LotR - Foreword

[Fingolfin II]

In the Foreword, Tolkien gives us some very interesting insights into the problems he faced in creating Lord of the Rings and also shows us how exact and thorough he was in the creation of his world.

It sounds a bit wistful; what could he have accomplished with less distractions?!

I don't know if he could have accomplished much more than the creation of Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion. Both are very in-depth books and cover most details in the novels very comprehensively- I suppose all he could really have done is to amend all the typing and phrasing errors made by the editors. However, I'm not sure whether he could have created a complete consistency between all his works in one lifetime.

As for anny inner meaning or "message", it has in the intention of the author none.

What is interesting here is that Tolkien admits that while he has borrowed from other sources, it is not exactly based on what would happen in real life. He says that in real life the Ring would have been used against Sauron, but in order to make a story of it he had to change reality to idealism, in the sense that Frodo and Gandalf are able to resist the temptation of the Ring for so long.

That's all I can think of now; I look forward to discussing this and all other opinions about the Foreword and the rest of the book.