Quote Originally Posted by Dotlbeme View Post
Did not say 'allegory'. I said 'inspired'. Tolkien had been living through the first part of the 20th century where war raged across Europe. If he was not influenced by that in any way, he must have been a robot.
"Inspired by", to me, implies a stronger foundation for the story in those experiences. Of course the war in which he served, and the later one he lived through, had an effect.

Maybe we settle on "influenced by"?