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VestalVirginNovember 29, 2021

Well, you can have your opinion, of course, but I really do not think that Tolkien believed in gender the way extremist USian Christians do. (I mean, those people are happy to trans their children to trans the gay away ...)

I cannot remember the source, but I read on the internet some of his writings about elves, and it seems (unless someone blatantly passed off their own ideas as Tolkien's) he had imagined elven society to have next to no gender roles. The elves are pretty much perfect in any aspect, so ...

Oh, and there is dwarves. "Hey, you know what? Female dwarves should have beards" does not sound like an idea thought up by someone who loves gender.

My takeaway from this is that Tolkien saw the inherent wrongness in patriarchy and wanted to live in a more equal world. Certainly, on the surface, Middle Earth looks extremely patriarchal, but - that's the case with Harry Potter, too.

In Harry Potter, we see that Rowling made an effort for equality whenever she consciously thought about worldbuilding. There are female ministers of magic reaching back far into the past, there are two female founders of Hogwarts, etc. But in the actual story, almost all adult women are housewives. Because that's what Rowling grew up with.

It is, certainly, possible and even likely that Tolkien thought that women and men should fill different roles in society based on physical differences. But genderism is a way of thinking that elevates the notion of pink and blue brains above the physical reality.

And no somewhat intelligent person (who uses their brain) can subscribe to genderism. Tolkien was educated. He knew that gender roles weren't always the same (see Éowyn), and from that, it follows logically that they must be a social construct. An useful social construct, perhaps, but a construct nevertheless.

Would Tolkien vote conservative nowadays? Well, likely, but that doesn't say much considering that the Left have collectively lost their minds.

AmareldysNovember 29, 2021

There are very few housewives in Harry Potter… only Molly, Petunia and possibly Narcissa though she is more of an heiress/socialite. Maybe Bellatrix?

The vast majority of the women in the books are teachers. Which makes sense since it is set in a school. Tonks is an Auror. Fleur works at Gringotts though I think she stops when they go into hiding.

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