Least favorite parts of the Lore

[superminer4563]

Having reread some parts with Tom in them just today, I must say that I love how even when he speaks he is in meter, as if he simply lacks the pitch variation to always be in song.

Yeah Tolkien loved to write Tom as he was a big fan of Metre poetry, which he achieved great mastery in, especially in The Homecoming of Beorthnoth and the elegy for the men who died at The Battle of The Pelennor Fields.

 

[superminer4563]

It's because you know the characters could have more personality, more depth, and be more real. Like George Martin's characters, they feel so real. I imagine how it would be if Tolkien and Martin wrote a book together, it would be like the best book EVER, with Tolkien's world building and Martin's character development.

Sam and Gollum are the best developed characters in LOTR, IMO.
And in the rest of the lore... Túrin Turambar maybe. And Lúthien Tinúviel?

But it's been over a year and a half since I read those stories. So I'm not entirely sure.

Another reason for less in-depth characterization is because Tolkien set to write his books as a Mythology for England, as England lacked the epic tales that Scandinavia, Greece, etc. had. In myths characters are emphasized more by their actions than their personality. Tolkien wrote so that the actions led to/created the development, but he did it so that you can barely notice until you re-read and see what the characters did that led to them changing. The genius in this is that it created immeasurable amounts of rereadability just to see what actually is happening to the characters.