This is a complex subject you touched on. For example, Marvel movies are popular and elicit powerful emotional reactions from people across the globe, but when compared to Hamlet, we can draw an (dare I say it) "objective" distinction in terms of their respective quality. The latter just may require more work in terms of comprehending its depth, therefore fenced off from those who couldn't give a fuck about The Bard.

he true depth of LOTR, and what Tolkein did, cannot be grasped on a first reading. It's fine if it wasn't your former professor's cup of tea; not everyone is a fan of late Beckett either—does that mean it isn't a manifestation of genius?

Saying LOTR doesn't have literary merit really grinds my gears tbh. It's an incredibly blinkered view. I love Sanderson novels and think they're great and fun and all the rest. But I also know they're not literary masterpieces. LOTR quite simply is. It may take another 50 years before the gatekeepers acknowledge this. Happens a lot in history.

Anyway, sorry for the rant. LOTR is close to my heart. Great article. I should have said that earlier.