Tolkien-Based Fanfic and Historical Bias

[dawn_felagund]

As some of you may know, I am presenting a paper in about a month's time at the New York Tolkien Conference. The paper will concern how we writers of Tolkien-based fanfic use the historical bias suggested in his books as an inspiration for our stories. Here is the abstract from the NYTC website:

In 1992, Alex Lewis presented a paper at the J.R.R. Tolkien Centenary Conference in Oxford, England, in which he made the argument that Tolkien’s Silmarillion was constructed to reflect the political biases of the fictional chronicler of the text: Elrond. Lewis shows that characters affiliated with Elrond tend to receive more treatment in the text, and their actions are cast in a positive light, whereas characters outside of Elrond’s lineage—Lewis focuses specifically on the Fëanorians—receive relatively little coverage of their positive actions and tend to be depicted negatively by the narrator.

Lewis’s findings have been almost wholly ignored by Tolkien scholars, despite the implications of his findings for how The Silmarillion could be read as a work of history therefore subject to historiological considerations. However, another group that deeply reads, studies, and analyzes Tolkien’s texts has not only made a similar observation as Lewis but has acted, often significantly, upon those observations: writers of Tolkien-based transformative fiction, or fan fiction. Preliminary survey results show that this group is deeply committed to the study of Tolkien’s world in order to write fiction set in that world. These writers often express a desire to explore the perspectives of characters either ignored or maligned in the texts and sometimes write with the explicit purpose of righting the historical record where misrepresented characters are concerned.

This paper will consider how Tolkien’s construction of historical bias in his books influences the creation of transformative fiction based on those books. Lewis claims that part of the reason The Silmarillion is so compelling is because it mirrors the complexity of real-world history, including in the presence of political bias. The types of fan fiction being written about Tolkien’s books and the often inverse relationship between the characters Tolkien emphasized and the characters fan fiction authors write about suggests that the presence of political bias in the texts is a driving force behind the creation of transformative works. Fan fiction writers often view Tolkien’s books as historical texts and their own role as providing alternative texts within the historical record, using subtextual and intertextual analyses to construct stories that offer alternative readings consist with Tolkien’s larger canon. Finally, this activity suggests that Tolkien was successful, despite his doubts, in creating what he termed in a letter to Milton Waldman "vast backcloths" of myth and history that would inspire other creators.

I am hoping my fellow writers can help me with gathering some information for my paper.

1) If you consider historical bias (the fact that the in-universe narrators of the books might have made mistakes, slanted the stories to present a particular character/group in a particular light, or even outright lied) when writing your stories, please let me know!

2) I am interested in any recommendations of stories and authors who do this: who offer alternative readings of the texts on the basis that the in-universe narrator could not have known everything, might have made mistakes, or might have distorted facts or lied.

3) And finally, I am interested in any meta that considers these topics.

I have many ideas of stories and authors, of course, but I'd like to offer a broader example than just those I'm familiar with. Also, any Tolkien-based fanfic--not just Silmfic--is welcome. Comments are open here, or you can email me at DawnFelagund@gmail.com or PM me in the usual places.

Comments

[independence1776]

Elrond is the chronicler?! Color me shocked.

1) I only tend to do this with LotR, and only to the extent that the Hobbits don't know everything and have a limited knowledge of the world outside of the Shire. As far as the Silm goes, I don't consider it at all except in the general "the victors write history" sense, and even that doesn't really affect my fic. So I don't have much of anything to say about this.

3) You have free rein to use my LACE meta.

[dawn_felagund]

Thank you! :)

Bilbo is the actual writer, but Elrond is the most likely source of the information Bilbo used to write the Silm, so his biases are the ones conveyed (according to Lewis). Let me know if you want the article; I have it in PDF form.

I haven't written an Fan Fics yey

[jaredmith.livejournal.com]

But this is a theme I'd like to explore.

