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Prestidigitweeze, I agree that some telling is necessary and appropriate. Even the popular LotR movies told us some of the background, and some of the characters issue monologues that were effectively expressions of learning and moral - rather than finding some subtle way to show it. But I come back to context again. It should be part of the story being told, or the character being revealed, it should not be there just because the writer wants to show off.
And, showing or telling, it doesn't have to be subtle, humble or restrained, if it is part of the story. Orwell springs to mind. The writer can be as obvious as they want, provided it fits the story - the way it is told, the characters involved and so on. And I think this marks the difference between those that do it well from those that don't. Those that can make the story their platform rather than the page.
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