Shardstone
Hero
For reference, as someone who got their Masters in English, the author saying that their work isn't something is rather meaningless. If something can be read a certain way, and if that certain way can be backed up with both research and quotes from the actual body of work, then the argument is valid that something is in fact that certain way. Death of the author is very real.
What Tolkien was saying is that he didn't mean to write an allegory. And that is believable. But just because he didn't intend the story to be one doesn't mean it isn't one, it just means that wasn't his focus, his intent, or his impetus to making the work. However, Lord of the Rings has many allegorical facets to it, and an allegorical reading of Lord of the Rings is not only possible, but valid.
What Tolkien was saying is that he didn't mean to write an allegory. And that is believable. But just because he didn't intend the story to be one doesn't mean it isn't one, it just means that wasn't his focus, his intent, or his impetus to making the work. However, Lord of the Rings has many allegorical facets to it, and an allegorical reading of Lord of the Rings is not only possible, but valid.