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Originally Posted by Aiwendil
It seems to me that the fundamental difference between Smith and the Silmarillion is that the former is a work about fantasy while the latter is fantasy.
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There are two matters you raise to show why the Sil is more powerful to you than SWOM: transitional versus immersive fantasy (where did these terms originate?), and whether SWOM is more a treatise or more a story.
It is known that SOWM was begun by Tolkien as an illustration of a point he was making in an abortive preface to a republication of George MacDonald's
The Golden Key. It is also known that SOWM had a life of its own and transcended its original purpose.
In the interest of saved time for those (such as myself) who have not read the Canonicity thread, could you (or someone) provide a link to the points you reference, if you don't mind, in regard to meta-fantasy and the requirements of fantasy?