I don't think Tolkien was racist in the "burning crosses on lawns" sense, but he was definatly a product of his age. When he wrote about the physical appeances of his characters, he was probably just using the English model for beauty, where blond hair, blue eyes and light skin were preferable. I don't think he was actively trying to put any specific race down, he was just conforming to the standards of his time. It's not like he would have known any blacks, Asians, or other minorities anyway given the time and place that he lived in. Our own (that is American, I mean) standards of beauty still conform somewhat to this Northern European standard as well. Not being white myself, I have noticed the preoccupation with blond hair, etc. Despite that, I still think that Tolkien is a great writer that all people can enjoy, even if his idea of "beautiful" is not universal.
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Isil was first wrought and made ready, and first rose into the realms of the stars, and was the elder of the new lights, as was Telperion of the Trees. Then for a while the world had moonlight, and many things stirred and woke that had waited long in the sleep of Yavanna. The servants of Morgoth were filled with amazement, but the Elves of the Outer Lands looked up in delight; and even as the Moon rose above the darkness in the West, Fingolfin let blow his silver trumpets and began his march into Middle Earth, and the shadows of his host went long and black before them.
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04-16-2002, 11:40 AM
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