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Originally Posted by davem
What did he want to build, & what did he want to build it for?
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My immediate reaction, I suppose, is "What does it matter?" My own reaction to Tolkien's works is more important to me than his purpose in writing them. But that may just be me.
But ... and I hesitate to ask this ... but, if you are seeking to establish Tolkien's purpose in writing what he did, does that not inevitably involve a consideration of his experiences, influences and sources - those things that led him to write it? And, quite apart from the difficulty of reaching any definitive conclusions on these issues, does that not therefore involve "breaking the thing down" in order to examine it?
Any other approach would surely simply involve stating one's own personal view, clouded by one's own reactions, beliefs and experiences, of what his purpose was.