Perilous and Fair: Women in the Works and Life of J. R. R. Tolkien

by Janet Brennan Croft, Leslie A. Donovan (Editor)

Since the earliest scholarship on The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion , critics have discussed how the works of J. R. R. Tolkien seem either to ignore women or to place them on unattainable pedestals. To remedy such claims that Tolkien’s fiction has nothing useful or modern to say about women, Perilous and Fair focuses critical attention on views that interpret women in Tolkien’s works and life as enacting essential, rather than merely supportive roles. Perilous and Fair includes seven classic articles as well as seven new examinations of women in Tolkien’s works and life. These fourteen articles bring together perspectives not only on Tolkien’s most commonly discussed female characters-- Éowyn, Galadriel, and Lúthien—but also on less studied figures such as Nienna, Yavanna, Shelob, and Arwen. Among others, the collection features such diverse critical approaches and methods as literary source study, historical context, feminist theory, biographical investigation, close-reading textual analysis, Jungian archetypes, and fanfiction reader-response.

Genres: Fantasy, Feminism, Essays, Literary Criticism

358 pages, Paperback

First published January 14, 2015

Reviews

[Briana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall, this collection is essential reading for anyone who loves Tolkien, and it will provide some eye-opening arguments for anyone who thinks Tolkien's women are flat or his portrayals are sexist. The authors consistently offer evidence that while, of course, Tolkien would not have held the views of a 21st-century feminist, the women in his books are nuanced and powerful and generally subvert gender expectations rather than fulfill them. Tolkien was also a champion of women academics in his personal life, and we have no evidence to suggest he didn't like or respect women.

[Maria Tag · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars, had to write a book report for Tolkien class.
Perilous and Fair is a collection of thirteen essays concerning women and gender in the works (chiefly The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion) and the life of J.R.R Tolkien. The book was compiled by Janet Brennan Croft and Leslie A. Donavan, but each essay has a different author.
The book begins with an overview of the content within and the central aim of the book, which is “to refute simplistic claims that Tolkien has nothing useful, relevant, or modern to say about women”
The first chapter in the book is a ‘historical overview of scholarship on female characters in J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendarium” and gives brief overviews of the essays in the book. This is not as much as a distinct chapter with a clear point as it is a list of various works and studies that have been done of Tolkien’s work.
The second chapter details Tolkien’s support and beliefs toward higher education toward women, and the influence of several important female family members in his life. While not painting Tolkien as a feminist, it does show that his views concerning women’s education were clearly progressive compared to his peers’.
The third chapter explores the ideas of genre and Lord of the Rings being as a ‘boy’s book’. It documents Tolkien’s influence by the books She and The Juniper Tree, and covers ideas of gender in relation to genre.
The fourth chapter emphasizes the classic idea of the ‘feminine principle’ in The Silmarillion. The Silmarillion both draws upon that traditional idea while also reworking in a new, fresh way. It also covers the balance of the male principle (power and activity) and the feminine principle (understanding and introversion) in important Tolkien characters.
The fifth chapter, drawing on the same idea as the previous, details how female characters are “very important in the defining of power”. Goldberry, Arwen, Galadriel, and Eowyn are the key characters that are analyzed in relation to this.
The sixth chapter also deals with the idea of gender and power in Arda, and its uses and misuses.
Switching gears, the seventh essay talks about the character of Galadriel and many aspects of her arc and story, as well as some of the nuance and influences in her character.
The next chapter is in the similar vein, except about Luthien from The Silmarillion and how she uses her body and abilities for good and to exert power.
The ninth essay is rather short, and covers the evolution of the minor goddess Nienna from originally being the ‘mistress of death’ to becoming the goddess of sorrow, Mercy, and Pity.
Another brief chapter covers the character of Eowyn in relation to the historical concept of being a ‘war bride’, and the two narrative roles she plays in the story.
The tenth essay is lengthy and compares the female characters of The Lord of the Rings to the Old Norse mythological idea of the ‘valkyrie’. It is detailed and covers the four common Valkyrie characteristics compared to the four common characteristics of the LoTR women.
The eleventh essay explores the idea of speech, silence, and role in relation to Eowyn.
The twelfth essay is rather short and odd. It compares the idea of ‘carnival’ (cultural and social norms being suspended) in The Lord of the Rings to the same idea in Shakesepare’s The Twelfth Night, and explores the ‘masks’ that female characters wear.
The thirteenth and final essay is also very brief, and talks about the role of fanfiction in the lives of women Tolkien readers.
The strengths of this book are many. Most of the chapters are written in such a very engaging way, and are very informative and exciting to a dedicated Tolkien fan such as myself. I learned much in this book and it opened my eyes to a lot of nuance and ideas that I would never have noticed or thought of myself. There are some great lines and points made in this book. I especially enjoyed the focus on Galadriel and the feminine principle/idea. I loved reading about various tropes, archetypes, and ideas in relation to Lord of the Rings.
However, for all its strengths, this book has many issues as well. Many of the chapters, especially the first, can be dull and pedantic. Much of it is academic and scholarly in nature and talks about things (namely mythology) that the average person would have little to no knowledge of. We get rather ridiculous statements such as “it becomes clear that her body is not beside the point but is the point”, and sometimes this book is not nearly as self-aware as I would like it to be. Many of the points made are somewhat of a stretch, and sometimes the chapters contradict each other. These problems, however, are somewhat to be expected from a collection of essays with varied authors and opinions. My main issue with the book is its last chapter. I do not have an issue with fanfiction, but rather how the author of the essay about it viewed it and what examples she chose. Ironically, the best of all the fanfiction that the essay mentioned is the author’s own work. The rest is very cliched, inappropriate, or both. I have no idea why the author, out of all the good fanfiction out there, chose the works she did. It was a very odd chapter to end the book with.
Overall, I found Perilous and Fair:Women in the Works and Life of JRR Tolkien to be an informative, entertaining book. It had numerous flaws, but overall I really enjoyed reading it and would recommend it to a devout Tolkien fan.

