I agree very much - there is really no joy in the Quenta Silmarillion. In fact, a lot of the time it is downright depressing. The whole book is basically fighting the long defeat. The conclusion just cements it:
Quote:
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Here ends the Silmarillion. If it has passed from the high and beautiful to darkness and ruin, that was of old the fate of Arda Marred; and if any change shall come and the Marring shall be amended, Manwë and Varda may know; but they have not revealed it, and it is not declared in the dooms of Mandos.
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I think a part of the eucatastrophe is an essence of hope. The end of the Sil does not possess that hope, in my opinion. Morgoth is banished to the Void (not even destroyed!) and his hate and other seeds of evil live on. This does not present an option of redemption for Arda Marred. The sense of eucatastrophe is much stronger in LotR than in the Sil, and I think this is largely because of the hope that exists in LotR.
According to Tolkien, eucatastrophe is the 'piercing joy that brings tears' - a bittersweet type feeling. Well, the Sil can certainly be bitter, but there isn't a lot of sweet. The story that perhaps comes closest is that of Beren and Lúthien: they are in the end reunited in their love, but Lúthien becomes mortal and the fairest of all the Elves passes away for ever. I don't know that this is poignant enough to be considered eucatastrophe, however.
Maybe part of the reason for the lack of eucatastrophe (aside from the plot itself) is the style in which it is written. In many places, it is much more 'documented' than LotR is. For many people, it is much easier to sympathize with Frodo than with Turgon, for example. Character development is still there in the Sil, but it is more stark, for lack of a better word. The Quenta Silmarillion can and does evoke emotion in many places, but it tends to be more devastating than anything else.
So yes, I would tend to agree that the Sil tends to be lacking in eucatastrophe. While it is a great book, it doesn't have the hope and joy along with the sorrow to produce a state of eucatastrophe.