Here's why:
* Mythical Worlds: Tolkien created meticulously detailed and complex fictional worlds, like Middle-earth, with their own histories, languages, cultures, and mythologies.
* Magic and Supernatural Elements: His stories feature magic, mythical creatures (like elves, dwarves, hobbits, and dragons), and other supernatural elements.
* Epic Quests and Adventures: Tolkien's tales often revolve around epic quests, journeys, and battles that involve heroes and villains, good versus evil, and the fate of whole worlds.
* Focus on Character Development and Themes: Tolkien's work is rich in character development, exploring themes of courage, friendship, loss, sacrifice, and the nature of good and evil.
While he is most famous for his fantasy works, Tolkien also wrote in other genres, including:
* Poetry: He wrote numerous poems, including "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil" and "Errantry."
* Linguistics and Philology: Tolkien was a scholar of languages and contributed significantly to the study of language and literature.
* Children's Literature: "The Hobbit" is considered a classic of children's literature, though it also contains elements of fantasy.
However, his most prominent and influential works are undoubtedly those that fall within the genre of high fantasy.