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I continue to be puzzled by the concept of a story that is principally driven by milieu...
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I could be wrong, but it seems to me that plot and character and idea can
drive a story, but setting can't.....very well. Your verb,
drive, however, may be pointing up a misconception. Perhaps an analogy may help: the
structure of an automobile is that which
houses the engine, which drives it. In the same sense, the structure of a story could be that which houses the engine that drives the story. Of course, being an analogy, it's sure to have its limits, but it helps (I hope) to get the idea across. The Milieu which is Middle Earth is the "house" of the plot, characters, and ideas. But of course a story is far more fluid than a car, and that's where the analogy breaks down. The characters and plot move
through the setting, interacting with different aspects of it. I admit to thinking out loud here, but it's the best I can do here. At any rate, this is as least part of the sense in which the Milieu of LotR is that upon which plot, character, and idea, hang. By no means do I intend to imply that milieu overshadows plot and character in LotR! They interrelate, of course. Oh well, enough blather about this.