Hey everyone,
I could use some help with this question. I am reading the Lord of the Rings again, but this time for my English Oral Exam. Alas, my English teacher isn't very fond of the books, so she wants me to convince her on the quality of the books. Ofcourse I can tell how fantastic they are, how wonderful and heroic the story is and how stupid she is not to see those aspects, but I am afraid that won't be enough.
So now I am looking for your opinions and answers to the question: Why is the Lord of the Rings such a wonderful book?

For everyone who will respond, thanks in advance!
Lhun

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the lord of the rings is wonderful because it's so much more than just a book, so much larger in scope than any ordinary novel - it's a mythology created for a culture that forgot it's own; it's history reimagined by someone who never stopped believing in magic; it's fantasy with its feet firmly planted in reality; it's an epic battle fought by the most ordinary of characters; it's poetry and prose and song; it takes place over a matter of years, but encompasses a history that goes back millennia; it happens 'once upon a time' but it's truth is eternal...i could go on forever.

considering the fact that you're trying to convince an english teacher, you could maybe talk about the place the lord of the rings holds in literature, and how important a book it is - how it draws on medieval literature, and how it rejuvenated and redefined fantasy literature. you could talk about the beauty of the prose - for most novels, narrative is merely functional; but for tolkien, how he wrote was as important as what he wrote, and he really showcases the beauty and power of the english language. you could talk about tolkien's technical merits - the construction of so many languages, the immaculate plotting (i once drew up a timetable as i read the novel, and all the various storylines fit together perfectly) - and how even if you don't like the book, you have to admire it's scale and achievement.

i guess in the end though, literature comes down to personal taste. and maybe that's what is so wonderful about the book - it is so rich and multi-dimensional that it appeals to many tastes (as evidenced by the fact that it has topped so many 'greatest book'polls). even if your english teacher never likes the book, she can at least respect the fact that so many millions do.

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