Psychological depth in Tolkien's characters

[The Saucepan Man]

Don't be silly.

Steady on phantom! [img]smilies/eek.gif[/img]

That's like me saying "I'm not a less talented basketball player than Michael Jordan, I'm just a different kind of basketball player".

No it's not. Reading is nothing like playing basketball. As I said, I got different things from the book on each occasion that I read it, neither of which I would value above the other.

My statement was meant to be a bit more general than that. I doubt there's anyone that catches everything, but people who can come to logical conclusions based on what they read are certainly better readers than those that cannot.

I'm not going overboard. The second sentence here accurately summarises the sentiment that I have a problem with. I cannot agree that someone who makes these logical conclusions is somehow a better reader than someone who may miss them, but nevertheless experiences great enjoyment and satisfaction, perhaps on a more emotional level, from reading the same book.

Reading is not a competitive sport. [img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img] [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]