The Two Towers

by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Two Towers: Style 1 key example

Style
Explanation and Analysis:

Tolkien's style is fundamentally naturalistic. His work is famous for his rich descriptions of the natural world through which the characters pass on their long journeys. These descriptions use a great deal of similes and metaphors, but these always rely on comparisons that would be familiar to the characters themselves. In the frame narrative for The Lord of the Rings, the books were originally memoirs written by Bilbo Baggins and edited by Frodo and Samwise, so it makes sense that the Hobbits would use images familiar to them. These tend to be other natural features, or such pre-industrial man-made objects as those that might be found in the Shire.