Dude, you are in Geek Central, no question, and I don’t doubt watching grown men and women drone on about such minutia as if we were debating the finer points of Biblical literature could justifiably illicit a fair amount of ridicule. I’m fully aware, and I’m OK with it. Tolkien’s works have some pretty significant flaws, no question, and I never expect that Tolkien will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the likes of Melville, Joyce, Shakespeare, or any of the other greatest-of-greats. I myself find the title “Author of the Century” to be completely over the top, unless you’re focusing on sales.
But I love these books. I love them in a way that makes no sense even to myself. There is something simply magnificent about it all, and I’ve given up trying to justify it. If it makes me a hopeless geek, it’s the price I must pay.
So, by all means, start a thread bashing people such as myself and have a ball. But in the confines of this discussion, can we just be left to have our fun without the train of thought being hijacked with derision? I’m not offended personally, and I do have a sense of humor about these things. I’d even be happy to join in on some self-deprecating mirthfulness. But there is, as they say, a time and a place, perhaps?
Thanks!