What breaks the enchantment?

[drigel]

there is a greater chance that the spell will remain effective

Tolkien is not able -- and he does not want -- to force me to see anything his way, he merely offers a very seductive and appealing invitation.

Whether it's in our genes or some kind of shared family history that gets passed down over the generations, Tolkien was able to harness it, and fashion such a compelling invitation that for some (like me), the pull into fairie was as unstoppable as any force of nature.

The cause of its success was that Tolkien was able to tap into such a huge, diverse population's internal imagination. It's within us, after all. There was no magic wand that caused it. The genious of it was that -as repeated here so many times and in so many ways - in the kernal of the myth lies a Truth that transends cultures. Beth I do agree with you - it begins with awareness, or cognizance. Then if one can steer his/her own ship right, there is also willingness
and of course humility. This goes back to how some people are more "imaginative" than others, and why. This could also be considered a state of perception, or even by some as a psychological condition ('63 acid tests, anyone?). I wonder that sometimes when I find myself in my boxers, hands outstretched at the sunrise, my dog looking on with bewilderment...

I always viewed that Tolkien is best analyzed in a good Humanities class, not an english class. That being said, any I find the spell broken of course when someone interprets the work. Sometimes it works - "oh yea that was right on", sometimes its "eh, - not really", sometimes it doesnt. Either way, it's my love for the work that makes me appreciate other's views.