Lets do a Review - of The Lord of the Rings (Part 3)

In the last part of my review I will deal with the things I found simply unacceptable and appaling. I know there might be quite the dissent with my critizism, but I review the book as it presented it to me. Including the nice and the not so nice sides. What annoys me most about the bad things is that they are quite often simply overlooked by the readers. I admit, I didn't remembered it that explicit and drastic either. But views change and so does perception, so I simply might have become more sensitive towards certain things - but best look for yourself:

The bad things:

While the points above were about some weak spots in Tolkien's writing and the way he treats the story, they were all rather petty really. Some made the Lord of the Rings a bit difficult to read at times, but nothing really was terrible. It is still a well-written book, with its quality above its contemporaries. Sadly there are also aspects in his book I can't let pass as petty flaws so easily.

Sexism

A very obvious aspect of his books is, when women appear - which isn't terribly often, I should add - they are pretty one-dimensional. They is the otherworldly being of ethereal beauty, Galadriel, a number of good housewifes. like the wifes of Tom Bombadil and Farmer Maggot (I'm not even sure if Tolkien even gave them names!), the shield-maiden Eowyn who just in time before the story ends gets the turn and marries and become a healer – or were simply wiped from earth, like the Ent-Women.

One might argue that this just reflect Tolkien's conservative traditionalism, which might not been that uncommon for it's time. But I rather get the impression he didn't even try to show women as developed characters. They are way too extreme and one-dimensional for this: They are either divine creatures, adored like a sacred statue or good housewifes, and the few who didn't fit in like Eowyn or the Ent-Women either give in to their weakness or disappear. In Tolkien's world, women have their clearly defined, limited role and purpose. Its a world looking backwards towards the sexism of former centuries, and no-one can tell me that gender-equality would have broken his fantasy-world. There are enough examples of modern fantasy which proof the opposite.

Racism and Xenophobia

Another big point of criticism, which I admit got totally lost at me when first reading, is the blunt xenophobia in the books. I showed earlier that the Shire is Tolkien's ideal world – or at least something very close to that. It's the place of all the good things in life: Good food and drink, friends, love, family, parties, good weather, rich harvests – the list goes on and on. But the further away from home Tolkien goes, the less nice things become.

Yes, there are humans living outside the kingdoms of Gondor and Rohan, but in opposition to these proud and pretty Nordic “races”, the humans living further in the East or in the South are just vaguely described and pretty one-dimensional: They are by default the enemy and allies of Sauron's army of monsters (the Orcs as Tolkien describes them aren't anything else really). They are all dirty and aggressive, were never on good terms with the “civilized” kingdoms and simply appear as brutal primitives, which have nothing else to do but wage war, raid and enslave their western opponents.

This is not only stereoptypical and unnecessary (enemies with a certain depth are arguably the more fascinating ones), the way Tolkien elevates “noble” Nordic humans into something so much better than the other “races” opposing them, gives the whole story - yet his whole universe - a pretty blunt, racist smell.

So What to do with it? Bin or Pedestal?

Let's not underrate the significance of the Lord of the Rings or Tolkiens efforts in world-making. He shaped almost single-handed modern fantasy and helped it establishing a place in today's public conscience. It is a well-written book, which still entertains, even if the story good vs. evil has been told a few times before.

On the other hand the book does have its issues and the world he created, as well-made and rich it is, is flawed.

Ironically the films by Peter Jackson made a lot right what Tolkien did wrong. So I like to see them as a conclusion of the Lord of the Rings-Universe in general: It's indeed been time to move on. And many authors did. I am pleased to see more variety and innovations in fantasy than Tolkien could ever imagine. Countless new fantasy-universes have been created since. More diverse, more vivid, some picked up ideas from him, some invented something completely new – a great development. Fantasy doesn't means only Tolkien-style-fantasy after all.