History Literature / TheLordofTheRings

* ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' ([[LiveActionFilm film series]]) -- The Creator/PeterJackson [[LiveActionAdaptation live-action adaptation as a film trilogy]]. The most modern (and, by now, easily the most well-known) version. Later followed by his adaptation of ''Film/TheHobbit'', which was expanded into another trilogy.

All three volumes were revised in 1965.

Though it popularised the {{trilogy}} format for fiction, it was written as one book and originally just divided into three for postwar budgeting reasons. It has also been published in seven-volume editions, as each of the three original volumes includes two Books and the third also has several [[AllThereInTheManual Appendices.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheReturnOfTheKing'' (animated) -- The Creator/RankinBassProductions animated adaptation of the third part, a sequel to their own adaptation of ''[[WesternAnimation/TheHobbit]]''.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheReturnOfTheKing'' (animated) -- The Creator/RankinBassProductions animated adaptation of the third part, a sequel to their own adaptation of ''[[WesternAnimation/TheHobbit1977 The Hobbit]]''.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLordOfTheRings'' (Animated) -- The Creator/RalphBakshi animated adaptation.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheReturnOfTheKing'' (Animated) -- The Creator/RankinBassProductions animated adaptation of the third part.
* ''Series/TheHobbits'' (LiveActionTelevision) -- A Finnish miniseries based on a theatre adaption
* ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' (film series) -- The Creator/PeterJackson live action adaptation. The most modern (and, by now, easily the most well-known) version.
* An upcoming TV series from Amazon, which is set an unknown time before ''Fellowship''. It has not been confirmed if it deals with the main events of the books, or draws from the more distant past featured in the Appendices.

* An upcoming TV series from Amazon, which at least at the start is set shortly before ''Fellowship''.

''The Lord of the Rings'' by Creator/JRRTolkien is too well-known, and too complex, to be [[Synopsis/TheLordOfTheRings summarised in full]]. Succinctly, it is by far the most recent addition to the {{canon}} of Western epic literature and is the epic which set the stage for the entire HighFantasy genre that followed in its wake. Interestingly, the story was originally intended as a ''shorter'' sequel to ''Literature/TheHobbit'', but as its author famously remarked, "the tale grew in the telling." ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'', posthumously published, serves as a prequel to this, though its material was first written of all.

Film adaptations include:

'''''The Lord of the Rings''''' by Creator/JRRTolkien is too well-known, and too complex, to be [[Synopsis/TheLordOfTheRings summarised in full]]. Succinctly, it is by far the most recent addition to the {{canon}} of Western epic literature and is the epic which set the stage for the entire HighFantasy genre that followed in its wake. Interestingly, the story was originally intended as a ''shorter'' sequel to ''Literature/TheHobbit'', but as its author famously remarked, "the tale grew in the telling." ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'', posthumously published, serves as a prequel to this, though its material was first written of all.

''The Lord of the Rings'' by Creator/JRRTolkien is too well-known, and too complex, to be [[Synopsis/TheLordOfTheRings summarised in full]]. Succinctly, it is by far the most recent addition to the {{canon}} of Western epic literature and is the epic which set the stage for the entire HighFantasy genre that followed in its wake. Interestingly, the story was originally intended as a ''shorter'' sequel to ''Literature/TheHobbit'', but as its author famously remarked, "the tale grew in the telling." ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'', posthumously published, serves as a prequel to this, though its material was first written of all.

[[caption-width-right:350: [[AreWeThereYet ... Are we there yet?]]]]

''The Lord of the Rings'' by Creator/JRRTolkien is too well-known, and too complex, to be [[Synopsis/TheLordOfTheRings summarised in full]]. Succinctly, it is by far the most recent addition to the {{canon}} of Western epic literature and is the epic which set the stage for the entire HighFantasy genre that followed in its wake. Interestingly, the story was originally intended as a ''shorter'' sequel to ''Literature/TheHobbit'', but as its author famously remarked, "the tale grew in the telling." ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'', posthumously published, serves as a prequel to this though its material was first written of all.

With those words, [[BigBad Sauron]] forged the [[ArtifactOfDoom One Ring]], the [[SoulJar vessel of his power]] and the pivot on which the fate of Middle-Earth would turn for five thousand years -- until the [[{{Hobbits}} most unlikely of heroes]] did the one thing Sauron [[EvilCannotComprehendGood could never have imagined]], and brought his [[EvilTowerOfOminousness dark tower]] [[CollapsingLair tumbling down]].

''The Lord of the Rings'' by Creator/JRRTolkien is too well-known, and too complex, to be [[Synopsis/TheLordOfTheRings summarised in full]]. Succinctly, it is by far the most recent addition to the {{canon}} of Western epic literature and is the epic which set the stage for the entire HighFantasy genre that followed in its wake. Interestingly, the story was originally intended as a ''shorter'' sequel to ''Literature/TheHobbit'', but as its author famously remarked, "the tale grew in the telling." Literature/TheSilmarillion, posthumously published, serves as a prequel to this though its material was first written of all.

''The Lord of the Rings'' by Creator/JRRTolkien is too well-known, and too complex, to be [[Synopsis/TheLordOfTheRings summarised in full]]. Succinctly, it is by far the most recent addition to the {{canon}} of Western epic literature and is the epic which set the stage for the entire HighFantasy genre that followed in its wake. Interestingly, the story was originally intended as a ''shorter'' sequel to ''Literature/TheHobbit'', but as its author famously remarked, "the tale grew in the telling."

