New Republic Article

[Marileangorifurnimaluim]

Well *sigh* I tried to read his article, but I found it

anemic, and lacking in fiber.

Seriously though, I do find his arguments supported solely by the device of prefacing his opinions with "we" to elicit assumed agreement. I'm amused by his insistance that sexuality is fundamental to a mythology since literary criticism once railed against sexuality in literation as "crude titilation" or even "depraved." Goes to show literary criticism follows fads. That's why in my mind it has limited ability to assess the value of a work.

But, I think criticism of this sort is a big step up. Looks like the very popularity of the Lord of the Rings has forced some unwilling attention.