Deeper symbolism and hidden meanings in the books

[Lush]

sacrafice a good book for a mysterious choppy mess.

Heh. I think it would be wise here to draw a distinction between striving to interpret what a particular work of art (book, painting, film, etc.) means to you and learning from the experience, as opposed to attempting to dissect something just because you want to look smart.

I tend to prefer the former.

I do not, however, think that the LOTR is one of those books choke-full of "hidden meanings" on the same level as something by Fitzgerald, or Nabokov, to give an example. I don't think the sort of intricacy of the layering of different symbols was Tolkien's style or intention.

At the same time, there is a vast difference between the sort of tricks that Gatsby is choke-full of, and the way that an author's own ideology and inspiration find their way into his or her work.