| "Halls of Manwe on the Mountains of the World above Faerie" by J.R.R. Tolkien |
I want to be clear, I have no comments or complaints on the casting and the race of the actors involved is inconsequential. Discussion of the skin tone of dwarves or elves is simply a distraction.
The show rewrites vast amounts of the back story of Middle Earth, and that fundamentally changes the nature of Middle Earth and the tales told of it. The journey of the elves from Valinor to Middle Earth has different motives and backgrounds, and the background and history of the elves themselves is clearly different. The personal histories of Galadriel and her brother were altered dramatically. And the Valar, who give their name to Valinor, were not mentioned at all.
In short, within ten minutes the producers showed quickly that they had no respect for Tolkien's work, nor did they feel any obligation to remain true to it, whatever they might claim while promoting their series.
This has been common for Tolkien adaptions over the years. In the 1960s an obscure loophole in U.S. copyright law at the time allowed an American publisher to print unauthorized copies of The Lord of the Rings in paperback. Tolkien and his publishers responded in various ways, most famously, Tolkien wrote the following for the covers of the authorized, newly copyrighted editions they rushed into print: "This paperback edition, and no other, has been published with my consent and cooperation. Those who approve of courtesy (at least) to living authors will purchase it and no other." The situations are not completely analogous but they are similar enough, in my opinion, that I shall apply the same remedy.
I will not watch any more of this show.
In his forward to the second edition of The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien said, "Some who have read the book, or at any rate have reviewed it, have found it boring, absurd, or contemptible, and I have no cause to complain, since I have similar opinions of their works, or of the kinds of writing that they evidently prefer.” I find I cannot take Tolkien's even-handed approach. Frankly, I wish it didn't exist. Whether it is a success or a failure, it will prevent other Tolkien adaptions from being made. I see no positives from this, only a furtherance of the mediocrity of thought and art which characterizes so much corporate media these days.
For those who wish to understand more of Tolkien's vision away from the show, I do have some suggestions. You should start by reading The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion. There is no substitute for reading his works, of course. I have always found them life changing.
However, there is an overwhelming amount of material by Tolkien and about Tolkien, Middle Earth criticism can be a very confusing field. I'm a Tolkien enthusiast rather then a true expert by my own estimation, but there are three shorter works of his that I believe are the key to really understanding what he was trying to do.
Two of these are his two landmark scholarly lectures, "On Fairy-Stories" and "Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics". They explain Tolkien's views on the purpose of fantasy writing and fiction in general. The third work is "Leaf by Niggle", a short story that is the closest thing to a deliberate allegory which Tolkien ever wrote, and is his most autobiographical work. These three, relatively short works will help anyone who is interested and willing to put some work into it to understand not only Tolkien's own works, but it will help them understand all fiction, drama, and literature.
Reading Tolkien's original works is a soul-enriching activity in my opinion. Read some of his works rather then watching this new show. It is time much better spent.
All views in this blog are my own and represent the views of no other person, organization, or institution.
Thanks for posting link in the Tolkien Society. Overall, I’m seeing mixed/polarizing reactions from Tolkien fans (specifically, Reddit/FB etc. based groups devoted to Tolkiens work). For those who say that it doesn’t follow the lore at all, etc. - I’m always very curious to better understand specifics. If you’re up for elaborating, I’d be interested in better understanding where you see major divergences and contradictions.
ReplyDeleteAs for myself, I’ve been open to flexibility with the series and haven’t noticed anything THAT egregious so far (although swimming across the Sundering is an odd choice). I’ve read LOTR, Sil, UT, etc. albeit it’s been a few years since my last reading (and I’m looking forward to refreshing my memory with The Fall of Numenor coming out in November, which is supposed to capture everything on the second age).
