Definitions

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Resembling or influenced by the works, ideas, or literary style of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892-1973).

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Tolkien +‎ -esque

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word Tolkienesque.

Examples

  • China Miéville points out that the magical races (dwarves, elves, orcs, etc.) in Tolkienesque fantasy are rigidly held to biologically determined character virtues and flaws and that that is profoundly reactionary and bigoted.

    SeeLight: 2007

  • China Miéville points out that the magical races (dwarves, elves, orcs, etc.) in Tolkienesque fantasy are rigidly held to biologically determined character virtues and flaws and that that is profoundly reactionary and bigoted.

    Ishoo Wun 2007

  • Harris's great skill lies in pulling back every time her creation veers towards the portentous, that is to say the Tolkienesque ....

    Runemarks: Summary and book reviews of Runemarks by Joanne Harris. 2008

  • She does not, like many unfortunate modern fantasy writers, waste pages with petty meandering dialog or rambling historical and visual descriptions (in an effort to seem more Tolkienesque?).

    MIND MELD: The Perfect SF/F/H Books to Give to People Who Don't Read SF/F/H 2009

  • So I never bothered with scads of offerings, represented by but not restricted to: Jordan, Meyer, Rowland, military SF (which includes most of Heinlein and all of Pournelle), all Tolkienesque clones, nearly all of the so-called Golden Age (which should really be called the Age of Lead).

    Voice Of The Fans: What Books Have You Stopped Reading? 2010

  • Most fantasy careers in the Tolkienesque high-fantasy are beginning now, with authors like Michelle Klautau (two novels), Raphael Draccon (two novels), Estus Daheri, and Jorge Tavares, among plenty of others.

    EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Jacques Barcia 2010

  • Every time I look at Cameron, I'm reminded of video-game characters: not the loveable, spiky ones like Sonic or Mario, but the bland, generic dead-eyed avatars you can "create" for use in a tennis game or a tedious Tolkienesque adventure.

    Archive 2009-10-01 2009

  • This desiccated, time-worn land has a magic all of its own, demanding stories somewhat removed from the Tolkienesque mode.

    MIND MELD: Who are Your Literary Influences in the Ongoing Conversation of Science Fiction? 2009

  • Every time I look at Cameron, I'm reminded of video-game characters: not the loveable, spiky ones like Sonic or Mario, but the bland, generic dead-eyed avatars you can "create" for use in a tennis game or a tedious Tolkienesque adventure.

    Birthday Boy 2009

  • PSB: One thing I would like to see slack off is the endless factory-made Tolkienesque trilogies.

    Archive 2010-01-01 Blue Tyson 2010

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.