pio,
I hesitate to post this as I am not sure this kind of letter can stand beside some of the more extensive arguments elsewhere in Tolkien, but here is a letter which he wrote to the
Daily Telegraph 29 June 1972. Tolkien writes to object to the phrase "Tolkien gloom" that had been used to describe deforested areas.
Quote:
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In all my works I take the part of trees as against all their enemies. Lothlorien is beautiful because there the trees were loved; elsewhere forests are represented as awakening to consciousness of themselves. The Old Forest was hostile to two legged creatures because of the memory of many injuries. Fangorn Forest was old and beautiful, but at the time of the story tense with hostility because it was threatened by a machine-loving enemy.
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The bold is mine. How this relates to fea I cannot say.
I also must demur when Helen calls on me as a as a possible "Catholic doctrine expert". [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] Although I am interested in the doctrine, I am not Catholic and so cannot speak with much authority. I've got lots of online links to it, though, which I would be happy to provide if I see something relevant. One of my past interests is how various Christian doctrines inform novels, and, conversely, how knowledge of doctrinal differences affects reading of those novels.
Bethberry
[ September 09, 2002: Message edited by: Bethberry ]