The mis-interpretation of dear Gimli

[MatthewM]

Originally Posted by davem

But that's the point. I've never thought of LotR as a 'fantasy' novel (I'm not a fantasy fan & find most fantasy juvenile & pointless as well as unreadable), yet the movies are fantasy movies - possibly why I dislike them. Fantasy novels are full of giant spiders & giant fiery demons & the like. LotR is not like that. The point of Shelob (& the only way in which she is bearable to me) is that she is 'an evil thing in spider form'. Reduced to a 'giant spider' she is just another D&D type 'monster'. It is the 'explanation' of her true nature (which as you say can only be communicated by a narrator) which gives meaning & depth to the encounter & raises it above the level of 'sword & sorcery'.

I don't understand how you don't see LotR as a fantasy. It's in a world created where dragons lived and wizards roamed. It sure isn't your typical fantasy, and it transcends by far the chains of everyday "dragons and wizards", but it is a fantasy story, nonetheless.