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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 2177 Views
King Arthur. Hands down. - 09/04/2010 06:40:15 AM 1578 Views
I would argue with you. - 09/04/2010 06:54:53 AM 1521 Views
That's the point, though. Arthur's humanity is what makes him so admirable. - 09/04/2010 06:59:07 AM 1547 Views
I have to agree with Dannymac - 09/04/2010 02:04:44 PM 1536 Views
But he's not in a modern fantasy novel. - 09/04/2010 07:37:14 PM 1594 Views
when I read the actual book... - 10/04/2010 12:08:21 AM 1558 Views
I'm going with the most likely historical version of King Arthur - 09/04/2010 06:45:26 PM 1627 Views
My money is still on Aragorn - 09/04/2010 12:47:43 PM 1664 Views
Aragorn is so awesome... - 09/04/2010 02:05:42 PM 1510 Views
Arwen's character is just never fleshed out, though. - 09/04/2010 02:18:30 PM 1477 Views
Re: Arwen's character is just never fleshed out, though. - 09/04/2010 02:49:45 PM 1549 Views
Hm - 09/04/2010 03:23:53 PM 1615 Views
Mostly, yes, but there are a few exceptions - Galadriel, Eowyn, and above all Luthien. - 09/04/2010 03:32:00 PM 1486 Views
Re: Mostly, yes, but there are a few exceptions - Galadriel, Eowyn, and above all Luthien. - 09/04/2010 03:45:37 PM 1754 Views
I can't agree about the goddesses. - 09/04/2010 04:34:15 PM 1604 Views
Re: I can't agree about the goddesses. - 09/04/2010 04:55:34 PM 1490 Views
If Tacitus and Graves were accurate - 09/04/2010 05:09:20 PM 1619 Views
Re: If Tacitus and Graves were accurate - 09/04/2010 05:26:43 PM 1526 Views
I rather liked her depiction in Rome. - 09/04/2010 05:34:37 PM 1585 Views
Re: I rather liked her depiction in Rome. - 09/04/2010 05:45:06 PM 1658 Views
Re: I rather liked her depiction in Rome. - 10/04/2010 11:14:26 AM 1647 Views
I don't know if I'd call it bad, per se. - 10/04/2010 11:37:55 AM 1783 Views
Re: I can't agree about the goddesses. - 09/04/2010 05:02:50 PM 1571 Views
Eh, the other Vala don't do much of anything either. - 09/04/2010 05:31:42 PM 1541 Views
Re: Eh, the other Vala don't do much of anything either. - 09/04/2010 05:44:03 PM 1527 Views
Re: I can't agree about the goddesses. - 09/04/2010 05:06:49 PM 1692 Views
I call bullshit - 09/04/2010 08:09:49 PM 1482 Views
Re: I call bullshit - 09/04/2010 08:31:16 PM 1494 Views
Re: I call bullshit - 10/04/2010 08:04:15 AM 1586 Views
I didn't realize it was fashionable to call Tolkien sexist. - 10/04/2010 05:12:07 PM 1595 Views
Re: I didn't realize it was fashionable to call Tolkien sexist. - 12/04/2010 11:00:23 AM 1467 Views
Exactly. - 13/04/2010 03:08:46 AM 1593 Views
Re: Exactly. - 13/04/2010 08:54:01 AM 1675 Views
I was going to say something similar. - 09/04/2010 03:21:45 PM 1513 Views
Re: Aragorn is so awesome... - 09/04/2010 08:00:25 PM 1477 Views
Re: Aragorn is so awesome... - 09/04/2010 08:37:12 PM 1514 Views
He's good, but then he just doesn't have to face so many things. - 09/04/2010 02:22:04 PM 1809 Views
Doesn't have to face many things? - 09/04/2010 07:59:27 PM 1563 Views
Re: Doesn't have to face many things? - 09/04/2010 08:38:51 PM 1411 Views
Re: Doesn't have to face many things? - 10/04/2010 08:24:33 AM 1527 Views
Re: Doesn't have to face many things? - 10/04/2010 05:08:42 PM 1663 Views
Re: Doesn't have to face many things? - 12/04/2010 10:55:12 AM 1518 Views
He really wasn't a king in majority of the story though - 12/04/2010 05:54:23 PM 1484 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 1509 Views
Oh yeah I liked him a lot *NM* - 09/04/2010 04:09:59 PM 766 Views
Josua Lackhand is a great fantasy King! - 09/04/2010 05:14:39 PM 1564 Views
Arutha was never King. *NM* - 09/04/2010 07:18:30 PM 722 Views
I'm going to go with a tie... - 09/04/2010 04:22:42 PM 1508 Views
Joffrey and the Stag! *NM* - 09/04/2010 09:53:56 PM 737 Views
ROFL *NM* - 09/04/2010 11:39:36 PM 697 Views
Artur Hawkwing - 10/04/2010 03:34:02 AM 1678 Views
??? - 10/04/2010 10:30:13 AM 2097 Views
Simba *NM* - 10/04/2010 08:40:38 AM 785 Views
Manwe - 10/04/2010 10:31:54 AM 1986 Views
Bah. He's hardly a character. *NM* - 12/04/2010 01:07:29 AM 881 Views
Arutha, the Prince of Krondor - 12/04/2010 01:06:14 AM 1585 Views
Westley - 13/04/2010 02:59:36 AM 1549 Views
Leto Atreides II - 13/04/2010 05:07:29 AM 1465 Views
I'll agree with that! *NM* - 13/04/2010 11:33:10 AM 731 Views

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