Let's be honest: literature isn't what it used to be. English prose is suffering, always sliding downhill. More and more words are being forgotten and consigned to the dusty dictionary. Nothing is savored, nothing is made beautiful and glorious with the power of words. No more poetry, no more exalted prose. Not so with Tolkien's works. This is one of the reasons why I love The Lord of the Rings so much; and it is the same reason why many others do not. Some people cannot - or will not - get into Tolkien because of his writing style. Here are some tips which - I hope - will help first time readers enter Tolkien's world, especially if all they've been exposed to are the Peter Jackson action flicks or read novels like the Twilight series or The Hunger Games.
1: Do not try to put The Lord of the Rings into any kind of genre-classification; this in my opinion sets one up for false expectations. Yes, this is a 'Fantasy' story, but it is also so much more: it is a Historical novel, a Romance (of a very different kind then today's), a Tragedy, a fireside tale told in a manner that suggests that all this really happened once upon a time in the forgotten ages of our world. Again, avoid classifying. These books have everything in them and more.
2: Do not skim read. This is not a pulp-novel nor a Twinkie in book form. This is a literary six-course feast complete with before-meal speeches and music and dancing at the end. If you skim-read you will miss many things, many impotent things, many beautiful things. I myself have made this mistake; I was in a hurry, I wanted my action-scenes and battles now; I was impatient. I regret it deeply. I suggest buying and reading each book (The Fellowship of the Ring; The Two Towers; The Return of the King) on their own to help avoid this temptation. Do not rush. Yes, the first five chapters can be for some a struggle. These are world revelation and build-up chapters. Read them slowly. Remember, this is not an 'action' book. Do not rush. If you are planning to skim-read the book just to say you've 'read' it then don't bother reading the rest of these tips.
3. Pretend that you NEVER saw any of Peter Jackson's movies. This will be very hard, I know; it was so for me. It took multiple readings of the book and multiple viewings of the extended films - which I also own - before realizing just how much damage had been done. Mr. Jackson played some serious god with The Lord of the Rings, both obvious and subtle. Character-assassination was rampant (more on that later). Put the movies out of your mind; pretend that you are entering Middle-Earth for the first time and try to imagine the world and its people in your own unique way, otherwise you'll set yourself up again for false expectations. Again, do not rush.
4: Do not let Tolkien's writing style freak you out. Middle-Earth is Tolkien's own fully-imagined world and he takes great pains to describe the beauty of said world and the culture, language, histories and names of the many different peoples who inhabit it. There are stories within stories. There are songs and poems sung without shame by almost each member of the Fellowship. There is a vast storehouse of history and lore that is remembered and spoken about by the characters of the present. There is a deep sense of sorrow and yearning nostalgia. The English used is often very high and lofty and rich, especially at climatic scenes. You may read words that you haven't encountered anywhere else. This is not a tale for shallow or artificial people or people in a hurry; you will either love the story or think it was a boring waste of time.
5: Pretend that you are encountering high Fantasy - and all the trappings that come with it: Elves, dwarves, wizards, goblins, dragons, secret kings, enchanted objects, mysterious realms, evil tyrants, swards with cool names, mighty cities, horrid monsters, last stands, epic questing and fighting and feasting - all for the first time. This book, after all, is what almost all other high fantasy tales come from; what many other stories aspire to. The Lord of the Rings actually ruined most other fantasy stories for me. All other wizards (except maybe Dumbledor) and Elves and Dwarves seem to me to be just pale copies of Tolkien's. His are the most real; the most believable. People may assume that I read lots of Fantasy but I don't; or rather, I do try to read other Fantasies, but I don't really enjoy them very much (more on that later as well).
Hope these help. If I think of any more I will add them.
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