What does it mean to Write in the Spirit of Tolkien?

[littlemanpoet]

Originally Posted by Bêthberry

The desire to eliminate slavery--an form of supreme inequality--is also a "historical aberration" as you use the term. And I think it is fair to say that Tolkien repudiates slavery in LotR.

My understanding of Tolkien's views would therefore include a qualification that the gender differences he saw as normative, he did not see as unjust, whereas he saw slavery as unjust and therefore, though "aberrant", nevertheless wrong.

Originally Posted by Bb

Oh, when I posted Tolkien's letter, the context was a discussion thread in Rohan, but I wasn't thinking solely in terms of Rohan RPGs. Actually, I was thinking more in terms simply of the nature of fanfictioning RPGs. Is such related only to a faithful imitation of the original, or can it provide imaginative re-interpretation of the original, or can it incorporate--*gasp*--revisions of the original? Is fanfiction ever free to be a wholly unique, original art, as Tolkien's art was?

Well, we run the gamut right here at BD. Assigned to Mordor is virtual spoof while Prisoner of Numenor & Tapestry of Dreams, to speak of ones I know, are attempts to "spin off" of the Legendarium and at the same time abide as closely as we know how, to the content and its norms. As for revisions, do you have something in mind? .... such as gender relatedness?

Originally Posted by Bb

I thought evil for Tolkien was the desire for power over others, even power which purports to be in service of others.

That is one aspect of evil, but certainly not the only one. However, I can imagine that Tolkien would have understood modern day feminists as trying to wrest from men what should be left to them, especially as those things women must give up in order to have what the feminists desire, are the things that women, if they really understood themselves, treasure most. Not that I agree with such a view, but I understand it and its mindset.

There is a side issue that I want to raise. The female writers at BD (such as Fea) protest at Tolkien's outdated view of women. However, might it not be that Tolkien's view, half of it anyway, is based on his (dare I say it) accurate understanding of a man's inner workings as regards gender relations? Do women (let's be specific: women who are members of the Barrowdowns) really understand what it is like to be a man relating to women? I daresay I can spot a female writer trying to write a man attracted to a woman: the narrative is missing certain things. Care to make an attempt (based on Tolkien's essay oh so many posts above) as to what these might be?