[Rachel Howell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a compilation of essays written by different authors about different aspects of the women in and around Tolkien.

It was interesting to learn more about his relationship with his aunt and those with his female students and how sporting he was of them in a time when women had and were ostracised from academia.
I found insightful aspects within each essay. Including definitions of the masculine and feminine characteristics, how Tolkien uses these in his characters and that the most Noble or complete characters are those that inhibit both or find duality with another creating the necessary balance.

Some of the most enjoyable reads had to be the essays pertaining to the female characters in his works. Ones focusing solely on Galadriel, Éowyn, Luthien, and Nienna.

[Mona · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great overview of the scholary development of feminist analysis and reading of Tolkien. Some of it is, of course, very obviously a product of the time it was written in, but it was still fascinating to see how feminist studies around Tolkien have developed.

[Annika Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only a great book on Tolkien’s gender structures in specific, but a great book on gender in a larger sense.

[Nerine Dorman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly have no idea who put me onto Perilous and Fair: Women in the Works and Life of JRR Tolkien (edited by Janet Brennan Croft and Leslie A Donovan) but it's proved to be one of my reading highlights for the year so far. If you're reading this review right now, thank you.

Those who know me well, will know that JRR Tolkien has always been my first love in fantasy, so to delve into this selection of essays that re-examines the role of women in the works was an absolute treat.

Everyone who's read The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings will know that there aren't that many female characters central to the story. We have Arwen, Eowyn, the lady Galadriel... And unless you've read the Silmarillion, you most likely won't pull up that many more names for female characters in Middle-earth.

I believe the selection of essays in Perilous and Fair, however, redeems Tolkien to a large extent. While the three primary characters I've mentioned are not front and centre in terms of the narrative in the novels, they are, however, not without agency, and each is examined, along with others, such as Lúthien Tinúviel, in terms of their power, and especially how male and female power differ and complement each other in Tolkien's Middle-earth.

Through this collection of essays, I've also come to see Tolkien himself in a different light – as a man who though a product of his time and environment, was nonetheless quite progressive in terms of his attitudes towards women (and their education) when compared to peers such as CS Lewis.

A nice touch was also the acknowledgement of the transformative aspects of fanfiction, and its contribution to the fandom as a whole – and a re-envisioning of the world from the perspectives of a woman's experiences within the setting.

