The White Council

Re: Why Do Some People Get Tolkien So Badly Wrong?

Tolkien and Inklings Discussion

: Recently, I read a review of the Lord of the Rings, which claimed that anyone who bought the book was "funding racism", and that as a result the book should be banned! I don't propose to recite the arguments that have been put so well by Michael Martinez, and which completely demolish that argument. My question is why do some people who (presumably) have read the book misinterpret it so badly?

: Sean

Now that I've read the review (if it can be termed such), I can see that the reviewer is reciting his criticisms from memory of his one and only reading of the book "some years" ago. He fails to back up his crackpot theories with any quotes from the book. Indeed he/she doesn't seem to have a clue about the true nature of the book, even suggesting that Frodo goes to America when he sails into the West. All the complaints that this reviewer makes have been debated here and elsewhere many times. The use of "swarthy" people as the bad guys type of criticism that has been thoroughly discussed and dismissed by most reasonable people who have read the book carefully. There are two criticisms that keep popping up. The first is that those who do not like the LOTR find it boring, plodding, dull and with no character development. The second, more serious criticism, is the "race" issue. For the first criticism, if you find the book dull, plodding and boring there is nothing I can say to make you like it. That's normal for any book. Some will like it, others won't. As for racism, I think we've debated that issue before and found it wanting. Yes, some dark skinned people were under Sauron's sway, but he was definitely an equal oppurtunity employer. It wasn't a statement about race. The scouring of the Shire also indicates that corruption can and does occur even among the Hobbits.

The review was very one sided and out of context, focusing on non-issues, or issues that have been proved to be erroneous. It's too bad that the reviewer had no email address. But then again, as some here have stated, it is perhaps better to ignore such drivel, though it really is hard to ignore a fart in an elevator.