Now presenting, in its full, complete, and downloadable glory, the Racism and Middle Earth series! This six part guide to Tolkien and Racism collects relevant tidbits from Tolkien’s own writings (from the most familiar to the most obscure) in order to highlight what the most problematic and the most potential-ridden parts of Middle Earth are, and outlines how we, as fans, can make Middle Earth a better place for characters of all ethnicities.
Each chapter is summarized in the photos above. The series can be downloaded as a .pdf, .ibook, or text-only .pdf (warning: the text version is not pretty, and is missing some important maps, so use only as a last resort.) I’ve also got a list of articles, essays, and blog posts on the subject of Middle Earth and racism here, for anyone wanting to learn more, or just looking for a different perspective/take on the issue.
(For those who read the original blog posts, there have been a few changes to this final version – mainly additions made to Part I.)
Tag: askmiddlearth
In what order would you recommend someone who has only seen the movies and read the hobbit to read the rest of Tolkiens books? I’ve tried to read the Lotr trilogy two times, first when I was ten then at twenty, and gave up after finishing felkowship both times because it grew too heavy. Now I really feel like trying Silmarillion, but I’m afraid it will feel just as slow or that I won’t get a lot since I haven’t finished Lotr. I’m pretty curious about the children of Hurin as well.
Uhhh, I honestly don’t have an opinion on which book to read in what order. I read The Hobbit first simply because it was being read in my class at school, and then I devoured the rest. I can’t even remember which order it was in.
Tolkien’s style isn’t what we’re used to these days, and it can sometimes be very dense and impenetrable. But you can do it! The payoff is unbelievable.
Silmarillion is a very different kettle of fish to the trilogy. It is even more impenetrable in certain places, being an interconnected early history of Middle-Earth, posthumously pieced together after JRR’s death. Thankfully, some people out there have been AMAZING and put together reading guides!
Tips for reading the Silmarillion by teamedain
The Silmarillion Reader’s Guide (available as ibook or pdf)
Have fun, and good luck!
Thanks for the mention, but I think I should mention we didn’t actual write that post – it’s one of askmiddlearth’s.
To your anon: I wouldn’t worry about not understanding The Silmarillion because you’ve not read LotR. They’re set in completely different time periods, with completely different geography, and (almost) entirely new characters. (Galadriel and Elrond appear in both, but having seen the films, you’d already be familiar with them.)
But determamfidd’s quite right to say The Silmarillion is more impenetrable – it’s certainly shorter than LotR, but much, much denser. There are literally hundreds of characters, places, and names to keep track of, although the guides linked above really are a great help when it comes to understanding what’s going on.
On the other hand, The Children of Húrin does function as a self-contained story, with far fewer characters and happening over a much shorter period of time. It’s not what I’d call a fun read (Túrin and I have never really got on) but I think it’d do quite well as an introduction to the First Age.
Ahhh, thank you so much for the clarification and for the information!
Aw Yiss 