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I would have to apologize to [b]Bruce MacCulloch[b] and The Squatter of Amon Rūdh, because they really quoted the Foreword first in their posts. I commited the sin of not reading the entire discussion through. I apologize.
It is, uhm, notable though that inspite of posts with these quotes showing Tolkien saying, in effect, 'Look, WWII did not influence my writing, even if I admit that even I can be influenced. You see, I wrote all of this before WWII can influence me. Or even then, even if WWII never happened, the LotR will still show up the way you read it,' we still have discussions, and examples, on parallels.
I agree, though, that parallels does not automatically mean allegory. To risk being Off-topic here, one can draw parallels between the current war and the Vietnam War, but it doesn't mean that that is allegory.
Yet, c'mon! Isn't it kinda futile to still insist that there is some sort of 'one-to-one' correspondence in LotR and WWII? There are the good guys, there are the bad guys. There are the winners, there are the losers. There were the allies, there were the allies of the enemy. I could go on.
As I said, it is really good to agree to disagree. But seeing parallels where it is only superficially and arbitrarily there (at best) or is practically non-existent is, well, fun (I have to admit) but not really honest.
Pax. [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]
[ April 07, 2003: Message edited by: Gryphon Hall ]
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qui moderatur sermones suos doctus et prudens est et pretiosi spiritus vir eruditus
stultus quoque si tacuerit sapiens putabitur et si conpresserit labia sua intellegens
Parabolę Salomonis XVII:28
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