Of Paul Bäumer and Frodo Baggins

[anemone]

Paul Bäumer is the protagonist of Erich Maria Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front. Frodo Baggins is the protagonist of the Fantasy adventure series Lord of the Rings by Tolkien. The two books are very different, yet I think Frodo and Paul would understand each other way. There is the same sense of being wounded without a wound, and a

Comments

[boatgeek]

Tolkein and Erich Remarque shared some experiences, although on opposite sides of the trench. Tolkein was also in WWI, at the Battle of the Somme (From Wikipedia). Actually, now that I think about it, they may have literally been on opposite sides of the trench, since they were both in combat in 1916. Both of them had short terms in the military, Remarque from being wounded, and Tolkein from catching trench fever.

[anemone]

Yes, and since All Quiet... came out in the 1920s, with a movie in the 1930s, it's quite possible that Tolkien did know of the work.

[jordan179]

Yes, and since All Quiet... came out in the 1920s, with a movie in the 1930s, it's quite possible that Tolkien did know of the work.

Almost certain that he knew of it, and quite probable that he read it. Tolkien was an intellectual, and a voracious reader, with very wide-ranging tastes.