Why do you think LOTR appeals to so many people?

[Ithaeliel]

Example, Durialion? [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

I enjoy LotR because, quite simply, fantasy is my favorite genre, and Tolkien's world is about as fantastic as you can get. It has demons, immortals, gods, mythology of how the world was made and grown, different humanoid races, battles, magical items... you get my drift, it is almost a fully developed world and history that he made.

The thing I like best about his world is it isn't all happily ever after-- it's real. In many ways, the people in his world are more sorrowful and weary than joyous. The elves, although they are immortal, grow tired of life. In many stories, the immortal creatures forever live in beauty and happiness, and they become wise but not sorrowful, which I believe is in a way impossible to do. To attain wisdom, one must experience mistakes and treachery, and that is what Tolkien has shown me in his work.