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Old 02-02-2016, 03:13 AM   #6
Nerwen
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bêthberry View Post
What I am curious about is how Tolkien is being appropriated here, how his characters are being portrayed or described and whether that portrayal or description sheds any light on Tolkien. Or darkness for that matter. Does the parody work only to ridicule the alleged author (the political candidate) or does it say something also about Tolkien? Is Smaug used the same way that Gandalf is? Do any of the jokes about elves and men reflect back on Tolkien?

Does the parody "work" only if we know the original Tolkien? And how do we know that the parody is meant to ridicule the alleged author (the candidate) and not Tolkien (leaving aside the "Humor" headline and the source of the article).

I think it is fascinating that the real author of the piece--the satirist or parodist himself--has made certain assumptions about his readers' knowledge of Tolkien. There aren't many twentieth century authors who could be used this way.

Donald Trump: Let me tell you about Smaug.
It seems to me as though the Middle-earth references are purely there to throw the "author's" peculiarities into relief. (That doesn't stop it being an effective parody, just not a parody *of Tolkien*.) They could have been swapped out for anything equally recognisable. However, I suppose the interesting point for *us* is that yes, I think it does rely on the reader knowing most of the references- I wonder how many other works of fiction could have been substituted?
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