Drama out of nothing... perhaps (Regarding the War of the Ring)

[Bêthberry]

Originally Posted by littlemanpoet

Tolkien's story turned out the way it did because, all players being who they were, all events turning how they did (seemingly extremely lucky), it could not have happened any other way. Sure, it's fun to speculate.

Hmmm. hmmm. But is this the feeling readers have as they read along and even once they close the book? If it is, then where is the stunning sense of eucatastrophe? How can we experience this unexpected joy if we feel it was definitely going to happen this way all along? Surely at least in some measure the story makes us fear that this can happen 'another way' and therein lies the tension of the story.

I think this sense 'could not have happened any other way' has to arise after the fact, when thinking back over the story.