/lit/ - Literature

Why is Samwise the only character who goes through any sort of development in the story?
Why is there such a monochrome distinction between good and evil?
Why is the only reason people ever do anything bad in the story that "they were corrupted by evil forces"?
Why do none of the characters (aside from the aforementioned Samwise, and to an extend, Gollum) make you feel anything for them?
Why is the villain such a boring evil overlord with no real motivation?
Why are events described rather than narrated?
Why is there so much needless filler?
Why is Aragorn's subplot in Gondor so utterly irrelevant to the conclusion of the story?

Why do people still pretend the Lord of the Rings has any sort of literary value other than starting the modern fantasy genre?