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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Umbran" data-source="post: 1216024" data-attributes="member: 177">Yes, it is possible to come up with interpretations that vary wildly from the author's stated intentions.  It is also possible to come up with interpretations based upon faulty logic and thin evidence.  This would be a case of thin and faulty.  Tolkien cannot be trying to speak directly about Melville if he never knew of the place's existance.  Tolkien may, however, be speaking about political situations in general.  Or he may say things that are analogous, and so may apply to the Melvillian situation. The Melvillians may find something in Tolkien that is relevant to them, even if Tolkien never heard of Melville. No, there need be no "reason it was made vapid".  Perhaps the authr is simply a vapid person.  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />  In general, vapidity is the result of a lack of effort, rathe rthan the result of specific conscious plans to be so.  Piers Anthony's "Xanth" books are a good example.  The first few aren't too bad.  Better and deeper than many, especially if you consider them to be YA books.  The later ones, however, are complete tripe.  I don't at all think Mr. Anthony specifically said, "I will now set out to write something vapid".  I think he simply stopped caring much about the content, and spewed out words to make a few bucks.  Perhaps we can consider this a case of "unintentionally insertign meaning".  If all Mr. Anthony cared about in writing them was the money, his own motives are rather vapid, and it shows in the books.</blockquote>

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