The Scourge of The Dark Side...Tolkien and Modernism

[tumhalad2]

The Dark Side indeed-the dark side of Tolkien apparently. I am a Star Wars fan and while trawling the boards of StarDestroyer.net I came across this particular topic-discussing the cultural merits of 'Star Wars'. However (and readers will be wondering at this point where this is going, but hang in there!) the topic quickly degenerated into a bashing session aimed at the perceived conservatism and racism in the Lord of the Rings.

Read it for yourself, but for me it raises some questions, questions that have to a degree been discussed here before in relation to David Brin's critique and to an extent Phillip Pullman's. The discussion that was had on this particular board, stardestroyer.net, in many ways summed up their central argument: That Tolkien is not a modern writer, that he is inherently conservative and anti-modern, that this worldview has been influenced profoundly by his Catholicism, and that as a result he should not be taken seriously-at least not by readers who have a 'modern' worldview. Whatever that means. One forumer even went so far as to say that the Jackson films, and by extension the books, have clouded the general populace's mind and in doing to have lessened their capacity to take on the modern, "preferred" worldview, that, to these people it would seem, holds all the answers.

Now, firstly I would like to say I have struggled with this side of Tolkien for some time. I still enjoy his books, very much so, though my enjoyment has been tampered by these sorts of ideas, coming from the seemingly indestructible David Brin and the like. I find myself asking...how could these people be wrong? Their analysis appears to make sense, from a social point of view. Can the modernist worldview and Tolkien be reconciled? To these people, I think not. Can we, as Tolkien fans, come to some sort of reconciliation with it? Or are the 'modernists' right and Tolkien and his books are conservative, bigoted, past looking and juvenile? Certainly these people would argue that is the case.

I’m sorry to scare people, but this has been getting on my nerves, from the point of view of my ability to enjoy Tolkien. The trouble is, there is something that always pulls me back, that seems to transcend this 'social analysis' that these seemingly emotionless 'smart people' heave onto the book.

Thoughts?

ooo and here's the link to the discussion. Please feel free to tear it apart for me!!:

http://bbs.stardestroyer.net/viewtop...er=asc&start=0