Losing sight of the basics......

[Ransom]

Do you ever feel the presence of England in the Legendarium? Can you identify specific examples of this in the tales?

I must confess that the only subjects in which the LOTR resembled England for me was the people and the military technology. I think his attraction to unspoiled landscape, referances to England aside, can apply to anywhere in the world. I see much more of Middle Earth in the trails of the Eastern United States than in England, simply becaus I have personally hiked through the United States.

Why was England, of all the countries of northern Europe, the one to lose most from its ancient past?

I think one can argue that many other countries have lost more. Consider Communist China. It has lost the basic philosophy of the Emperors. Under Chairman Mao, traditionally strong family bonds were replaced by weak bonds to the government.