: : : : : Gazing west doesn't invoke any special feelings in me, but reading or thinking about Middle-Earth does. It is a testament to the power of Tolkien's writing that so many people have wanted to live in his creation, or like you, can never look west again without thinking of the Grey Havens and the Blessed Realm with a nostalgia for a place they have only read about. But to be honest, the most common "feeling" I get from reading LOTR is hunger. It seems I can't get past a meal in the book without raiding my refrigerator or searching for some cookies or cake. Perhaps it triggers my own nostalgia for the days of my childhood, when after coming in the house from a cold and snowy day, there was the smell of dinner and my grandmother at the stove.
: : : : : C.S.Lewis said there is a special category of authors who through their writings create new sensations which add depth to your perception of the actual world. This certainly is the case with Tolkiens' writing who (besides effecting my Western gaze--where the sun seeks the "Doors of Night")has created a demension of beauty in the natural world that I never would have had. I agree it is a testament to a man of unusual talent who has dramatically effected me, and it deeply interests me the way he effects others as with your feelings of nostalgia and hunger.

: : : I've always loved to watch the sunset, and after reading Tolkien's works, it began to affect me spiritually. Now I always hear Faramir telling the hobbits,"We look West towards Numenor that was, Elvenhome that is, and beyond to that which shall ever be."
: : : --Niniel

: : :That's fascinating to me, I did not remember that excerpt Niniel, thanks for posting it along with the interesting way you were effected.

: One of the most common ways people are effected by the book (myself included) is in how Tolkien gave a name to industrial slag heaps and other eyesores in our own time: Mordor. I've seen others mention it, sometimes by calling some eyesore "a little piece of Mordor". Even a smoggy day driving through a run down part of the city can bring up thoughts such as that. My hometown in NJ has a coal burning power plant, and those piles of coal never fail to make me think of Sauron and the wastelands surrounding his domain.

::I thought Tolkien made clear that his story was not purpously analogous, (and I know that's not what you're saying) but Isaac Asimov in his own words sais he does not believe him. He writes in his book "Magic" page 173--he thinks the ring represents industrial technology, and goes on to explain how he came to this conclusion. I personally think it could represent a couple things but it's purely coincidental. A couple of interesting things for you Goodgulf, Asimov on the same page, tells how he came to this conclusion. It was oddly enough he explains "driving along the NJ turnpike, and we (he and his wife Janet) passed a section given over to oil refineries. He goes on to say--Janet looked at the prospect with troubled eyes and said, "There's Mordor." I ran this past my wife who is from Bayonne originaly who immediately recognized what I was describing. She said she thinks it is off exit 14a or 14b, anyway just a couple of coincidents I could not resist sharing.