Quote:
Originally posted by wasions
I too, read the books several years ago, but had to read them again just before the first movie came out. I commend Peter Jackson for the work he's done, even though JRR (as I understand) didn't want the work 'theatricalized' (my word - like it? Heh.). Tolkien was a very dedicated Christian (CS Lewis was converted from atheism when they were roommates in college - or at least that's how the story goes). PJ knew that, and therefore felt compelled to portray the emotional roller-coaster of good vs. evil theme throughout. (You find that, even though a character desires to do good, he also wants to be sure that he's doing that good for the right reasons.)
As someone mentioned, Tolkein rejected any attempt to 'draw out meanings' (like some efforts to compare the Ring to the atom bomb), but later acknowledged that 'The Lord of the Rings' was, in his words, "a fundamentally religious and Catholic work; unconciously so at first, but conciously in the revision".
I enjoy it for it's story. I also enjoy it for the story behind the story.
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I've seen suggestion that the series was based on Christian mythology, but never anything concrete. Only recently, as a matter of fact, I heard an interview with Ian McKellan on NPR. It was his opinion that you can find analogies if you try hard enough, but that Tolkein tried to avoid blatant ones.
Maybe he had never heard of this acknowledgement that you mention.
Do you have any sources? I'd be interested to see them.