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

Legolas · 02-23-2004, 03:38 PM

It seems obvious that whether or not he was good at or spent a good deal of time characterizing, it is likely that he would not have a character on that page because Lord of the Rings is more of a history or a broader narrative in describing events rather than books that are more personal (The Catcher in the Rye) or those that have a clearly defined central character (Winnie the Pooh). Simply glancing down the list confirms such suspicions - many of these stories are linear, following one person, one central conflict, etc. Sherlock Holmes, Grendel, Holden Caulfield, Jay Gatsby, James Bond, the Little Prince, the Cat in the Hat, Peter Pan, and Tarzan (and so on...) don't have much competition within their respective stories. Tolkien's readers have many more (likely) choices than most.

02-23-2004, 03:38 PM	#39
Legolas A Northern Soul Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Valinor Posts: 1,847	It seems obvious that whether or not he was good at or spent a good deal of time characterizing, it is likely that he would not have a character on that page because Lord of the Rings is more of a history or a broader narrative in describing events rather than books that are more personal (The Catcher in the Rye) or those that have a clearly defined central character (Winnie the Pooh). Simply glancing down the list confirms such suspicions - many of these stories are linear, following one person, one central conflict, etc. Sherlock Holmes, Grendel, Holden Caulfield, Jay Gatsby, James Bond, the Little Prince, the Cat in the Hat, Peter Pan, and Tarzan (and so on...) don't have much competition within their respective stories. Tolkien's readers have many more (likely) choices than most. __________________ ...take counsel with thyself, and remember who and what thou art.