Lewis for all the criticism he gets did depicts the Calmorleon culture as having positive traits, especially in Horse and his Boy. It might be interesting to draw some inspiration from there for telling a story from the POV of Rhun.

RE: I haven't written an Fan Fics yey

[dawn_felagund]

We're talking about different Lewises! :) Alex Lewis is the author of the paper I'm using for my presentation. Much as I like C.S. Lewis's writings on medieval literature, I've never been able to get through the whole Narnia series ...

[febobe.livejournal.com]

I can't say I've tackled this, but it makes me want to try something using it...wow. :)

So, I wonder, if Frodo is the author of LOTR, what biases would he have? Frodo doesn't strike me as one to portray himself in an overly positive light, and certainly one would imagine that if he were doing so he might have come up with a "nobler" explanation for how his finger was amputated. I'm curious what others think might be Frodo's potential biases other than "hobbits are vital and important and good," which does (of course) make sense....

-Febobe :)

[jaredmith.livejournal.com]

I've always wondered why The Hobbit prefers Goblin while LOTR prefer Orc. Because the Explanation at the beginning of The Hobbit says Orc is what the Hobbits usually call them.

I guess Bilbo never expecting his Memoirs be of much interest to his own kind. But after the Scouring Frodo knew The Shire would want to read the tale.

[ladyelleth.livejournal.com]

Oh, goodness. I feel like I'm really not smart enough for this discussion, and I'm pretty wary of kicking loose a wank avalanche since I don't hold with a lot of readings (particularly parts of the tumblr crowd, and I don't know whether or not they check here), so I'll not waste your time with attempting a response - but Himring brought up an interesting point about historiographic bias and the author's own that I like very much. It's not meta per se, "just" a review on SWG, but I think it might be very relevant to your topic, http://www.silmarillionwritersguild.org/archive/home/reviews.php?type=ST&item=2328 (here).

[dawn_felagund]

I wish you would "waste [my] time" (assuming you want to) and also that you wouldn't dismiss yourself so easily. You're more than smart enough for this or any Tolkien discussion.

Thank you for the link! That is exactly what I'm talking about. :)

[karri-kln1671.livejournal.com]

I write about Thranduil and his Wood-elves because it seems to me that they were tossed aside as unimportant to the history of Middle-earth on the written works because they weren't Noldor, and therefore hardly worth mentioned (or giving a ring to or inviting to the White Council) despite their role in the important events of Middle-earth. Add to that that they are oft maligned in fanfiction, it all makes me feel it necessary to give them a positive voice.

[dawn_felagund]

Thank you! I see your fanfic is linked on your LJ, so I will definitely check it out. :)

And unrelated to the project, but I totally agree and hope to cover the insignificant role certain groups of characters are assigned, for the reasons you give (and also that they were possibly not literate--or as literate--and so their histories would not have been as accessible to Bilbo, who was working in the Rivendell library).

[lindahoyland.livejournal.com]

I tend to accept Tolkien's "history" as "truth" but I have written about good dragons and good people from Harad.It sounds an interesting topic, good luck!

[dawn_felagund]

Thank you!

The quandary with deciding what is "canon" (or "fact") is that JRRT's use of in-universe narrators is also a fact. And his consideration of their bias: also a fact. :)

[dreamflower]

Generally speaking, for me most of the time I am writing from a hobbit's POV, and for the most part, they are accepting the truth of the story. Part of the challenge for me in writing most fic is in making story-internal explanations of some things that need clarifying or to be filled in.

This doesn't mean I think everything must be accepted as "right". For example, I make it clear that Merry and Pippin, and Sam as well, disagree with Aragorn about the Edict

I also explore differing outcomes when I write AU stories.

One thing that's been fun has been exploring the completely differing world-views of Bilbo and Sauron in the story pandemonium_213 and I have been writing together.