[Nicholas Whyte · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2591385.html#cutid3

The relative invisibility of women in Tolkien's works is perhaps the most jarring aspect of them to a twenty-first century reader. As Una McCormack points out in the last of these essays, quoting an unnamed conference participant, there are more named horses than named women in The Lord of the Rings. These essays prove that you can write thought-provoking stuff about the flaws in the work you love. Though the case for Tolkien's defence can be made robustly, and John Rateliffe recounts his career of being considerably more active and enthusiastic about educating women (including Mary Renault) than was the norm for his day, C.S. Lewis being a sad counter example. There are a number of other very interesting essays, of which I particularly enjoyed Una McCormack's closing piece on fan fiction and Cami Agan's thoughts on Lúthien and bodily desire. I'm afraid there are a couple of silly pieces as well, one about Valkyries and the other about Éowyn, Twelfth Night and Carnival, but the majority of these are very interesting. (And the last footnote to Robin Reid's introductory bibliographic essay is heart-breaking.)

[Rowan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had barely been published when I was working on an essay involving Galadriel and Ungoliant, and it turned out to be indispensable. It's actually pretty difficult to track down a lot of Tolkien scholarship that isn't written by Tom Shippey or focusing on his relationship with Christianity and CS Lewis, especially if said articles focus on less popular or more unusual topics. I was having very little luck even with interlibrary loans or finding further leads. Not only does this book re-print some really great, fundamental articles in the studies of women in Tolkien, but the beginning gives so many more suggestions of others with the bibliographic essay. And of course, some of the essays are showing their age, using dated feminist rhetoric or overly binary and biological based definitions of gender, among other things, but they are still useful as counterpoints or references to where the research has come from. I purchased a copy for myself and ordered one for the school library, because I can't be the only one dying for these kinds of resources.

[Gretchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew when I saw this book that it would be either amazing or a total angry feminist flop. Fortunately, it was amazing. Twelve out of the fourteen essays were home runs, each treating the characters and the Professor with high regard and a clear desire to explore the complexity of Tolkien’s women.

Though this may not be a five star read to a casual reader, it would be for any Tolkien fan—male or female. The authors take close looks at a variety of characters and texts, digging deep into the stories first to make broader connections. The result was a delightful opportunity to think about and examine key figures throughout Tolkien’s legendarium. While Galadriel and Eowyn certainly took the spotlight, I appreciated that the authors looked beyond to see the active contributions that many other key females provided in the history of Middle Earth.

I greatly enjoyed the essays that involved Luthien, especially the one that addressed how she was physically active in her contributions, which does not always fit Tolkien’s mold.

Poor Eowyn is perhaps the most debated and still most misunderstood heroine. While I enjoyed the essays surrounding her character and actions and found great value in them, I was surprised by what people AREN’T saying about her. First, just because a particular role isn’t valued in today’s culture doesn’t mean it wasn’t valued in other cultures. Therefore, what we might label as roles of “subjection” might actually be quite honorable in a context beyond our own familiar experience. Second, (and one author did hint at this—but only hinted) Eowyn was in a position of being abused and manipulated—as was Rohan as a whole. Then, as soon as that threat is removed, her country goes to war, and she finds herself responsible for all the people. That’s a lot to process, aside from crossing paths with the Quest. In many ways, I believe she is a mirror of the country of Rohan—depressed and imprisoned; freed to immediate weighty responsibility; victorious in the face of death and annihilating; then faced with how to rebuild.

[Mitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best article: "At Home and Abroad: Éowyn's Two Fold Figuring as War Bride in The Lord of the Rings." I loved the central argument, and the author supported all of her claims really well. I'm totally convinced that Tolkien drew inspiration from WWI war brides in his characterization of Éowyn now!

Worst article: "The Fall and Repentance of Galadriel." It's a shame because Galadriel is one of my favorite Tolkien characters, and I was really looking forward to an article that mapped out her journey through the years. However, there really wasn't a central argument being made here, and the few arguments that were made were pretty flimsy and unsupported.

[Annelise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this collection of essays on women in Tolkien's books to be more academic than I hoped for. There were a few that I found quite engaging, but most of them were very scholarly in ways I couldn't appreciate. Overall, the concepts presented were cool and I appreciate that someone thought this topic worth writing about. An enlightening read, though maybe have a degree in medieval literature first?

