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But on reflection is seems that it is almost a necessity to 'prolong the agony',
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I couldn't agree more. I just finished these chapters again, and each time I took a break between readings, I found myself thirsty and tired. These chapters are more difficult to read (and maybe a little boring) than the previous chapters, but I still found myself waiting for the chance read again.
The writing style allows the reader to feel that despair when Frodo and Sam have stumbled over rocks and hills for days, and Mt. Doom is still some 40 miles away! You feel like it's never going to end. I think if Tolkien had used more 'flowery' language, the effect Mordor had on the hobbits (and the reader) would have been lessened. After all, nothing in Mordor is flowery, nothing.
HCIsland's theory of Sam's writing of this part of the journey intrigues me. It might explain some of the simpler language, and the use of shorter sentences. In Middle Earth reality, Frodo probably remembered very little of the journey, except maybe the big wheel of fire that was constantly in his sight.