Yes, Bb, but we all love it when we have a chance to argue an opponent to the ground and pin him there, don’t we? Or is that just me?
Since opinions about style almost inevitably boil down to just that – opinion – it’s easy to see why some people react emotionally to charges of weakness in the professor’s style. I’d say it’s a sign of something positive here at the Downs that the post you mention (I didn’t see it) was withdrawn. Most of us have given in to the temptation to compose in the heat of passion; not all of us have the good sense to withdraw such a post in the cool aftermath.
I still think that you’re perhaps being a bit too hard on the fans who find no serious flaws in LotR. Most are willing to admit that the book isn’t perfect. Indeed, Tolkien prefaces his work with an admission that it contains “many defects, minor and major”. But to my mind, perfection is overrated. Indeed, aspects of the work that are flaws to some eyes are “by others specially approved” (Tolkien, ibid).
Good books can become like cherished friends or loved ones. We overlook their flaws – or in some cases love them all the more because of their quirks and idiosyncrasies – because their virtues far outweigh their shortcomings. I suppose that in a work of such scope, ambition, and genuine achievement, it seems to many fans ungenerous to dwell on small flaws which don’t really detract from the work’s overall effectiveness.
I don’t think you should be surprised or even saddened to find that this particular audience is biased in favor of smoothing over any shortcomings Tolkien may have had as a writer. They come here because of their love for the experience Tolkien has given them, and in many cases keep coming back for years because they’ve found that his work can punch its weight even under intense scrutiny.
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