas off each other and just getting each other’s impressions of the book is a great way to talk to someone, especially if you don’t know them well,” Beckman said. “It gives you something to talk about, an easy place to start, and you can really find out a lot about other people when you ask them about what they like to read.”

Beckman also said classical literature can be a source of creativity for students.

“I think it opens the world to (students),” Beckman said. “It can give them new ideas to consider, if they are interested in writing or creating themselves it can certainly help them give them a template of where they can start.”

Sophomore Siri Gowda said that she often takes inspiration from literature.

“I think literature and entertainment can inspire students by being like a source of place to escape I guess,” Gowda said. “And also a source of creativity that can inspire students in other work.”

When prompted about the remaining influence and legacy of the Lord of the Rings series, Krishnan said relatable, perpetual themes anchor the series, despite the changing standards of literature.

“It’s kind of stood around,” Krishnan said. “It has these perpetual themes in it which kind of resonate with everyone and I guess that’s why everybody continues to love and enjoy them.”

Beckman said she agreed with Krishnan.

“I think these books remain, are considered classics just because a lot of people remember them and talk about them, and were inspired by them,” she said.

Gowda said Lord of the Rings was the first of its kind when it came to creating mythological worlds.

“I think that the Lord of the Rings series remained so influential partially because it was revolutionary,” Gowda said. “It’s the first well-known high fantasy series that most people know about and also I think it’s just the world-building. Tolkien, he created this whole universe and all these characters and multiple languages and it was kind of the first kind.”

According to BookRiot, J.R.R. Tolkien was a linguistic genius who created at least 15 languages for his literary universe. He had also served in the British Army during World War I and many of the experiences and grief through it influenced aspects of his writing.

Referring to the prominent themes in Tolkien’s work, Krishnan said, “I like the idea that anybody can do anything. It’s about how you apply it and if you need to push to go about that theme from like the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, Gandalf pushes Bilbo and Frodo to go about a task that needs to be done for the good of everyone, and that’s a good moral to have.”

Gowda said she agreed with Krishnan, highlighting the theme of strength in face of challenges.

“I think the theme that resonates the most with me is like the theme of duty and doing things for future benefit,” Gowda said. “The main characters, they have so many opportunities where they could in theory just give up and take the easy way out and leave someone else to do their task for them, but they don’t, they persevere.”