Themes of The Lord of the Rings This is, according to Shippey, a very modern, 20th-century theme, since in earlier, medieval times, power was considered to "reveal character", not alter it. Shippey mentions Lord Acton's famous statement in 1887, that ""Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men..."" He then goes on to point out authors that were dealing in the same themes of power and corruption at around the same time as Tolkien wrote his work. These authors include George Orwell with "Animal Farm" (1945), William Golding with "Lord of the Flies" (1954), and T. H. White with
The Bumblebee Flies Anyway (novel) The Bumblebee Flies Anyway (novel) The Bumblebee Flies Anyway is a young adult novel by Robert Cormier. It was published in 1983. This story stars teenaged Barney Snow, an American resident also part of "the Complex," an experimental facility where drugs are tested on children and teens with terminal illnesses. He questions why he is there and what is being done to him but also uncovers a terrible secret about himself. Later, he starts to devise a plan that will take him and the people around him on one last glorious ride. In 1999, a film adaptation was made starring