It seems well-established that Lord Dunsany influenced H.P. Lovecraft. But what evidence is there that Tolkien read Dunsany, if any?
By ChapterDelta96
I’ve seen it mentioned in a few different places that Lord Dunsany’s fantasy stuff from the early 1900s (which I’ve read some of and mostly enjoyed) really affected The Lord of the Rings. But I never see anyone actually point to a specific source for that claim, and Dunsany is honestly one of those writers where it’s hard to turn up much info on Google. After reading The King of Elfland’s Daughter, it feels like Dunsany’s elves—especially the whole thing about time passing—could’ve influenced Tolkien. Still, it also seems just as possible that they both pulled from the same older folklore and recurring literary ideas about elves.