[CroFlames]

Originally Posted by afc wimbledon

It was also never writen as a book, Tolkien wasn't an author, he was an academic and teacher who scribbled down ideas, wrote partial narratives wholly unrelated and then collated it into a story, it's why the book has these odd 'sections', the party, the shire, Tom Bombadil and the old forest, then the story proper, the Quest, and then in the end the rising of the shire, they all kind of work together but they clearly weren't written in a linier narrative as part of an overall plan

His other works, may be.

But in the preface to LOTR, he explicitly states he's trying to write one long cohesive story.

The prime motive was 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.

Some who have read the book, or at any rate have reviewed it, have found it boring, absurd, or contemptible; and I have no cause to complain, since I have similar opinions of their works, or of the kinds of writing that they evidently prefer.

The most critical reader of all, myself, now finds many defects, minor and major, but being fortunately under no obligation either to review the book or to write it again, he will pass over these in silence, except one that has been noted by others: the book is too short.