[pandemonium-213.livejournal.com]

[Dark Muse] Just popping in to a) thank you for comment; and b) note that I have not discarded or forgotten about this! My gaoler and I are chained with the shackles of work for a while yet. Regards to Mr. Baggins. [/Dark Muse]

[avanti-90.livejournal.com]

I write about the people who were left behind in Valinor, who are, obviously, left out of the narrative altogether, but who I think must have had an equally interesting journey. You're welcome to use my Finarfin essay if you wish.

One of my main problems in reading the Silm has always been that the Valar's decisions seem contradictory and confusing, and I'm toying with the idea that this might be because the Valar were misrepresented by resentful Exiled historians. (One could also take the opposite view and imagine that the Valar/Maiar were more evil than they seemed, and historians tried to gloss over that fact - perhaps because Elrond was descended from a Maia?) But I haven't taken this anywhere yet.

[dawn_felagund]

Thank you!

One could also take the opposite view and imagine that the Valar/Maiar were more evil than they seemed, and historians tried to gloss over that fact - perhaps because Elrond was descended from a Maia?

I played with that idea in my Tolkien-Lovecraft crossover "Hastaina." I think the Ainur are going to be a quandary no matter what: subject not only to bias but also to misunderstanding, since they operate so differently metaphysically from Elves and mortals. Can an Elven or mortal historian ever really get at the "truth" behind what they say and do? I'm not sure they can.

[samtyr.livejournal.com]

This is more trivia than anything but I was always intrigued by the fact that it was Sam who was singing the Fall of Gil-galad. Iirc, he also told Aragorn (Strider) that Bilbo was the one who taught it to him. I can't remember how much of the song Sam knew or was taught but I've often wondered if Bilbo chose Sam for any particular reason or if Sam just happened along at the right time.

My fics are scattered and I don't think I have any that deal with meta.

[dreamflower]

As Sam's teacher, I can see Bilbo also teaching him songs and recitations. These were usually part of any education back in the day when people had to rely on themselves and the friends or family for entertainment. My mother and aunt went to school in the 1920s-30s, and I can recall being fascinated by the number of really long poems they could recite by heart, and even my dad who was less educated, knew "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere".

[jaredmith.livejournal.com]

Also, my writing style is very Meta in general, but probably not in the way your thinking. Like how Paul Feval's works are Meta.

[dawn_felagund]

I am talking about meta in the sense that fandom understands the term.

[talullahred.livejournal.com]

1) If you consider historical bias (the fact that the in-universe narrators of the books might have made mistakes, slanted the stories to present a particular character/group in a particular light, or even outright lied) when writing your stories, please let me know!
I do! I've written several fics where I explore one historical detail by giving it another explanation or consequences. It's never full-bloom AU and normally it's marginal to the story - when several other authors explicitly make it the center of the story they are telling. I don't write long author's notes (I rarely write them at all) so a lot of the meta that went on in my head is translated quite subtly.

2) I am interested in any recommendations of stories and authors who do this: who offer alternative readings of the texts on the basis that the in-universe narrator could not have known everything, might have made mistakes, or might have distorted facts or lied.
I read a lot of fic like that - love it! - but I'm drawing a blank now. Also, it depends on how far you want to go into the reinterpretation. For instance, Uldor (http://archiveofourown.org/works/3817117) by Himring, explores the whole Easterling dynamics without changing one thing in the outcome, but bringing in understanding (and a measure of compassion toward Uldor) of how the clans might see the Elves differently, their views coloured by their leader's personalities and experiences.

Children of Lindórinand by Darth Fingon, for which I can't find a working link, does the same - the story doesn't change the grander scheme of things - but goes a step further than shedding light on the circumstances of those who did not write the history books and bringing the reader to compassion - it turns the tables and makes us reconsider the actions (possibly well-meant but horribly callous) of beloved characters like Galadriel and Celeborn.

