>>24550124 (OP)>It's genuinely one of the worst written classics I've ever read.Well, it's not a classic in the sense of anyone thinking he's a great writer.
>Switching of perspective mid chapterHis handling of viewpoint is indeed pretty bad. I've discussed this with people a few times and I'm convinced that the book would be improved immeasurably if told first-person by a bunch of different characters, one per chapter (like As I Lay Dying or The Sound And The Fury) *but never Paul*. That way Paul would acquire just the quasi-mysterious quality you want. Obviously some stuff would need rethinking (you get no direct access to Paul's thoughts, and scenes where he's alone are a problem) but the effort would be worth it, I'm sure.
>stilted characterizationNo argument here. But the ugly truth is that Tolkien's characterization mostly isn't great either. So we should cut FH a bit of slack.
>entire passages copied from other booksYeah, many people don't realise quite how much of the good stuff is stolen from Blanch (& others). That's sort of OK though; we would forgive him if the finished product were better. Books are made out of books & all that.
>pointless meanderingI don't remember this being a really big issue.
>very little descriptions etcNor this.
