To answer
Squatter's original question:
The majority of relationships in the book satisfied me on that level that makes a good adventure story great (i.e., I wasn't just being entertained, I cared deeply about the majority of Tolkien's characters).
Yet the importance that Tolkien himself placed on the relationship between Arwen and Aragorn makes that particular aspect of the story seem all the more unsuccessful to me.
The relationship works as just one of the many subplots that add depth and definition to the main plot-line, but I do not see it as, perhaps, Tolkien might have intended for me to see it. If Aragorn and Arwen are indeed representations of figures of timeless romance, and are "essential" to the story as a whole, then I think Tolkien goofed up a little.
Then again there are plenty of readers that are perfectly satisfied with Aragorn and Arwen as lovers in love;
Sharkey, I think, and
Underhill being among those persons on the forum that have been most convincing in their arguments that this relationship has great merit...and
Squatter too, of course. But even this sum of exulted members'opinions still hasn't changed my mind on the matter.
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There is no goddess of love in his pantheon.
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An excellent, succint, and at the same time deep observation. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]
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I believe that there is plenty of "love" apparent in Tolkien's works, it just doesn't fit into the modern definition of "love."
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Actually, the sort of definitions that you are probably thinking of have been around since the dawn of time, it's the West's attitude to them that has slowly been changing, I believe.