# Are you a Tolkien person or a Lewis person? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 5, 2006, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-tolkien-person-or-a-lewis-person/338550 "2006-01-05T08:36:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![roger\_thornhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@roger\_thornhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roger_thornhill)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-tolkien-person-or-a-lewis-person/338550/1 "2006-01-05T08:36:20Z")
This poll could well mark a watershed in SDMB history. Forget “boxers or briefs?”, “Connery or Moore?”, “Keats or Shelley?”, “Burma or Myanmar?”, “black or African American?”, “Ed or Cecil?”, or “tomndebb or dexter?” This poll will act as the ultimate shibboleth to distinguish the two basic types of doper. So, vote away. For Jack or for John? For Staples or for Ruell? For Narnia or for Middle Earth? In order to maintain my customary objectivity and so as not to influence the easily-led, I will only vote in the unlikely case that a casting vote is needed. Let the fun and games begin! ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-tolkien-person-or-a-lewis-person/338550/2 "2006-01-05T08:47:23Z")
Eh, I think you’re expecting too much. I’d wager 90% of Dopers would say “both” or “neither”. ---
**Author:** ![roger\_thornhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@roger\_thornhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roger_thornhill)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-tolkien-person-or-a-lewis-person/338550/3 "2006-01-05T09:02:30Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > Eh, I think you’re expecting too much. > > I’d wager 90% of Dopers would say “both” or “neither”. You write like Tollers. I’ll put you down under JRR. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-tolkien-person-or-a-lewis-person/338550/4 "2006-01-05T09:22:50Z")
I always liked Tolkien better. ---
**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-tolkien-person-or-a-lewis-person/338550/5 "2006-01-05T09:33:48Z")
Tolkien. Lewis was way too pushy with his christian allegory. I think Tolkien was more sophisticated in his story telling and writing as well. ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-tolkien-person-or-a-lewis-person/338550/6 "2006-01-05T11:02:44Z")
Tolkien. I shall fight any Lewis-person to the death. ---
**Author:** ![Tracy\_Lord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@Tracy\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tracy_Lord)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-tolkien-person-or-a-lewis-person/338550/7 "2006-01-05T11:42:02Z")
Lewis. Tolkien was too snobby – remember, Lewis didn’t intend to write a Christian allegory, he wanted the Narnia books to be taken as fantasy/fairy tales. There are things that bother me about both of them, but Lewis seemed more relaxed and more tuned into the joyous side of Christianity, which I think is a hugely important part of the religion. Tolkien’s “no decent literature after 1100 AD!” stance is a big turnoff, too. ---
**Author:** ![biqu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@biqu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/biqu)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-tolkien-person-or-a-lewis-person/338550/8 "2006-01-05T11:48:52Z")
> [@roger\_thornhill](#): > > For Jack or for John? For Staples or for Ruell? I thought Lewis’s first name was Clive. Anyway, I’m voting for Tolkien. > [@Blalron](#): > > Lewis was way too pushy with his christian allegory. I think Tolkien was more sophisticated in his story telling and writing as well. I find greater sophistication in Lewis’s space trilogy than in the Chronicles of Narnia, but the latter was admittedly written as a fantasy for children. Still, Tolkien’s writing gets my vote. ---
**Author:** ![Who\_me\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/958977/32.png) [@Who\_me\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Who_me_1)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-tolkien-person-or-a-lewis-person/338550/9 "2006-01-05T12:02:18Z")
Tolkien, I was disappointed when I finally read Lewis. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-tolkien-person-or-a-lewis-person/338550/10 "2006-01-05T12:02:54Z")
Lewis. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-tolkien-person-or-a-lewis-person/338550/11 "2006-01-05T12:08:51Z")
Tolkien. Lewis is okay, but I love and am impressed by the depth and complexity of the history, geography, languages, etc. in Middle-Earth. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-tolkien-person-or-a-lewis-person/338550/12 "2006-01-05T12:09:09Z")
Lewis. His books, at least, I actually was able to read without drowning in the prose and giving up in disgust more than once. ---
**Author:** ![Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sophistry_and_Illusion)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-tolkien-person-or-a-lewis-person/338550/13 "2006-01-05T12:09:36Z")
Gee, I wonder what \*\*Malacandra \*\* will say? ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-tolkien-person-or-a-lewis-person/338550/14 "2006-01-05T13:10:41Z")
I love Lewis, but I’ll have to vote Tolkien. Lewis never moved me like Tolkien did. ---
**Author:** ![Menocchio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-tolkien-person-or-a-lewis-person/338550/15 "2006-01-05T13:15:55Z")
Lewis. I HATE Tolkien’s prose and pacing, although I admire his world-building and plot. I also enjoy Lewis’ non-fiction (and his non-Narnia fiction, like The Great Divorce and the Screwtape Letters), so he gets extra points for that. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-tolkien-person-or-a-lewis-person/338550/16 "2006-01-05T15:15:23Z")
Neither was very interesting. I’ve read them, but I won’t bother reading them again. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-tolkien-person-or-a-lewis-person/338550/17 "2006-01-05T15:33:17Z")
Tolkien, have not read _Narnia_ yet so that might have affected my opinion. I also loved Lewis’ space trilogy. ---
**Author:** ![Scribble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scribble/32/3317_2.png) [@Scribble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scribble)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-tolkien-person-or-a-lewis-person/338550/18 "2006-01-05T15:58:46Z")
Lewis, if only for his imaginative wit and sharp satire in _The Screwtape Letters._ ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-tolkien-person-or-a-lewis-person/338550/19 "2006-01-05T15:59:34Z")
I give Lewis and edge for “Out of the Silent Planet.” Other than that, they’re pretty even. ---
**Author:** ![davenportavenger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f8ce5/32.png) [@davenportavenger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davenportavenger)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-tolkien-person-or-a-lewis-person/338550/20 "2006-01-05T16:13:39Z")
Eh, neither. Lewis’ prose is better, in that it’s actually readable, but I’ve never been able to finish a book by either one of them. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-tolkien-person-or-a-lewis-person/338550.md?page=2)