Is Tolkien's portrayal of goblins/🧌orcs antisemitic and racist?

[CirdanLinweilin]

The criticisms aren't anything new; they've been going on for a long time, so I'd hesitate to attribute it to some sort of recent change to a "PC" attitude.

In fact, it was on display in the very first book-length study, William Ready's "Understanding Tolkien", where he described Tolkien's supposed attitude towards black people as (quoting from memory here) ". . .fine fellows, perhaps, but not in England". What his source for this was, I have no idea. Nor, probably, had he.

In a letter, Tolkien described his concept of orcs, in part, as having Mongolian features "of (to western eyes) the most unpleasant type". This might now be considered rasist, certainly, but it pales in comparison to the description of Huns in Jordanes: ". . .as for the front of their head, which can hardly be called a face. . .". I tend to think Tolkien drew on this, and similar traditions, in constructing his orcs.

LOTR describes them as "sallow-skinned", and arguments have raged for decades about what that means.

I guess I should expect the same in writing my own High Fantasy. Good grief.



CL

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

It's avoidable -- and doing so can open some new and creative paths to explore.

For instance, I mentioned -- back when we thought the Amazon series was going to be "Young Aragorn" -- the possibility of having him befriended by an oppressed person in Far Harad.

 

[CirdanLinweilin]

It's avoidable -- and doing so can open some new and creative paths to explore.

That is true, I just got to have to see what can be done.


CL

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

Got me while I was editing!

 

[Olorgando]

Got me while I was editing!

OT, but gave me a "Huh?!?" moment. Editing your own posts - standard procedure. But I hadn't noticed how to activate it. Now I found it - very pale at the bottom left. Is the "dark mode better? 😯

 

[Squint-eyed Southerner]

Haven't tried it that way -- but I prefer white on black anyway.

I'm still figuring out the new format myself -- including the BB codes. The Help button is, well, a help.

 

[Olorgando]

I guess I should expect the same in writing my own High Fantasy. Good grief.
CL

Oh dear. My *sarcasm off* in my pre-previous quote hasn't quite gotten it out of my system yet. So this entire quote runs under that heading.

No, no, High Fantasy is much too close to somebody, somewhere! Better to do science fiction.
And not our solar system either, still too close to home. Alpha Centauri at least - but perhaps a minimum distance would have to be 1000 light years.
Then: no quadrupeds, no pentadactyls, better dispense with longitudinal symmetry entirely, so an uneven number of sensory organs (say three minimum).
Vision: definitely not the visible spectrum (unaided), so infrared or ultraviolet - awks, no, insects can see that! And hearing ...
Better combine vision and hearing into some sort of telepathy in the microwave spectrum. Or X-rays? Oh help no, that guy from Krypton!
And come to think of it, carbon-based life forms should be off limits too (I think the first Star Trek film may already have done this one).
Silicon-based (it has similarities with carbon) … ah no, the you're insulting people's stu… I mean smart phones.

Come to think of it, any form of literature will get you in trouble with someone. So perhaps a change of profession / hobby is safer.
*whew*