Hi Gryphon, welcome [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]
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Seriously, why shouldn't we take what Tolkien said about allegory as his opinion? What if the thing that is allegorized in the Chronicles (or any allegory for that matter) was true? And even if the author dominates a piece of work, why should that be so bad?
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Of course Tolkien was stating an opinion, and there are some fine examples of apparently allegorical writing, by Steinbeck and others.
However, it makes no difference whether what is 'allegorized' is "true" (by which I assume you mean elements of, or all of, the Gospels) in a historical or empirical sense. An allegorical narrative is not necessarily well-written just because it contains a representation of fact or faith. It may be worthy, or imbued with Christian tenets, but it can still fail. There are plenty of bad or average writers out there of all denominations!
By the same token, I agree with you that if an author dominates a work that does not necessarily make it bad. To my mind, writers such as Faulkner and Joyce 'dominate' their text in a way that Tolkien does not, and that is simply part of what makes their work distinctive and memorable.
What is more likely is that an intelligent reader who is aware of 'allegorical' intent may be compromised in his experience of a work, so to speak, by constantly referring the story back to to its source material (consciously or not), and may therefore find it either mechanical or predictable (or both). The fairly well-publicised nature of Lewis' Chronicles is therefore perhaps a factor. If, for example, I discovered that Tolkien had indeed written LotR as a straightforward Biblical allegory, and that Gandalf "was" Jesus etc., I can guarantee my enjoyment and desire to re-read the story would be diluted. Not because of any prejudice against Christianity, but because my imagination would be sidelined. Thankfully (see Trilogy and Bible thread) I think we have sorted that particular bugbear out [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]
I think it's probably reasonable to say that in most cases allegory works best when it is subtle, or at least not revealed in all its glory on Page 1 [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img] .
But, as ever, there's just no substitute for talent in all its manifestations. Talent, or good writing, makes reading worthwhile and rewarding whatever the form or literary devices present ...
Peace [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]
[ May 13, 2002: Message edited by: Kalessin ]