XPost: alt.books.cs-lewis, rec.arts.books.tolkien   
   From: donnellaf@gmail.com   
      
   Joseph wrote:   
      
   > I think that the   
   > facination on 'chapter and verse' which seems to be so popular in this NG   
   > detracts from the subtleties of Tolkien's plot which can only be picked up   
   > by looking at the big picture.   
      
   A lot of people like the little details though, because it allows them   
   to gain an even deeper appreciation of the big picture.  A work so   
   richly realized as Lord of the Rings, where a lot of effort went into   
   constructing this divergent reality called Middle Earth, lends itself   
   quite well to in-depth analysis.  As you become more familiar with the   
   details it makes the whole work more alive, and reading it is a much   
   deeper experience.  You feel more as though you are there; things   
   resonate and the power and grandeur send shivers up your spine and   
   goosebumps across your skin and you shed a tear for the beauty of the world.   
      
   It's the same reason people are drawn to science (speaking as a   
   scientist; you can substitute any other, more palatable discipline that   
   lets you immerse yourself in the minutia of detail).  When you   
   understand things on the more fundamental level and see the problems and   
   the subtleties and really understand what's going on, you gain a much   
   greater appreciation of the whole, and you can see the beauty in the   
   complexity.  Things click, the lightbulb suddenly kicks on in your mind,   
   and "eureka!" you've finally figured it out!  The outsider looking in   
   says "who cares?" and yawns, but you know...yes...you know what is going   
   on, and what everything means--you can see it, it's right there....   
      
   Sure, sometimes it's hard to see the forest through the trees, but once   
   you learn more about the trees, then you can see the forest for what it   
   *really is*.  The pianist often has deeper appreciation of the sonata   
   than the non-musician; the craftsman has greater appreciation for the   
   fine craftsmanship.   
      
   It's the same here, when you work out the details of what is really   
   going on, and what the work really means (and the meaning is not totally   
   up to the reader, but that's a discussion for a different soapbox,   
   because I'm getting tired).   
      
      
   Andy   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)