The representation of two Medieval genres, epic and romance, in The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

This dissertation is an attempt to analyse the ways in which epic and romance are represented in The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. The first part of the paper is dedicated to the problematic of the genre. The Medieval genres, epic and romance, are described in details and their characteristics are confronted to Tolkien’s trilogy. Since both genres take their origins in Antique literature, the genres of classic epic and tragedy are discussed as well. The second part of this paper presents a detailed comparison between The Lord of the Rings and canonical poems of the genres studied. These poems are Beowulf, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and the Aeneid. This dissertation confirms the influence of Medieval literature on The Lord of the Rings as both epic and romance are clearly represented in various ways, which include the allegorical interpretation of Middle Earth, rhetoric aspects and the personality of the hero. The heroes of The Lord of the Rings are Aragorn, who resembles a typical epic hero while presenting many characteristics of a hero of romance, and Frodo, who appears to be closer to a tragic hero.