The White Council

Deconstructing Tolkien (was Re: The Futility of "Feudalism in Middle-earth" Discussions (and other stuff))

Tolkien and Inklings Discussion

[big snip]

: Indeed the spell is so great that had Frodo walked across the : street to 221B Baker Street to consult with the world's : foremost consulting detective about the nature of the Ring, I : wouldn't have found it very much out of place. I don't mean : that literally, but I sometimes think that the LOTR has more in : common with Victorian England than with pre-historic : civilizations, despite the use of archaic language and customs.

Well, the Middle-earth of THE LORD OF THE RINGS is not supposed to be anything in particular except imaginary. It can therefore borrow the trappings of "later" eras and combine them into a unique blend of pre-historic what ifs which suggest that much was lost and eventually recovered.

Politically, religiously, and perhaps even culturally Tolkien was projecting a simpler form of something onto his stories.

I can readily say that Martin and the other feudalists may be right in one respect: there may be something which is essentially feudal in nature but is not really drawn from historical precedent. I mean, Tolkien may have been balancing the knife on its point. Hence, what so many see as feudal seems other-than-feudal to the rest of us.

My strenuous objections to the pro-feudal arguments are really objections to "Medieval feudal Europe" -- that is not Middle-earth. Feudalism arose elsewhere at other times. It is not unique to western Europe. I just feel that too much emphasis is placed on the European models. So much is missing from them in Middle-earth that it simply doesn't follow to say that Tolkien drew upon Medieval Europe in that way.

But if one says, "Well, there may have been feudalism in Middle-earth", not everyone is likely to concede that the point is not being given to the popular European model (which is not necessarily what Martin is arguing for, though he draws upon it for illustration).

I don't want to coin a term like "proto-feudalism" because I don't feel that would really convey all that Tolkien intended. These peoples had a system of honor and personal service to one another which is really not feudal. John Carter of Mars throws his sword at Dejah Thoris' feet. Tars Tarkas and half the warriors of Barsoom throw their swords at Carter's feet. That is feudalism: raw, unburnished, freed of the burdens of European tradition. You really see nothing like it in Tolkien.