Week 7 Flashcards
The roots of medievalism in LOTR (maps)
LOTR maps
1. NESW in different directions.
2. Runes.
3. Illustrations and notes: “Here are many lions”.
4. The hand on the map.
Critical rage about LOTR
- LOTR is simplistic, juvenile trash (Wilson).
- LOTR is irritatingly masculine, women embody stereotypes (Stimpson).
- Racialised critique (Coe).
The creation of LOTR in the early stages
Tolkien had planned to create a story to dedicate to England. He wanted to create a mythology (like the Greeks). He infused this created world with northern and north-western materials and used stuff from his own roots and life.
Tolkien’s roots
- Childhood in Bloemfontein (South Africa).
- Experience as soldier in WWI.
- Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford.
- First academic job was an assistant for OED; use this for LOTR: good morning!.
- Inspired by his family: told tales to his children, which prompted him to write his ideas down.
Fundamentals of fantasy
- Realistic secondary world (which in itself exists, its own history and backstory, its own map).
- A fellowship.
- Faction of authenticity (word is made more realistic when characters mention certain legends that the reader doesn’t know about yet).
- Map (many fantasy novels have maps and place names).
- Inexperienced character (Hobbits, who are most like us, encounter new things, explore, learn along with us).
- Opposites: having characters who are somewhat similar, but also different (Frodo, Gollum).
- Themes of thinning, quest and eucatastrophe.
Themes that appear in LOTR (and are also common now in the fantasy genre)
- Thinning (the world is in danger of some dark lord, needs saving).
- Quest (the ring needs to be destroyed).
- Eucatastrophe (sudden joyous turn, Gandalf shows up, “the Eagles are coming”, sudden shift for the better.
LOTR as an allegory
According to some, LOTR should be read as an allegory for WWII. Tolkien himself disagreed. He says that the crucial chapter was already written before the start of the war. That you may read it as an allegory, but Tolkien warns not to confuse applicability with allegory.
Applicability and allegory
You can apply LOTR very easily: WWII, drug addicts identify with Gollum and the ring, the environmentalists rising up against factories. Also, there have been many Christian interpretations of the LOTR. There is also even applicability in this day and age: Ukraine called the Russians orcs. This is what makes it work.
Why did Tolkien have a problem with Germanic heroism?
Germanic heroism promoted excessive glory, in other words, that you ought to die for glory, and be suicidally loyal.
He didn’t like that the Nazis promoted warfare with this mindset.
Heroism in LOTR
- Samwise as a hero, ignoring the ring when he had a chance to take it, carrying Frodo, watchful of Gollum.
- Gandalf sacrificed himself, also not interested in glory.
- Faramir, who explicitly says that he’s not interested in glory.
- Eowyn faces the monster, and what she is showing in that moment is reluctant heroism: ‘Begone!’.
A new kind of heroism
Tolkien’s heroic fiction is inspired by early medieval heroic poetry, but his heroes do not only show courage and loyalty, but also:
1. Reluctant heroism
2. Humble heroism
3. Defensive heroism
Whereas, today, we do not fully understand Beowulf in this instance.
Tolkien and LOTR adaptations
Tolkien was quite upset with some adaptations. In letters, he expresses that he doesn’t like the plans that are being made. He could get upset about things that adaptations would get wrong.
Gender and misogyny in LOTR: scholarly views
Eowyn’s transition from warrior to healer is questionable, then marrying Faramir and retreating. There are obviously few female characters in LOTR. Another way of looking at it is that Eowyn’s heroism isn’t concerned with glory, and that it may be inherently better: a new kind of heroism, one that values healing over gaining glory.
Tolkien’s said to be a misogynist. The female characters in LOTR, though, do occupy powerful positions (Galadriel, Melian/Thingol, Luthien/Beren, Arwen/Aragorn).
How does the franchise become more inclusive?
Arwen takes over a part from another character to expand her role in the films. Certainly, when we look at the Rings of Power, women do play a bigger and more important role in the narrative.
What was the inspiration for this new female lead? This character is based on an Anglo-Saxon princess: Aethelflaed:
* Leads armies
* Captures a queen
Was Tolkien a racist?
there are good reasons for that.
* Biographical, in certain letters Tolkien expressed that he was against the Nazis.
* Ignore racist scenes: Legolas <3 Gimli
* Aragorn king of all peoples
* Acknowledge instances of racism in the history of Middle-Earth but focus on ultimate culmination of intercultural harmony and coexistence.
Tolkien went back and corrected his writings about dwarfs and Jews. Also, the way that he describes orcs is reminiscent of racial stereotypes.
Race and the movie adaptations
- Orcs less dark
- More diverse casting
- New female character
What can we say about current adaptations? What can we say to people who argue that the adaptations should stay true to the source material?
What we’re seeing is adaptations as a reflection of our time.
LOTR’s medievalism and cultural impact
- D&D
- People dressing up as hobbits
- LOTR video games
High fantasy
High fantasy refers to epic fantasy which is set in an alternate world. It typically includes lots of magical elements, fantastical creatures, and unusual technology. Whereas low fantasy is when magical creatures and elements intrude upon the regular world.
Why is Tolkien the author of the century?
- His work is dominating.
- Most fantasy authors either embrace his influence or try to avoid it.
- Voted greatest book of the century.
- One of the most profitable film trilogy.
- He cleverly used his scholarship to shape his storytelling style, emphasising heroism, courage and the triumph of good and evil -> highlights the heroism of the ordinary.
- Complex languages, histories and cultures.
LTR’s narrative structure became a template for genre fantasy (Edward James):
- Thinning
- Quest
- Portal-quest fantasy = transition from a familiar to a fantastical world.
- Eucatastrophe
- Secondary world = a self-contained, believable fantasy realm.
C.S. Lewis and Tolkien (difference and similarity)
Lewis made a lasting impact, especially through his Narnia series and Space Trilogy. His focus was more on medieval literature, Christian allegory, chivalric romance.
Tolkien focused on language and mythological depth.
The approach of C.S. Lewis
- His narratives are more eclectic and openly allegorical, blending Christian themes with elements of classical mythology and medieval cosmology.
- Aslan, the central Christ-like figure in Narnia, directly symbolises divine grace and redemption, illustrating Lewis’s intention to reimagine the Christian narrative within a fantastical framework.
- Lewis’s works reflect his belief that Christian myths are profoundly true, not just symbolic.
- His storytelling is less concerned with creating an internally consistent universe and more focused on conveying moral and spiritual lessons through a whimsical, imaginative lens.
Example authors of the rise of the fantasy genre
Tolkien, Lewis, Pullman, Katherine Kurtz.
