Stori3D Past
Member
Slight look-back. But this has bugged me since we got to & through it.
Why did Tolkien give the dwarves any greater achievements now than they had previously made? As I best understand it, this is I think *unique* in LOTR? Tolkien the Medievalist seemed very content to have his sub-creation's history descend from heights that it could never reach again. It seems to be part of the basic thread weaving all of Middle-Earth together: It is going downhill. The past cannot be preserved, it cannot be reachieved, it certainly cannot be bettered. The slide may be halted temporarily, and some of the loss even reversed briefly, but nothing is getting *better*.
So Question for Narnion: Why are the dwarves getting better at doing anything than they had been in the past?
Why did Tolkien give the dwarves any greater achievements now than they had previously made? As I best understand it, this is I think *unique* in LOTR? Tolkien the Medievalist seemed very content to have his sub-creation's history descend from heights that it could never reach again. It seems to be part of the basic thread weaving all of Middle-Earth together: It is going downhill. The past cannot be preserved, it cannot be reachieved, it certainly cannot be bettered. The slide may be halted temporarily, and some of the loss even reversed briefly, but nothing is getting *better*.
So Question for Narnion: Why are the dwarves getting better at doing anything than they had been in the past?
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