'Spun Candy' anyone?

[THE Ka]

Originally posted by Encaitare

With LotR, the reader can come away with questions even though they have not been asked, and perhaps those questions have more merit because they expand the work in a sense. Instead of the author asking certain questions and offering answers (or expecting the reader to find his/her own answer), the reader can process what s/he has read and then build upon it.

Exactly, they're sometimes called significant insights. Tolkien was insightful, and dare say, brave enough in the field of literature to decide upon this marvelous idea of writing a tale, maybe for his own entertainment, and what could be shared with his readers.
He didn't have to have an exact, precise goal in mind that he expected all of his readers to be repeating about with each other. He most likely was being conscious of his audience, while still having a good crack at creating something that flew like a comet into the horizon of literature. The idea of a writer sparking questions and thoughts made from their work, to their readers, is not a new one. It is more like a guideline if you are planning on ever catching a reader's attention with your work.
Even so, Tolkien was genius enough to be able not only to keep this thought in mind, but to create something completely new and mind-opening while experiencing the tale's journey himself.

~ Ka