Bear in mind not only changes of opinion over the long term, but also specific contexts in which a given opinion was given written form. For example, the notorious letter to Michael was written in an attempt to dissuade him from a marriage his father deemed hasty and ill-considered. His snort about the Nibelungen Ring was made in an angry letter excoriating the odious Ake Ohlmarks; in conversation with say Lewis or an intelligent fan Tolkien would probably have had a lot to say about the parallels and differences.
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The entire plot of The Lord of the Rings could be said to turn on what Sauron didn’t know, and when he didn’t know it.
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