The Nightmare World of Tolkien

[Bêthberry]

Originally Posted by Estelyn Telcontar

I wonder what it is about the context that keeps me from cringing when someone is killed or scary creatures are described? Is it the Hobbit viewpoint, having the Shire in the background as an island of security, or the strong good characters such as Gandalf and Aragorn who give me the feeling of safety as I travel with them?

I have a sense similar to Estelyn's, and given what SaucepanMan suggested on the Lord of the Bible thread thread, I would suspect that he also finds the horror muted in LotR as well. In part, we are given more the effect of evil on the characters rather than having evil depicted directly but I like your idea that the comforting beginning with The Shire acts as a prophylactic context.

Of course, reading is entirely a personal matter so one person's goosebumps are as good as another's shivers.

Farmer Maggot's dogs were scary. Come to think of it, Farmer Maggot himself put a bit of fear into Frodo, didn't he?