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It presumes that female agency and interiority (or, for that matter, various expressions of sexuality and romance) is a post-modern artistic concept; it also presumes that, for example, had I lived 50 years ago, I would have had no qualms with the Arwen & Aragorn relationship.
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I see were the terms employed by me may have caused the feeling.
I did not intend to imply total lack of sexuality, and the choice of wording (i.e., 'modern', may have been unfortunate). I do, however, imply it haven't been expressed directly as the act of bodily union. Holding hands walking in Lorien must have been sensual experience.
In my previous, I was deliberately abstaining from the word 'religious' (even if I quoted New Testament in the previous but one, indicating my view indirectly) If 'old-fashioned' is replaced with 'religious' and 'modern' with 'secular', the dice fall approaches double six.
What connotations would religious-secular dichotomy cause if I were to highlight key points from that angle?
Well, I should interpunctuate, it seems
'Naming of the name' mentioned as part of the wedding customs is 'Calling Eru as witness to our union', no less. I hold it is part of Tolkien's belief, put into his writing 'consciously so in the revision' (words Tolkien said to describe his Catholicism attenuated in his work), and the whole was intended to reflect what IRL is known as Christian marriage. Said presupposes pre-marital chastity.
Hence logical reasoning:
1. If the witness of the marriage is Eru Himself
2. If the custom reflects what Tolkien thought proper way for humans to behave in our world
3. If the vocabulary employed by the pair in their vows (cleave) parallels that of New Testament
4. If, according to Paul and Gospels the bodily union is what counts, and the rest is [mere] rituals
5. If the customs of the Eldar state the same
The conclusion to follow is: Aragorn and Arwen,
no more than kissing. End of story.
I do not stick labels of 'good/bad' to either 'modern' or 'old-fashioned', I simply list reasons why I think they were not having sex before wedding in Minas-Tirith and provide my grounds
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It is ultimately misleading, because it limits debate in such a way that it cannot progress from the "oh, you're just saying that because you're a modern person"
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Well... I would not 'think bad' of either Aragorn and Arwen if they were engaged in 'bodily union' the first evening of the acquaintance, I just feel the grounds I provide are strong enough to convince the participants of the thread in the opposite. Did I sound arguing from an 'oh, you are just saying...' angle? My apologies, than, if I sounded like that.
cheers
