[Eurytus]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR> LotR is not in same league with The Shining. It is up there with the greatest books and plays of all time: Bible, Koran, Shakespeare, Bagghavad-gita (sp?). We are all having much the same reactions to the changes in LotR's story as we would if someone had scripted and directed the Christmas or crucifixion stories in the Bible but decided a few things needed to be changed for the sake of entertainment value.<P> <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>I am not religious but to anyone who is, this post is basically blasphemous. Even without looking at it from a religious background it is ludicrous to compare LOTR to the Bible, Qu’ran, or Shakespear. It’s impact is not even close. And before people start throwing “The Big Read” and “Book of the Century” style posts at me you might want to consider this. All the examples noted have so pervaded society that the stories are known, even by people who have not read these works. Phrases and terms from them have entered the lexicon. Many of our terms have Biblical origins.<BR>Compare LOTR’s impact and the comparison becomes even more ludicrous. Before the films I could conduct a straw poll of all the people known to me and I guarantee that no more than half of them had read LOTR and most of those would have no idea whatsoever of the content of the story. Beyond the fact that it was about dwarves and elves maybe. And the people I know are probably more of a literary bent than the general UK population.<BR>In my English class at school, out of a class of 30, perhaps a handful had read and were aware of the story of LOTR. I guarantee that all 30 knew the basic stories of Genesis, Noah, Jesus, Romeo & Juliet, Macbeth et all.<P>And despite the best efforts of some of the posters here no-one yet has sentenced someone to death for crimes against the LOTR. Ownership of countries have not been determined by passages from it. Crusades and holy wars have not been launched to reclaim territories described in it. And much as it may dissatisfy some, no-one but the criminally insane lives according to its statutes.<P>LOTR as big as the Bible. Dream on.