Psychological depth in Tolkien's characters - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Finwe · 11-15-2003, 12:56 PM

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I'm sure that Tolkien realized that the Silmarillion probably wouldn't be published hand-in-hand with LotR, but he expected that it would be published very quickly after. That way, his readers wouldn't have to wait so long to get their backstory.

I, for one, didn't feel that any of the characters were psychologically lacking. I read books in general for entertainment, not to interpret and criticize them. As I was reading LotR, yes, I realized that some backstory would have been nice, but I also realized that each character fit his/her own little niche without taking up too much room. For example, we found out enough about Legolas to understand why he did some of the things that he did, and that was enough for us to understand the story. The same thing happened with Aragorn. Readers don't really need to know the entire backstory of a character or characters, although it is nice. Nice and essential are NOT the same thing. I read the Silmarillion for the first time about 1 year after finishing LotR, and it did open up my eyes about some things (i.e. Heir of Isildur, Westernesse, Lords of the West, Aman, etc.) and it helped me enjoy the story even more. It was a story in itself, as LotR is a story in itself.

11-15-2003, 12:56 PM	#1
Finwe Deathless Sun Join Date: May 2003 Location: The Royal Suite in the Halls of Mandos Posts: 2,609	Back to the topic... I'm sure that Tolkien realized that the Silmarillion probably wouldn't be published hand-in-hand with LotR, but he expected that it would be published very quickly after. That way, his readers wouldn't have to wait so long to get their backstory. I, for one, didn't feel that any of the characters were psychologically lacking. I read books in general for entertainment, not to interpret and criticize them. As I was reading LotR, yes, I realized that some backstory would have been nice, but I also realized that each character fit his/her own little niche without taking up too much room. For example, we found out enough about Legolas to understand why he did some of the things that he did, and that was enough for us to understand the story. The same thing happened with Aragorn. Readers don't really need to know the entire backstory of a character or characters, although it is nice. Nice and essential are NOT the same thing. I read the Silmarillion for the first time about 1 year after finishing LotR, and it did open up my eyes about some things (i.e. Heir of Isildur, Westernesse, Lords of the West, Aman, etc.) and it helped me enjoy the story even more. It was a story in itself, as LotR is a story in itself. __________________ But Melkor also was there, and he came to the house of Fëanor, and there he slew Finwë King of the Noldor before his doors, and spilled the first blood in the Blessed Realm; for Finwë alone had not fled from the horror of the Dark.