Great Debate 2008: Is Tolkien Too Wordy?

[Higgs Boson]

I was able to stand Tolkein for 3 books, but I don't really want to read them anymore. The plot was great, but in my opinion he simply took too long to write it. Like Dumas.

[limetom]

No.  Read Fellowship in like 2 hours.

Don't like these debates because Tolkien's writing is so stylized that calling it "wordy" is misunderstanding it.  However, as others have said, this only applies to the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Hobbit.

[sparkletwist]

Don't like these debates because Tolkien's writing is so stylized that calling it "wordy" is misunderstanding it.

I think it's been brought up before that "wordy" is rather subjective, and an opinion. To me, it was too wordy. I understood it just fine-- it was simply too wordy to enjoy reading.

[LordVreeg]

http://nodwick.humor.gamespy.com/ffn/index.php?date=2003-11-12

Hey, do I really sound like this?  

[SDragon]

http://nodwick.humor.gamespy.com/ffn/index.php?date=2003-11-12

Hey, do I really sound like this?  

Yea, pretty much :p

[LordVreeg]

http://nodwick.humor.gamespy.com/ffn/index.php?date=2003-11-12

Hey, do I really sound like this?  

Yea, pretty much :p

And I'm sure Sparkletwist agrees with you.  Ah, well. Self deprecation is a skill not made for this site.

[Matt Larkin (author)]

Ah, another strange new webcomic I can waste time with...What have you done! Why? Why?

I haven't followed the whole debate, since it's largely a matter of taste. But my two cents: I love LotR for its nostalgia and beautiful world. But it is less fun to read than say, Neil Gaiman.

And whether the density or verbosity was an intentional stylistic concern doesn't change that.

Nevertheless, I still gave LotR 9 out of 10 on the rankings because of all the book meant to me.