"...What about helping me with my book, and making a start on the next? Have you thought of an ending?"
"Yes, several, and all are dark and unpleasant," said Frodo.
"Oh, that won't do!" said Bilbo. "Books ought to have good endings. How would this do: and they all settled down and lived together happily ever after?"
"It will do well, if it ever comes to that," said Frodo.
"Ah!" said Sam. "And where will they live? That's what I often wonder."
—J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings
This little exchange, which happens early in the book (Rivendell), caught my attention and I meant to blog about it earlier. It seemed like a direct statement by the author, and what I've learned since about Tolkien's views on happy endings confirms it. Funny how it stood out to me and then I ended up quibbling with his happy ending.
