J.R.R. Tolkien foresaw that his intentions would always be misunderstood. He addressed that concern in the 1966 second edition release of “The Lord of the Rings” via a new foreword clarifying his “prime motive” being “the desire of a tale-teller to try his hand at a really long story that would hold the attention of readers, amuse them, delight them, and at times maybe excite them or deeply move them.”
He did not intend for the story to hold any inner meaning or “message,” calling it neither allegorical nor topical. “. . . I cordially dislike allegory in all its manifestations, and always have done so since I grew old and wary enough to detect its presence,” Tolkien added. “I much prefer history, true or feigned, with its varied applicability to the thought and experience of readers. I think that many confuse ‘applicability’ with ‘allegory’; but the one resides in the freedom of the reader, and the other in the purposed domination of the author.”