[Corey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perilous and Fair is a collection of essays addressing Tolkien's treatment of women. While none of the authors argue that he was a feminist, they all suggest that his views on women were much more progressive than traditionally assumed. I'm happy to have read this book, or maybe I'm happy this book exists, for a few reasons. First, it's serious Tolkien scholarship, and after too many years of critics dismissing Tolkien's works as escapism for nerds or as fluff, Tolkien is finally getting the credit he is due as an author, and not just as a scholar and translator. Second, the essays are well written and, while I didn't completely agree with all of them, I really appreciated the perspectives of the authors, as well as the introduction to some aspects of feminism that I wasn't privy to. Finally, as a die-hard militant feminist, and a serious geek, I've really struggled to reconcile my adoration for Tolkien (while in college, my mother once seriously asked if I knew that Hobbits aren't real) with what I felt was a lack of strong or even interesting female characters. In fact, there's one line in the last essay that spoke to me in particular for the above reason: "As a woman reader and writer, I often find myself in the position of explaining that I love Tolkien despite... Despite the absence of women, despite the late Victorian/Edwardian aspects of the ones that are there, despite the uneasy racialization of Orcs and Númenóreans, despite the hierarchical social structures, despite all of this, I continue to love The Lord of the Rings, returning to it yearly (at least) to derive comfort and pleasure from it and from the friends I have made..." (Una McCormack). That pretty much sums it up for me, except I would add the Haradrim, Púkel men, and Southrons to the list of peoples that I am uncomfortable with Tolkien's racialization of (I think you can get a pretty good view of the racial differences between the good guys and the bad guys from Peter Jackson's version of The Two Towers, in which the Haradrim and Southrons look like they might be Persian, Arab, or from the Indian subcontinent, though they were most likely Maori, given the filming location. Peter Jackson tried to feminize the movie to a degree, but he definitely kept in the racial elements). I would be very interested to read a scholarly treatment of that subject. One of the authors in Perilous and Fair did try to argue that Men are grouped according to their closeness (in terms of physical proximity) to Valinor and the Valar, with even the Rohirrim as a lesser, more primitive race in contrast to Gondor as the heir to Númenor, but one cannot ignore that the bad guys are dark and the good guys are white. That is not the subject of this book, however, so onward...
Some of the essays appealed to me more than others, and some definite standouts were The Feminine Principle in Tolkien, by Melanie Rawls, At Home and Abroad: Eowyn's Two-Fold Figuring as War Bride in The Lord of the Rings, by Melissa Smith, and The Valkyrie Reflex in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings: Galadriel, Shelob, Eowyn, and Arwen, by Leslie A. Donovan. Rawls' work opened to me an argument in feminism that I have been having internally, but wasn't previously aware of in terms of formal theory, namely, the degree to which femininity and masculinity are actually intrinsic, and not socialized. I assumed we (the feminists, as though we are one monolithic block who think with a hive mind) have been laboring under the assumption that gender was socialized, and that's why we've been so obsessed with which toys we give girls and boys and with wearing pants. Rawls' essential argument is that the femininine and masculine principles are equal in Tolkien's works, and the best (most successful) characters display a balance of the two principles, whereas the tragically flawed ones are unbalanced. Smith's treatment of the war bride phenomenon was fascinating as a view into Tolkien and Edith's early life together, and into the impact of war on personal relationships. Lastly, Donovan's discussion of Valkyries appealed to me primarily because, due to my obsession with Tolkien, I've developed a fascination with early Germanic literature, and am looking to expand far beyond Beowulf, and Sigurd and Gudrun.
I don't feel that any of the authors addressed the four instances of marriage between unequals in Tolkien's works, namely Melian and Thingol, Lúthien and Beren, Idril Celebrindal and Tuor, and Arwen and Aragorn. Why is it that only the female Elves (and Melian) will "marry down"? There are no male Elves or Maiar who spy a woman or Elf that they are smitten with and marry. My interpretation has always been that it was because Tolkien viewed women as slightly less, so the step from Maiar to Elf or Elf to Man wasn't so significant for a female. Also, physical beauty clearly plays a significant role, and no mortal could be pretty enough to attract a male Elf. I would like to see a treatment of that subject.
All in all, not an easy read, but very good and very enlightening. I would recommend this book if you're the sort of person who is already very much stuck in the weeds on Tolkien.

[Jenna Kass · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this collection of papers. Even when there was a premise I perhaps did not entirely agree with, I found myself fascinated with the thinking of each of these authors. Overall fascinating, enriching, and inspiring.

