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word of mouth
nice posts here
The conceit can both be acknowlaged and forgiven. Here in one instance (or one author's lifetime), is an accumulation of an entire Legendarium of ME derived from versions of translations that include annotations, corrections, and different culture's perspectives. this all adds to the enchanment, mystery and poignancy of the work. This does provide the author with a Get Out of Jail Free card, but again, his pen is the vehicle where we go in one instance from here and now, to once upon a time.... but is it once upon a time according to Findegil via Bilbo? Aelfwine? What would other translations look like?
There IMO is also (whether intended by the author or not) a taste of the oral history dimention throughout the work. Granted, the ultimate source was a transcription of the spoken word and living memory of an undying elf, one can easily see how a tale soon after the first transcription could be embellished, romantisized, even made fancifull (The Hobbit, anyone?). Since nothing in ME (pointedly after the rings destruction) exists in a vacume, I can also see some of the oral histoy tradition perhaps influencing the body of work, as this would be the standard documentation of history between the end of the FA and, say, 2-3 thousand years ago.
Imagine the Silm entirely in chant/verse. Or LOTR in sing-song. tra la la lally indeed...
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