I was looking at my Delicious account and I realized I could go on and on with the examples - it's my favourite kind of story, actually. There is one, by Elleth, where Nienor survives the fall on the river - totally up there with the whole narrator-doesn't-know-everything line.

3) And finally, I am interested in any meta that considers these topics.
Sorry, can't help you there. While I love stories that translate their authors' analysis I don't like meta per se. Actually, I mostly loathe it, even when it's not too far off from my own interpretation.

[dawn_felagund]

1) You sound a lot like me! :) I use "the texts as historical works" quite a bit in a variety of subtle and not-so-subtle ways in my stories too (hence the interest). And I generally avoid author's notes, which ruin part of the fun for me, kind of like seeing the secret behind a magic trick. (For the same reason, I'm not a fan of "head canon.")

2) Thank you for the links and suggestions! :)

without changing one thing in the outcome

For me, this type of story works best when the outcome doesn't change (i.e., when the story doesn't turn AU). For me, the main point is to see how the same story can be seen differently by different people without excusing misbehavior so much as understanding it. It's what initially attracted me to the Feanorians, and I often imagine the stories I write as how The Silmarillion might have gone if one of their loremasters (vs. Pengolodh) had been the one to write it.

[talullahred.livejournal.com]

Btw, great to see you working on another paper - be sure to share!

[dawn_felagund]

I will! :) A video will be up on YouTube, and I will put a print copy up on my account at Academia.edu.

[hhimring]

There's Clotho's article on LaCE as well as Indy's.

For LOTR, I feel sure I've seen Rhymer doing this--but would need to have a look to see which stories exactly.

I'll need to think about it--it's a pervasive theme and some writers and stories do it subtly, while others do it more explicitly.

Perhaps you might find my "Shades of Optimism" interesting. No major claims for it as story--just that it's fairly clear on what it's doing and quite succinct.

[dawn_felagund]

Thank you! I'll be looking at quite a few of your stories, I suspect, as you were one of the authors on my mental list to go back and reread when looking for examples.

[anna-wing.livejournal.com]

The only fic(let) where I have ever deliberately tried to address an anomaly is one where Sam confesses that describing Cirdan as being old and having a long beard was a slip of the pen and he meant to say 'Gandalf' instead.

Otherwise I have written a couple of fics about First Age Easterlings, which don't change anything in the books but expand a bit on culture and motivation. I didn't assume in-world bias exactly, since obviously the inhabitants of Beleriand could not be expected to like a people invading their country on behalf of a Dark Lord.
http://archiveofourown.org/works/1618364 "The Choice of Life"
http://archiveofourown.org/works/1609235 "Before Thangorodrim:The Last Fall of Himring"

[dawn_felagund]

Thank you! All of those sound like approaches I'm interested in for my paper. :)

[esteliel.livejournal.com]

I listened to a paper at a Tolkien conference a couple years ago that I think partly touched on this as well? It would have been published in Hither Shore, though I'm not sure if I have that volume at home; let me check and I'll get back to you. (Though iirc she cited you as well so for all I know you might be aware of it already.)

Edit: it's actually online here: http://www.academia.edu/11613702/Fan_Fiction_as_Criticism :)

[pandemonium-213.livejournal.com]

Wow! Thanks so much for sharing that paper, Esteliel. It's a very nice analysis of Tolkien fan fic as critique. And I must confess that I am astonished (and wildly flattered) to see my ficcish hackery noted by someone no less than Renée Vink! At least I'm assuming she is this Renée Vink (http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Ren%C3%A9e_Vink).

[angelica-ramses.livejournal.com]

The first thought that came to me was about Mother and Daughter by Deborah Judge (we have it the Library of Tirion). She quotes HoMe:

...nearly all the matter of The Silmarillion is contained in myths and legends that have passed through Men's hands and minds, and are (in many points) plainly influenced by contact and confusion with the myths, theories, and legends of Men. (HoME 12 p390, footnote 17)

and proceeds to tell the "true" story of M&F based on Elrond's corrections of mannish scribes' mistakes and preconceptions.

