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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Camarath" data-source="post: 1311176" data-attributes="member: 11987">I have always felt that this and the way in which the books deal with "history" makes the world presented in the books seem a fair bit bigger than the worlds in most other works of fiction especially fanstay novels. I think this sense of vastness produced by the books is one of thier primary successes. I know this is a subjective (and thus non-universal) reaction but the factors which produce this reaction are worth considering when critiquing the LotR. That aside, I think that the pinnacle virtue of any work is the benefit that can be derived from the work. The main benefit of fiction is entertainment. So in some sense how a book fairs in the realm of literary criticism and analysis has little impact on the value of the work. A poorly written book that is meant to entertain and that people enjoy is a better book than a well written book that is meant to entertain and that people do not enjoy. If a book succeeds in imparting its intended benefit it should be considered a good book. The qualities than are important in a book are dependent on the benefit the book wishes to impart. The style and devices use in a book should be judged chiefly with regard to thier effect on the what the book it trying to convey. The fact that the benefit of most works is subjective makes it difficult to give quantitative value to a work and the devices used in a work. The parts of a work can be evaluated as either adding to or detracting from the impact of the work but the absolute value of any work in depentant on the reader. I feel that literary criticism and analysis is important as a way to better understand, appreciate, and enjoy a work not as way to assign an objective value to a work.</blockquote>

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