The Third Age as Medium Ævum From the Ages of Middle-earth to “our Days”

How can we situate the Third Age in relation to our era? If the Fourth Age is dominated by men, did Tolkien mean we still live in this Age? The Ages of his fiction are related to the medieval conception of the ages of the world and the traditions of the end of time. But its mythology is not modeled on real history. Long tempted by the siren of the historical novel, Tolkien ended up giving it up in favor of heroic fantasy, better suited to his literary project.