[Sue Bridgwater · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brief Review of Perilous and Fair: Women in the Works and Life of J.R.R. Tolkien
Edited by Janet Brennan Croft and Leslie A. Donovan
Mythopoeic Press 2015: ISBN 9781887726016

This is an outstanding book, one that will prove as significant a turning point in the study of women in Tolkien’s life and writing as Jason Fisher’s Tolkien and the study of his sources has proved to be in the question of the value and necessity of source studies.

In Perilous and Fair, the editors have drawn together fourteen essays; seven are described as classic and have been reprinted from earlier publications, in order to draw together seminal ideas and scholarship on the topic. Seven are new and are published here for the first time. ‘Central to these articles is a consistent recognition that, although Tolkien’s fiction undeniably contains many more male than female characters, women fulfil essential, rather than merely supportive, roles in Middle-earth and in his life.’ (3)

The first of the new articles is placed at the beginning of the volume; Robin Anne Reid’s ‘The history of Scholarship on female Characters in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Legendarium: a Feminist Bibliographic Essay.’ This is an invaluable survey and assessment of the situation to date, and shows the increase in the number of works focusing on the issue of the female in Tolkien (a number certain to increase as this book provides scholars with insight and information.)

This is a brief personal review and I therefore don’t intend to provide an assessment of each individual essay. There are five sections covering the following topics;
• Historical perspectives
• Power of gender
• Specific characters
• Earlier literary contexts
• Women readers

I can’t think when I last read a collections of essays in which each one was as interesting, inspiring and readable as these; I found it as un-put-downable as any engrossing story. Some Tolkienists will of course have made an instant bee-line for this title; I would urge all others to do the same, whether you think you are interested in the topic or not; you will certainly be so after reading it.

To close, a quotation from Anna Smol, as printed on the back cover of the volume;

‘An invaluable book that should put to rest persistent clichés about women in Tolkien’s work and life...’

[Books from Faeries · Rating 5 out of 5]

“𝘛𝘰𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘦𝘯'𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘧𝘪𝘭 𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭, 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘔𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘭𝘦 𝘌𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦”.

- Janet Brennan Croft & Leslie A. Donovan.

This book is amazing because it contains different articles, on female characters, Tolkien's portrayal of women, and his relationship with women in life. And it marvellous debunks the myth that Tolkien's books were only meant for men!!! Absolutely no! The first readers of The Hobbit were women, in fact. It also debunks the silly idea that Tolkien's women are always written as if they were on a pedestal.

The articles are carefully researched, being famous, and respectable, names in Tolkien's studies. Some are more scholarly-like, others are more humourous but not less serious! It was published by Mythopoetic Press.

This book is amazing and a must-read for anyone interested in Tolkien's works. It proves that critics are wrong. Female characters are present in his works, they are there, they are not the protagonist of the stories but they stand out with exceptional qualities that are revolutionary for Tolkien's time and literary circle.



[ Photo is mine and originally published in my bookstagram ᛒᚠ @booksfromfaeries Instagram ]

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perilous and Fair: Women in the Works and Life of J. R. R. Tolkien is a collection of essays, by mostly women scholars, examining various representations of women in Tolkien's writing on his created world, Middle-earth. Divided into five sections – historical perspectives, power of gender, specific characters, earlier literary contexts and women readers – the book works well as an introduction to the discussion of feminism and female characters in Tolkien's works.

As one expects with any collection of essays, there are some that are more interesting than others. The first essay, "The History of Scholarship on Female Characters in J. R. R. Tolkien's Legendarium: A Feminist Bibliographic Essay", was dull but necessary. The second essay, by the sole (?) male contributor, "The Missing Women: J. R. R. Tolkien's Lifelong Support for Women's Higher Education", seemed rough and its arguments ill-formed. The rest, however, were all interesting and shone new light on Tolkien himself and his representations of women and gender.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an excellent contribution to the scholarly study of the role and importance of women in the works of Tolkien. The writing is clear and level-headed, and the editing is thorough and professional. Every article is good, and several are exceptional. There's a lot of fine work here, which will repay the scrutiny of fan, student, and scholar.

[Oshun · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very useful. It grew on me.

[Norbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some essays are really interesting: other less so