This isn't a dig, but you don't seem to know Tolkien's work very well. As I said, I gave up after 10 or so minutes because EVERYTHING concerning Galadriel, the elves, the 1st Age, Valinor, and the elven journey to Middle Earth was significantly changed. Time spent watching this show is, IMO, better spent rereading Tolkien's works. As for why the changes matter, I suggest that following my advice above and reading "On Fairy-Stories", "Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics" and "Leaf by Niggle" will provide better understanding then anything I could say on the subject.
ReplyDeleteRight. It’s exactly a dig. If that’s how you choose to engage with your audience, so be it. I’ll be direct: your opinion piece offers zero substance and value beyond that of any other disgruntled anti-RoP “reviewer” out there. You’ve failed to establish yourself as having any credibility whatsoever on this topic, and offer all but a binary disposition with no room for debate. Net/net - reading this is about as enlightening as any other random rant on social media. If you’re the Tolkien expert you claim to be, missed opportunity to do better. I was honestly hopeful that I’d find a more productive discussion.
ReplyDeleteIt was not intended as a dig. You said it has been years since you read the books, and you don't seem to realize how much has been changed. I also said, very specifically that I am NOT an expert: "I'm a Tolkien enthusiast rather then a true expert by my own estimation" - I made no claims of expertise at all. But I have read all of the books, including the History of Middle Earth and the History of the Hobbit and Unfinished Tales, many times.
ReplyDeleteI feel like you were asking me for a response that my blog entry already provided. If you don't want to do the reading I suggested, there is no way for us to have a productive discussion on this topic. I taught college and some graduate level history courses for over 9 years, I know exactly how useless a topic like this is to discuss with folks unwilling to do the reading.
I did not prejudge this show, though I was rooting for it. I wanted it to be grand, I was excited about a show covering the topic of how Sauron created the Rings, destroyed Hollin, and corrupted and destroyed Númenor before finally being thrown down for the first time by the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. That is an epic subject that deserves an epic story. Tolkien left us a solid outline of that story in the chronologies and appendices. This show is not that epic story. Some day I hope someone comes along and tells it, while respecting Tolkien.
When you stand on the shoulders of giants, try not to shit on their heads.
Very well articulated criticisms Paul. I concur.
DeleteI want to emphasize, this is not about the casting. If they used the exact same actors, casting POC as hobbits, elves and dwarves, but followed Tolkien's outlines and ideas more closely, not changing Galadriel's back story or the history of the 1st Age, ect, ect, then I would have loved this show.
ReplyDeleteHi Paul, you recently joined our "Tolkien Purists" group and I thought I would read your blog.
ReplyDeleteI find myself at a loss to comment on Rings of Power because I refused to watch it, estimating the grievances from a much earlier date than its release.
I believe there will be those who would say I have not given it a chance, well I don't feel any need to do so because there has been enough released in medias for me to formulate my opinion.
One grievance I have was in regard to the introduction of the Character who was later revealed to be Gandalf (maybe it has not been official revealed, yet it seems that the community has decided that the one who met the hobbits was indeed Gandalf.
Now this is a subtle re-write with heavy implications.
Gandalf, as we know from the books, took an interest in hobbits because his mission was to guide the free peoples of middle earth to freedom. Because Gandalf was obedient to his calling, he included knowledge of hobbits or "hobbit-lore" as he would call it, as a responsibility of his. Because Gandalf is gracious, he learned that hobbits are indeed excellent folk, and are particularly humble.
The reports I've heard from the show demonstrate that Gandalf was at one point rescued by hobbits, therefore his unique outlook on hobbits is explained by loyalty to their kindness, yet loyalty to kindness is folly and Gandalf's loyalty was to his maker, and so it has nothing to do with the demeanor of hobbits that he made them a matter of importance, but it was for the reason that they have value as living souls, and Gandalf was among the few of wise who considered them inherently valuable as living beings.
As I said, I stopped watching after five minutes or so, so I don't know anything about how or if the show treats Gandalf. Since the show begins at the end of the 2nd Age and Gandalf doesn't come to Middle Earth until well into the Third Age, I wouldn't expect him to be there at all.
ReplyDelete