Yes, I do agree with much of this! In fact, I see some of your excellent reasoning reflected in the views of Isabeau's OC, Andrahar (whom I adore!). The time in which JRRT was working was one in which less precision was expected and accepted. Tolkein was not writing with all the resources we now have available. He was working with hardcopy - and manuscript hardcopy at that - and memory as his primary sources. We have the luxury of internet, hundreds of people to bounce our ideas off of, printed and easily accessible texts of his works, and the concept of 'canon' from which to work. I think in his mind, the world was more fluid than it is in ours. I also think that in his mind LOTR was less a book and more legend that he was setting down for future generations. If you reread the preface to LOTR, he comes across as somewhat bemused at how seriously people take the whole thing.
Tolkein didn't spend much time (if ANY) psychoanalizing the characters, worrying about whether or not Aragorn was violating principles of good leadership, or debating whether Finduilas died as a result of DV or from cancer, but rather he was concerned about moving his narrative forward. Boromir had to die in order for the company to split and force Frodo to go to Mordor alone with Sam. Finduilas had to die because she couldn't be present to be a grounding point in Denethor's life at the time of the Ring War. The Palantir had to be in use to drive Denethor to madness so that he would not live to foster a civil war at the start of Aragorn's reign (the same could be said of Boromir's death). It's a plot device, not a character flaw. I always thought Boromir got shafted.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2006-07-03 04:55 pm (UTC)Tolkein didn't spend much time (if ANY) psychoanalizing the characters, worrying about whether or not Aragorn was violating principles of good leadership, or debating whether Finduilas died as a result of DV or from cancer, but rather he was concerned about moving his narrative forward. Boromir had to die in order for the company to split and force Frodo to go to Mordor alone with Sam. Finduilas had to die because she couldn't be present to be a grounding point in Denethor's life at the time of the Ring War. The Palantir had to be in use to drive Denethor to madness so that he would not live to foster a civil war at the start of Aragorn's reign (the same could be said of Boromir's death). It's a plot device, not a character flaw. I always thought Boromir got shafted.