Okay, it's evening, I am tired, so I apologise, I won't post anything long
But a nice thread, Hookbill. I will just throw in a few titles.
The Smith of Wootton Major. On Fairy-Tales. Leaf by Niggle. The three of those (and mainly the first two, the one by narrative and the other by discoursi... I wanted to say, as an essay) present, in my opinion, also Tolkien's own view of the world of fantasy, of which M-E was a part. There are some quotes in both of them about the dangerous lands to tread, but which are appealing for one enough so that he wants to tread them - he wants to see what is beyond the mountains etc., and wants to meet the Elves and whatever. I believe that the Smith is a kind of self-reflection, even. And as for the Leaf, that catches the aspect of being dragged into the process of making the story: now I am referring to Niggle's obsession with just one leaf, where in the end it makes a big tree - that's this whole mythology of Tolkien's. In some way, these tales were each for itself, but they became connected - or were connected (even without the author noticing that at some points) - to the rest of the tree, so to speak.
As for the question you posed, for me: if I understand it correctly, then at least I think I was - at some times at least - as much drawn in as
him. Not sure if you can formulate it the other way around. (And not sure if I am correct about what
he thought anyway.)