Has it all been said?

[Mithalwen]

Originally Posted by davem

Is that really important? I'm less & less interested in whether Tolkien is accepted into the Literature Hall of Fame. I just want to wander in Middle-earth. That's why I came to love Tolkien's work in the first place. I didn't read LotR or TH for the first time thinking 'Well, I'm shocked that this wasn't in the classics section along with Cervantes & Austen! I must campaign to get this book accepted by the literati!' I just fell in love with world Tolkien had created.

I fell in love with the world and then had to spend 4 years more or less in the closet during my literature degree. Tolkien fandom was a love that dare not speak it's name outside linguistics class. So I am glad that he is being taken seriously. As someone who prefers the world to the stories, the idea that it was influenced by the Somme, which had never occured to me, may actually get me to reread what I found one of the most tedious parts of the book.