* [[TheLordOfTheRings/{{TropesA-C}} Tropes A to C]]
* [[TheLordOfTheRings/{{TropesD-F}} Tropes D to F]]
* [[TheLordOfTheRings/{{TropesG-I}} Tropes G to I]]
* [[TheLordOfTheRings/{{TropesJ-L}} Tropes J to L]]
* [[TheLordOfTheRings/{{TropesM-O}} Tropes M to O]]
* [[TheLordOfTheRings/{{TropesP-R}} Tropes P to R]]
* [[TheLordOfTheRings/{{TropesS-U}} Tropes S to U]]
* [[TheLordOfTheRings/{{TropesV-Z}} Tropes V to Z]]

In addition, there has been a BBC radio adaptation, an NPR radio adaptation, a [[VideoGame/TheLordOfTheRingsOnline Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game]], a [[VideoGame/TheLordOfTheRingsWarOfTheRing 2003 Real Time Strategy game by Liquid Entertainment]], three [[TabletopGames Tabletop [=RPGs=]]] set in Middle-earth, and several video games and mods. There is also a tabletop miniature game by Creator/GamesWorkshop, and a board wargame was published by Simulations Publications, Inc. in the late 1970's. At least one CollectibleCardGame has been set in Middle-Earth.

''The Lord of the Rings'' by Creator/JRRTolkien is too well-known, and too complex, to be [[Synopsis/TheLordOfTheRings summarised in full]]. Succinctly, it is by far the most recent addition to the {{canon}} of Western epic literature and is the epic which set the stage for the entire [[HighFantasy modern genre]] that followed in its wake. Interestingly, the story was originally intended as a ''shorter'' sequel to ''Literature/TheHobbit'', but as its author famously remarked, "the tale grew in the telling."

In addition, there has been a BBC radio adaptation, an NPR radio adaptation, a [[VideoGame/TheLordOfTheRingsOnline Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game]], a [[VideoGame/TheLordOfTheRingsWarOfTheRing 2003 Real Time Strategy game by Liquid Entertainment]], three [[TabletopGames Tabletop [=RPGs=]]] set in Middle-earth, and several video games and mods. There is also a tabletop miniature game by GamesWorkshop, and a board wargame was published by Simulations Publications, Inc. in the late 1970's. At least one CollectibleCardGame has been set in Middle-Earth.

* ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' (film series) -- The Creator/PeterJackson live action adaptation. Easily the most well-known version.

The first attempt to make a screen version was made in 1958 by a certain Zimmerman, who wrote a film script for ''The Lord of the Rings''. J.R.R. Tolkien looked through it and in his letter to Forrest Ackerman heavily criticized this feeble attempt. It turned out that the script didn't reflect many of Tolkien's thoughts and some of the characters lost their appeal.

There was another aborted attempt by John Boorman to adapt the books in the 70s. It would've been live action and the notes from it might have suggested that adaptation might have looked like ''{{Zardoz}}''.

The majority of tropes used in ''The Lord of the Rings'' are well-explained, unlike in the majority of its [[TheThemeParkVersion imitators]]. For instance, Mordor has large fertile areas offstage where food is grown, thus explaining how Sauron's armies survive in the volcanic hellscape around Barad-dûr. The [[ArtifactOfDoom Ring]] is also more than just a convenient MacGuffin -- its effects matter too much for that. This is largely due to the immensely elaborated BackStory and Tolkien's life-defining experiences in [[http://www.greatwar.nl/frames/default-tolkiene.html The Great War.]]

There were, though, some tropes Creator/JRRTolkien couldn't justify to his satisfaction, not helped by the fact that he updated his mythos constantly over a period of decades, creating a minor ContinuitySnarl at times but never quite reaching the ShrugOfGod. He spent years trying to decide how orcs could be AlwaysChaoticEvil without being born evil or soulless -- since Eru would not give creatures inherently evil souls, on moral grounds, Morgoth was unable to create souls, and Tolkien believed anything without a soul would be a mere animal -- but he never found any answer he liked. It was philosophical niggles like this that stopped him from publishing ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'' in his lifetime. His son Christopher did it posthumously, to the delight of all Tolkien scholars, and most of his readers.

->''"Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,''

->''In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie."''

In addition, there has been a BBC radio adaptation, an NPR radio adaptation, a [[VideoGame/TheLordOfTheRingsOnline MassivelyMultiplayerOnlineRolePlayingGame]], a [[VideoGame/TheLordOfTheRingsWarOfTheRing 2003 RealTimeStrategy game by Liquid Entertainment]], three [[TabletopGames Tabletop [=RPGs=]]] set in Middle-earth, and several video games or mods. There is also a tabletop miniature game by GamesWorkshop, and a board wargame was published by Simulations Publications, Inc. in the late 1970's. At least one CollectibleCardGame has been set in Middle-Earth.

In addition, there has been a BBC radio adaptation, an NPR radio adaptation, a [[VideoGame/TheLordOfTheRingsOnline MassivelyMultiplayerOnlineRolePlayingGame]], a [[WarOfTheRing 2003 RealTimeStrategy game by Liquid Entertainment]], three [[TabletopGames Tabletop [=RPGs=]]] set in Middle-earth, and several video games or mods. There is also a tabletop miniature game by GamesWorkshop, and a board wargame was published by Simulations Publications, Inc. in the late 1970's. At least one CollectibleCardGame has been set in Middle-Earth.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheReturnOfTheKing'' (Animated) -- The [[Creator/RankinBassProductions Rankin-Bass]] animated adaptation of the third part.

!!Tropes

!!Provides examples of:

* ''WesternAnimation/TheReturnOfTheKing'' (Animated) -- The Creator/RankinBassProductions animated adaptation of the third part.

!!''The Lord of the Rings'' provides examples of the following tropes: