Wow, I'm afraid that I am guilty of one thing - accepting Tolkien's stories and NOT questioning them ad infinitum. I tend to lean on them, adore them, and try to explain them.
I'm not one to pick apart every detail, like what were the dates, why doesn't that cooincide with this, why is this person doing that when it says they were doing something else in another version of the story....
ARRGH! I like to examine character development, history, legend and language...but that's it. No hysterics, here. I love his work, and it's that simple.
Somehow I see Tolkienite Picker-Aparter Types like I used to Star Trek geeks - "There are 79 episodes!" and "No, there are 80 if you count the extra episode for 'The Cage'!" Knockdown dragout fight ensues...
That's just not me.
I think Tolkien was a bit freaked by the Hippy movement, and by the public's view of it being a book that only a hippy could like. (Re: Pot use, trippy fantasy lands.)
I know that JRR wanted people to learn legends and elements of history and language, and that's exactly what I prefer to study.
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'Perilous indeed,' said Aragorn, 'fair and perilous; but only evil need fear it, or those who bring some evil with them. Follow me!'
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