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Exactly. Comet Sedai Send a noteboard - 13/04/2010 03:08:46 AM
I've actually never discussed the books with anyone, so...I apologize. It was just a thought I had as I was reading through the books a while back. I remember the part you are citing about Gandalf talking to Eomer. I like how he deals with the Eowyn material, but she ends up settling down and having babies anyway. I've come to the side of Legolas, in all of this, and have retracted most of my sexism claim.


Everyone ends up settling down and having babies. It is called a happy ending. I remember having second thoughts when I read her "conversion" to healing and growing things rather than fighting once she accepts Faramir. But then I remembered that this is Tolkien. The problem with oversimplified grids that label something as anti-feminist if women go from fighting to tending is that it ignores in this case the underlying valuation in the whole of this literary universe. Growing and healing and tending is the supreme good. It is not necessarily tied to a simple male/female axis, and I think forcing it into that is a serious mistake in this case.

Faramir is the hero, rather than Boromir, precisely because he belongs to the "party" that Eowyn joins. Aragorn reaches his potential only once war is over and he turns to tending, growing, healing. Orcs fight, elves tend. Men are at their best when they do the latter.


I fail to see what is pathetic or disappointing about marrying or becoming a mother, not to mention working to re-build the world. Better living through agriculture, I say. :)
The chief difficulty Alice found at first was in managing her flamingo.
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The greatest King in Fantasy - 09/04/2010 05:18:42 AM 2136 Views
King Arthur. Hands down. - 09/04/2010 06:40:15 AM 1533 Views
I would argue with you. - 09/04/2010 06:54:53 AM 1476 Views
That's the point, though. Arthur's humanity is what makes him so admirable. - 09/04/2010 06:59:07 AM 1497 Views
I have to agree with Dannymac - 09/04/2010 02:04:44 PM 1488 Views
But he's not in a modern fantasy novel. - 09/04/2010 07:37:14 PM 1541 Views
when I read the actual book... - 10/04/2010 12:08:21 AM 1517 Views
I'm going with the most likely historical version of King Arthur - 09/04/2010 06:45:26 PM 1573 Views
My money is still on Aragorn - 09/04/2010 12:47:43 PM 1623 Views
Aragorn is so awesome... - 09/04/2010 02:05:42 PM 1467 Views
Arwen's character is just never fleshed out, though. - 09/04/2010 02:18:30 PM 1438 Views
Re: Arwen's character is just never fleshed out, though. - 09/04/2010 02:49:45 PM 1507 Views
Hm - 09/04/2010 03:23:53 PM 1553 Views
Mostly, yes, but there are a few exceptions - Galadriel, Eowyn, and above all Luthien. - 09/04/2010 03:32:00 PM 1438 Views
Re: Mostly, yes, but there are a few exceptions - Galadriel, Eowyn, and above all Luthien. - 09/04/2010 03:45:37 PM 1707 Views
I can't agree about the goddesses. - 09/04/2010 04:34:15 PM 1564 Views
Re: I can't agree about the goddesses. - 09/04/2010 04:55:34 PM 1447 Views
If Tacitus and Graves were accurate - 09/04/2010 05:09:20 PM 1576 Views
Re: If Tacitus and Graves were accurate - 09/04/2010 05:26:43 PM 1473 Views
I rather liked her depiction in Rome. - 09/04/2010 05:34:37 PM 1545 Views
Re: I rather liked her depiction in Rome. - 09/04/2010 05:45:06 PM 1602 Views
Re: I rather liked her depiction in Rome. - 10/04/2010 11:14:26 AM 1607 Views
I don't know if I'd call it bad, per se. - 10/04/2010 11:37:55 AM 1735 Views
Re: I can't agree about the goddesses. - 09/04/2010 05:02:50 PM 1509 Views
Eh, the other Vala don't do much of anything either. - 09/04/2010 05:31:42 PM 1492 Views
Re: Eh, the other Vala don't do much of anything either. - 09/04/2010 05:44:03 PM 1492 Views
Re: I can't agree about the goddesses. - 09/04/2010 05:06:49 PM 1626 Views
I call bullshit - 09/04/2010 08:09:49 PM 1441 Views
Re: I call bullshit - 09/04/2010 08:31:16 PM 1452 Views
Re: I call bullshit - 10/04/2010 08:04:15 AM 1544 Views
I didn't realize it was fashionable to call Tolkien sexist. - 10/04/2010 05:12:07 PM 1555 Views
Re: I didn't realize it was fashionable to call Tolkien sexist. - 12/04/2010 11:00:23 AM 1426 Views
Exactly. - 13/04/2010 03:08:46 AM 1543 Views
Re: Exactly. - 13/04/2010 08:54:01 AM 1621 Views
I was going to say something similar. - 09/04/2010 03:21:45 PM 1471 Views
Re: Aragorn is so awesome... - 09/04/2010 08:00:25 PM 1440 Views
Re: Aragorn is so awesome... - 09/04/2010 08:37:12 PM 1461 Views
He's good, but then he just doesn't have to face so many things. - 09/04/2010 02:22:04 PM 1765 Views
Doesn't have to face many things? - 09/04/2010 07:59:27 PM 1522 Views
Re: Doesn't have to face many things? - 09/04/2010 08:38:51 PM 1373 Views
Re: Doesn't have to face many things? - 10/04/2010 08:24:33 AM 1483 Views
Re: Doesn't have to face many things? - 10/04/2010 05:08:42 PM 1627 Views
Re: Doesn't have to face many things? - 12/04/2010 10:55:12 AM 1457 Views
He really wasn't a king in majority of the story though - 12/04/2010 05:54:23 PM 1434 Views
I'm sure there are many, but one coming to mind is Prince Josua from Memory, Sorrow and Thorn - 09/04/2010 02:23:57 PM 1464 Views
Oh yeah I liked him a lot *NM* - 09/04/2010 04:09:59 PM 741 Views
Josua Lackhand is a great fantasy King! - 09/04/2010 05:14:39 PM 1522 Views
Arutha was never King. *NM* - 09/04/2010 07:18:30 PM 703 Views
I'm going to go with a tie... - 09/04/2010 04:22:42 PM 1459 Views
Joffrey and the Stag! *NM* - 09/04/2010 09:53:56 PM 714 Views
ROFL *NM* - 09/04/2010 11:39:36 PM 673 Views
Artur Hawkwing - 10/04/2010 03:34:02 AM 1627 Views
??? - 10/04/2010 10:30:13 AM 2054 Views
Simba *NM* - 10/04/2010 08:40:38 AM 768 Views
Manwe - 10/04/2010 10:31:54 AM 1938 Views
Bah. He's hardly a character. *NM* - 12/04/2010 01:07:29 AM 839 Views
Arutha, the Prince of Krondor - 12/04/2010 01:06:14 AM 1534 Views
Westley - 13/04/2010 02:59:36 AM 1488 Views
Leto Atreides II - 13/04/2010 05:07:29 AM 1409 Views
I'll agree with that! *NM* - 13/04/2010 11:33:10 AM 701 Views

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