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Diamond18 · 06-10-2003, 04:18 PM

Elves just reflect Tolkien's taste for writing about beautiful things. This doesn't make them shallow, because if he intended for them to be that way, he would have portrayed them as such, rather than noble, wise creatures. So, I think the question you might be asking is: Was Tolkien shallow for creating such a race of beautiful, beauty loving people?

The answer to that would be No. I think Tolkien had a good handle on inner beauty being relfected in outer beauty. This is a literary device: The hero in the white hat. The hero isn't good because he wears the white hat, rather, he wears the white hat because he is good.

I do not recall Elves having a distaste for Dwarves based solely on their looks—they weren't all that hot for the Dwarves behavior and mindset. So I don't see that as being a factor. All in all, you cannot blame a man for putting supernatural beauty into a fantasy world, any more than you can for any other supernatural element, and so it doesn't make sense to blame the creation for being written that way.

06-10-2003, 04:18 PM	#15
Diamond18 Eidolon of a Took Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: my own private fantasy world Posts: 3,460	Elves just reflect Tolkien's taste for writing about beautiful things. This doesn't make them shallow, because if he intended for them to be that way, he would have portrayed them as such, rather than noble, wise creatures. So, I think the question you might be asking is: Was Tolkien shallow for creating such a race of beautiful, beauty loving people? The answer to that would be No. I think Tolkien had a good handle on inner beauty being relfected in outer beauty. This is a literary device: The hero in the white hat. The hero isn't good because he wears the white hat, rather, he wears the white hat because he is good. I do not recall Elves having a distaste for Dwarves based solely on their looks—they weren't all that hot for the Dwarves behavior and mindset. So I don't see that as being a factor. All in all, you cannot blame a man for putting supernatural beauty into a fantasy world, any more than you can for any other supernatural element, and so it doesn't make sense to blame the creation for being written that way. __________________ All shall be rather fond of me and suffer from mild depression.