You will not find anywhere in my post where I defended his writing style. I warn people, before they start LOTR, that his books are not an "easy read".

However, his work fired the imaginations of many authors and sent them off into a new direction of story telling and world building. Many of them, wrote/write much better than he did. However, his work is the one you put your finger on and say "this" is high fantasy. He is the standard that now other's creations are held up against.

The original post even talks about divorcing your critique of his writing from the impact it had. I simply find this specific non-unique situation to be an excellent illustration of why I dismiss writing critics, critiques, and reviews by so-called "experts." Especially the ones that, in their arrogance, sneer down their noses at hugely popular works BECAUSE they are popular. Unable to acknowledge that it is exactly those pupular stories, read by million, that are going to ignite the imaginations of tomorrow's authors.