LOTR: what did you NOT like in the books?

[Bêthberry]

The Downs has changed.

I have to bring to your attention this thread, wherein apparently it was a faux pas to suggest that mebbe, just mebbe, Tolkien's prose style at points caused a bit of discomfort for some readers. Namely, me.

Dumbing down the Books

Aside: Please do note that I'm not complaining 'bouts folks who disagreed with me, as that's a legitimate part of discussion, and I've often disagreed with Squatter, Estelyn, Aiwendil, et al , but noting the tenor of some of the disagreements. Thankfully, no one put a fatwā out on me.

It's possible, just possible, that some of the comment here about the extent and range of characterisation actually fits into my discomfort with some of the latter phrases that characters speak.