[davem]

Originally Posted by Raynor

So, the names, figures, places, sounds, and everything one can imagine about that scene are identical, but still, the two imaginary processes are not identical? How do they differ, davem?

If they were 'identical' they wouldn't be two imaginary processes but a single imaginary process duplcated. Thus it is not possible to 'compare or contrast' them.

Does that mean that nothing precludes "naturally identifying moral or religious elements" when a book is read merely as a fantasy novel?

It doesn't 'precude' it. It simply may not be part of the reader's response. Making a salad does not preclude using celery, but a salad does not require celery to be a salad.

But they represent living beings. By your reasoning, no 'perfectly moral' person could hold any truth to be actually true, because all characters in a book are in fact fictional.

And yet they are not 'living beings' therefore the reader is not responding to living beings - unless they choose to respond to them as living beings. You seem to be implying that the reader has no choice in the matter, & that if they think a dragon frying an Elf is cool, or exciting they should be judged as immoral. Again, if a viewer laughs when Kenny is killed is the viewer laughing at the death of a child or his he laughing at the dispatching of a cartoon character? Is there a 'qualitative' difference or are the thoughts 'identical'? The reader may respond to Tolkien's characters as living beings, but they are free not to. A 'perfectly moral' being can choose how they respond to characters (or truths) in a book. Because its fiction.