The atrocity of the Akallabêth

[Son of Númenor]

Originally Posted by davem

But its not an allegory. Its Art, & Art either works or it doesn't. And Eru isn't 'divided', he continues to exist, seperate from what he creates. Yet even conceding your point it still leaves Eru as a plot device rather than a fully developed character. He serves the purpose he is designed for & can then be safely forgotten. Say the Singers stepped forth from the Void, or sang themselves out of the Void & you have the same effect.

But Art does not step out of the Void. In Tolkien's case it is a process of creation which involves input (the unfoldment of reality as Tolkien perceived it), synthesis of that perception of unfoldment into word-thoughts, and output (the act of writing). The words which Tolkien creates can thus be seen not as Creation per se but as Metaphor. When one realizes that any literary criticism of Tolkien is a process of Artistic Creation (viewing the unfoldment of reality in the Legendarium, forming word-concepts, and writing) one realizes that it cannot be analyzed deductively or inductively. It can only be analyzed through metaphor.