Why I Like Tolkien

[yavanna II]

wHY Tolkien?

He had the talent, er, skill, that he gave his elf minstrels--I close my eyes and see Beren watching Luthien dance, I almost see the Silmarilli and the Star of Earendil.... he could make his readers feel like they were there in the very spot where his characters are.

And in the LotR, I'd almost never get depressed, because even while Gandalf is angry, or the Doors of MOria won't open, Merry and Pippin or some other hobbit would cheer themselves up.

And I see Galadriel as the gorgeous elf, blonde, tall, and queenly, and almost feel her lament in the chapter "Farewell to Lorien". I felt her sadness, and her fear that she was sundered from her home... though I felt this after I read the UT and the Sil and then reread LotR....

Tolkien made use of his words magically, and the Old English stuff... BLAH. Totally magnificent.

Originally Posted by Inziladun

I suppose the vivid language in LOTR (and even more so in the Silm) is one of the attractions for me. The English language seems so degraded in the everyday use of today that the elegance and clarity of the writing shines that much more. The same basic story would not have been as good written by a less accomplished linguist.