Imagination: the preeminent emblem of our humanity.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Through it, we obtain the capacity to revise \u2013 or might I say, reimagine \u2013 the world around us; to create, alter, and improve that which is tangible and arcane. From J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis to George R. R. Martin and J. K. Rowling, authors of the fantasy genre utilize this gift to spin tales of tragedy, utopia, and romance \u2013 after all, fantasy is derived from phantasia<\/em>, the Greek word for imagination. While these fantastical universes seemingly breach the boundaries of reality at every turn, their conceptions are products of this earthly plane. The worlds of these narratives in some way mirror our own, whether through direct reference \u2013 Harry Potter <\/em>\u2013 or subliminal allegory \u2013 Lord of the Rings<\/em>. Indeed, although not preventable, this foundation in reality taints the process of world-building, by which it becomes nearly impossible to separate non-fictional knowledge from fictional creations. Thus, while the fantasy genre inherently symbolizes a sort of escapism from the tribulations of contemporary society, its fictional world-building actually serves as a more profound reflection of the opinions \u2013 and prejudices \u2013 that plague reality.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n This article, therefore, means to examine the integration of real-world stereotypes into the world- building processes of the fantasy genre, most notably J.R.R Tolkien\u2019s The Lord of the Rings<\/em>. Originally published in the 1950s, the series is considered by most to be the literary paradigm for modern fantasy fiction, especially in high-fantasy circles. The story, split into three volumes \u2013 The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, <\/em>and The Return of the King <\/em>\u2013 of two books each, follows Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin, four hobbits from the Shire, across Middle-Earth to destroy the One Ring in the fires of Orodruin. On their journey, they encounter among others: Strider, a ranger of the D\u00fanedain and the heir-apparent of Gondor, Legolas Greenleaf, a Silvan elf from Mirkwood, Gimli, a dwarf from the Blue Mountains, and Gandalf, an istar. Now, if absolutely none of that made sense, then Tolkien was successful in devising a world different from our own \u2013 hence why many refer to him as the father of modern fantasy.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Thus, it is not a surprise that the novels and their world grew to be so popular in the 1960s, and not only in Tolkien\u2019s native Britain. In fact, this fascination with Middle-Earth continued in the 20th century with the publication of The Silmarillion<\/em>, a sort of prequel-slash-lore compendium, in 1977, as well as the animated versions of The Hobbit <\/em>(1977), The Lord of the Rings <\/em>(1978), and The Return of the King <\/em>(1980). However, the series only truly penetrated mainstream consumption with the release of Peter Jackson\u2019s live-action film trilogy in the early 2000s, which won several Academy awards and remains some of the highest-rated movies to date. Today, this love of Tolkien\u2019s world has paved the way for the production of more stories, including the Hobbit<\/em>trilogy and Amazon Prime\u2019s highly-anticipated \u2013 and widely-criticized \u2013 The Rings of Power<\/em>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n An attempt to capture\u00a0The Silmarillion\u00a0<\/em>on screen, the series was first bashed for its bastardization of the source material\u00a0\u2013\u00a0it does, after all, condense three millennia of Middle-Earth history into a few, short years; however, over time, further reproval arose over the constitution of the cast, particularly its inclusion of people of color. This is not a new issue. Just earlier this year, for instance, Moses Ingraham, who played Reva Sevander\u00a0\/ Third Sister in Disney\u2019s\u00a0Obi-Wan Kenobi<\/em>, faced severe racial abuse from\u00a0Star Wars\u00a0<\/em>fans online. However, the apparent ubiquity of this variant of abuse, especially in the context of fantasy literature, raises questions about the construction of race in these novels. Indeed, J.R.R. Tolkien has featured at the center of modern discussions on race and stereotyping in fantasy literature. A prolific world-builder, his Middle-Earth is home to nine different species, each bearing immutable character traits: Elves, Men, Dwarves, Orcs, Hobbits, Trolls, Ents, Maiar, and Valar. Now, the existence of separate races itself is no issue. However, when attributes are juxtaposed with specific physical characteristics, it becomes problematized.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Consider the Elves. Throughout the novels, they are repeatedly referred to as \u2018the fairest creatures\u2019 in all of Middle-Earth, extraordinarily tall and slender, wise and learned. The term \u2018fair\u2019 could be in reference to their ethereal, other-wordly beauty \u2013 after all, one of the word\u2019s archaic definitions simply pertains to attractiveness. And yet, \u2018fair\u2019 also suggests fair-skinnedness, fair-hairedness. Indeed, this latter interpretation appears to be more accurate to Tolkien\u2019s visions, as Elven hair has a proclivity for being blonde, as noted through descriptions of Legolas, Galadriel, and Glorfindel \u2013 arguably, the most famous Elves from Lord of the Rings<\/em>. Of course, Arwen Und\u00f3miel, the fairest of all Elves, is the notable exception. Instead of silvery hair, she possesses long dark tresses; nevertheless, all of them share grey eyes. Here, then, one starts to conceptualize the Elf: a tall, light-skinned, grey- eyed figure \u2013 an image that could be easily equated to the conventional figure of Northern Europeans. There is no inherent issue with drawing on the physical appearances of a group as inspiration \u2013 after all, it is incredibly challenging to conceive an idea that is entirely divergent from reality and lived experience. However, the subsequent addition of biologically-determined attributes complicates matters. Tolkien\u2019s Elves, for instance, are viewed as the wisest and most cultured inhabitants of Middle-Earth, a convention that is applied to every <\/em>Elf, not simply the scholars and rulers. With how easily the appearance of Elves and Northern Europeans is conflated, there is a suggestion \u2013 however subliminal or subconscious as it might have been \u2013 of white supremacy.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Similarly, J.R.R. Tolkien\u2019s characterization of Orcs comments on race and ideas of biological determinism. Throughout the novels, the Orcs are servants of Sauron \u2013 the series\u2019 \u2018big bad\u2019 \u2013 and his ally- lieutenant Saruman, which naturally frames them \u2013 all of them \u2013 as evil and malignant. Indeed, there is very little multiplicity or depth in character, with shallow generalizations describing the entire species rather than individuals. Despite this, however, their physical appearance is never actually described in The Lord of the Rings<\/em>, only in one of Tolkien\u2019s many letters. In Letter 210, the author writes that Orcs are “squat, broad, flat-nosed, sallow-skinned, with wide mouths and slant eyes: in fact degraded and repulsive versions of the (to Europeans) least lovely Mongol-types.\u201d<\/a> Whereas Elven descriptions tout their beauty, grace, and intelligence \u2013 as well as visually equating them to Northern Europeans \u2013 this depiction is underscored by revulsion, a disgust of their physical appearance that acts almost as an extension of their character traits. It is important to acknowledge and dissect the terminology being implemented in this passage, as it bears direct connections with historical eugenics movements.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n