That's a very interesting post,
davem. It's a pity I can't quote you as it would take up the whole page
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Tolkien didn't create Arda and it's inhabitants from nowhere- he based it on the real world and borrowed a lot from Beowulf and Christianity. I certainly agree with you when you say that as he got older, his work seemed more "personalised" and included his own thoughts and beliefs more than previously, where he was keen to wave aside any deeper meaning in his books. The Ultimate God (Eru) and the demi-gods (the Valar) are very similar to Greek mythology and Tolkien has gone to extreme lengths to make these works 'his own' as much as possible.
One possible solution is that after writing the Lord of the Rings and the Silmarillion - both momentous works - is that though there were parallels between Christian beliefs (i.e. Elbereth=Mary), these were not intended- subconscious ideas if you would like to label it that way. As he got older, maybe Tolkien became more attached to his works and gave it more of his own personal touch and liked us to be both 'carried along' by the books
and create a universe that we can indentify with, though his works are fantasy.
Tar-ancalime said:
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Both Tolkien and Bronte are quite right to step back and let their readers find what they will in their stories.
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I think he/she has absolutely hit the nail on the head here, since Tolkien's world is very similar to ours and becomes more 'Christianised' in his later works, as you correctly said davem. So as for any 'inner meaning', I believe Tolkien intended to write his works, base it on the real world and leave the reader to search for watever they may be looking for in his books. Most authors have a certain moral or meaning that they wish to convey to the reader, but some (like Tolkien) prefer the reader to find that meaning themselves.
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So we end up back at the original 'conflict' - do we approach Middle Earth as being an 'objective' historical place, which we can enter, analyse within its own terms, or do we see it as Tolkien's creation? Is there any room for Tolkien - or should there be? Does he want to be there - does he want us to include him?
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As I said earlier, Tokien's stories - like most other myths - are always based on something else. In this case it is based on several stories and beliefs, Christianity prevalent amongst them. So, therefore I think the
overall story should be seen as Tolkien's creation, though the concepts behind it are older and not his. I mean, all original fantasy stories are figments of the authors' imaginations, though their content can't be entirely original, as it all needs to be related in a world that we know, or can at least partially understand.
As for the last part of your question, I think you're right in saying it can't really be answered as only the Professor really knows.