I have a very good friend (extremely intelligent) who stays far, far away from fantasy because "it's too sincere." This is, indeed, an issue that several threads have touched on, and may be a problem for other readers as well. The best understanding I have of it is that the emotional demands of Tolkien are different from those that they expect or appreciate (the same is probably a good explanation of my own dislike of true stories). On the other hand, of course, she hasn't read the book.
She did glance at it and notice that she found the style abrupt and the names stupid. I happen to disagree heartily with both of these observations, but there they are.
There's also the influence of the "fantasy is not valid literature" stigma to contend with. Many posters have mentioned readers who are awed by the books' length and complexity; on the other end of the spectrum are people who don't feel that they can take it seriously. Maybe this is connected to the sincerity issue... fantasy takes itself seriously but may seem to some to be too distant to merit the seriousness.
I consider it an excellent book, but I don't consider disagreement with my opinions on the part of others to be a sign of illiteracy. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]
Oh, and I had to comment on this...
Quote:
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If only it were like it was in the ancient times, when people who could read were considered noble.
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...it's not so much that they were considered noble in the way I think you mean as that they belonged to the nobility.
--Belin Ibaimendi
[ August 28, 2002: Message edited by: Belin ]