‘Canonicity’: the Book or the Reader?

[mark12_30]

To re-establish sanity, cleanliness, & the love of real & true beauty in everyone's breast. ... Rob Gilson: I like to say & to hear it said & to feel boldly that the glory of beauty & order & joyful contentment in the universe is the presence of God.

davem, do we have anything written by Gilson that you are aware of?

& so we're back to the question of what 'truth' Tolkien is revealing to us in his works - some kind of 'absolute', archetypal TRUTH, or simply what he felt to be true about the world, & we have to ask ourselves how close the two are.

Where I live in New England, we have "mill-towns." I grew up near one. There are enormous old textile mills made of brick, in which each floor is one gigantic room, and the windows all around are tall and wide, because it was the only light they had.

You can stand oustside in the parking lot and look at the big windows.

You can look through the window to the inside of the Mill.

You can see thorough your window that on the other side of the Mill, there are more windows.

You may even press your face against the near window, and try to see through the far window.

Someday, you may walk all the way around the mill.