The Character Development of Arwen

[Sparrow]

Tolkien was an author who only put details into his story, if his reader(s) really needed them to understand the story.

I agree that any expansion upon Arwen's character would have been bereft of any real virtue in the sense that it would only succeed at making the book that much more dense, but I do not agree with the part about Tolkien only putting necessary detail.

The sons of Hador were Galdor and Gundor; and the sons of Galdor were Hurin and Huor; and the son of Hurin was Turin the Bane of Glaurung; and the son of Huor was Tuor, father of Earendil the Blessed. The son of Boromir was Bregor, whose sons were Bregolas and Barahir; and the sons of Bregolas were Baragund and Belegund. The daughter of Baragund was Morwen, the mother of Turin, and the daughter of Belegund was Rian, the mother of Tuor. ("Of the Coming of Men Into The West")

While that does provide a bit of exposition for the War of the Jewels and the events thereafter, it is a bit more than the average reader needs to understand the story, is it not? [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]

Tolkien also said he spent countless hours on family lineages and reading over maps and his stories to make sure that the distances and times were correct, even though he admitted that it would probably not benefit the reader.

Sorry to digress like that. I do see what you are saying Finwe; in the case of Arwen's character development, subtlety wins out over needless elucidation.

~Sparrow