By “Lewis lovers” I especially mean people who love his non-fiction, his essays and books
You should read Tolkien’s letters to realize he is every bit as intellectual and deep and thoughtful as Lewis was. You may claim you have never doubted that this was the case, but I’m skeptical. Some forms of knowledge depend on direct experience and the affirmation from someone lacking that experience just doesn’t seem credible.
I appreciate that Tolkien’s best work is his fiction and that he would be more than satisfied if you stopped with it. But I really wish more people read his letters.
As an RC, I believe Tolkien never thought he should speak about theology publicly (not being a priest). I agree that his letters are very important; but did JRRT ever intend them for public consumption? (Grist for the mill.)
It seems like you are engaged in a “JRRT is better than CSL” campaign. Why? Why not simply appreciate that they, despite their being lumped together as “Inklings,” had different strengths/gifts? Why do the sectarian thing of pitting them against each other, rather than the Christendom thing of appreciating how much they together have saturated Western culture with a Christian view of the world?
Brian, I don’t think your second paragraph accurately describes what I’m doing nor what my intentions are. C. S. Lewis has always been a great hero of mine and if reading about his life makes him slightly less grand than I had imagined that still leaves him larger than life as far as I’m concerned.
In this case, I was arguing that he was as good as Lewis. In what language does saying such a thing translate into “a ‘JRRT is better than CSL’ campaign”?
I think Tolkien had probably more than one reason to not become an essayist in matters that were public, and you have probably pointed out an important one. But I’ve felt free to disagree with Tolkien’s judgment on such matters. I’m glad his letters are available.
When I was reading Tolkien’s letters a couple years ago I found this great article that compares and contrasts Lewis and Tolkien. It does seem rather “JRRT is better than CSL,” but I really appreciated learning more about Tolkien than I knew previously.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3777/is_200307/ai_n9284459/
And don’t forget the lesser read Inkling, Charles Williams! His books are very different from those of Lewis and Tolkien, but they keep you on the edge of your seat.