*rushes to work* *will think some more later*

[dawn_felagund]

Oooh! This is a brilliant example! Thank you so much. :)

[periantari.livejournal.com]

That's such an amazing topic and i actually took a Tolkien course that spoke about how historical bias affects the author. Did you take Robin Reid's class last year? It was all about context and when and where Tolkien wrote his works that affects his writing. And was also about reception theory which is so interesting.
More thoughts later-- at lunch break. ;)

[dawn_felagund]

I did not take her class (because I didn't know about it) but I cited her in my last Tolkien fandom paper and am familiar enough with her work to regret missing the class! :D

It's interesting to me that those of us on the fanfic side are often like "well duh" when historical bias is mentioned but, as far as I can tell, this hasn't influenced the scholarly side at all (except for those of us, like Reid, who kind of span both sides).

[lady-lirenel.livejournal.com]

Oak and Willow (https://www.fanfiction.net/s/1285624/1/Oak-and-Willow) by Marnie was one of my first introductions to alternate historical viewpoints. It tells the Silmarillion (particularly the goings on in Doriath) from the Sindarin point of view, specifically Celeborn's (with Galadriel giving the counter-point view). I remember feeling anxious as Celeborn observed the children of Finarfin, knowing what they were hiding.

[dawn_felagund]

This is an excellent example! Thank you so much. :)

[jaredmith.livejournal.com]

I am actually thinking of soon writing a fan fic about a Hobbit discovering a text that conflicts in some areas with what’s in texts Bilbo, Frodo and Sam provided. It will overlap with some of the themes in my recent article.

Also it'll be Meta in that I'll address some of the variations in the Sil material we know about from Morgoth's Ring

[dawn_felagund]

If "soon" is "before June 13," please let me know so I can read it! :)

[drummerwench.livejournal.com]

In general, my work is pretty canon-compliant, but even the 'Wench!verse has some technically AU aspects. I always thought it puzzling that the palantír of Elostirion was sent away West, like a sno-globe of the Golden Gate Bridge being hand-carried from Iowa to San Francisco. In one of my three linked short stories involving Círdan / Hobbits going to the Havens, someone expicitly states that the Hobbits misunderstood about the palantir leaving.

I am with Dreamflower's Hobbits above in thinking the Edict a Bad Idea, and have a couple fics in my head to address that. One day I'll write them...

The only Tolkien-meta I've written is on usage of "thee" and "thou", which doesn't seem applicable here.

[dawn_felagund]

Interesting take on an anomaly, and I love the metaphor! :) I don't think that addressing historical bias has to be AU. Most of my stories assume it and I am not a huge fan of writing AU. (I do have a few, most of which were written for requests over the years.) But the example you gave is a good one for addressing potential errors in the original texts. I'll be sure to check it out--thank you!

[hhimring]

Further thoughts:

Dwimordene: different angle on Haradric religion and Gondor-Harad relations, different angle on the relationship of Valar with elves, revisionist account of Numenor's relations with Middle-earth. Her latest was a very revisionist take on Eol and Aredhel.

Surgical Steel: the Umbarite angle on Numenor and Isildur.

Lintamande, although I wouldn't know how to locate and retrieve the relevant bits from the Tumblr account. But "Paved with Good Intentions", the latest in "The Book of Little Tales" on AO3, seems relevant.

Meisiluosi's WIP on the Easterlings implies this sort of thing without spelling it out (yet).

Some of it can be in the eye of the beholder--the author might think they're just writing a gapfiller, but the reader may read it as gently revisionist...

[dawn_felagund]

Thank you! I very much appreciate all of these. :)

[starbrow.livejournal.com]

Well, I've written Now The Earth Has Stopped Her Tongue (http://archiveofourown.org/works/3541766) about the whole mess between Aredhel and Eol, and the reactions to it - which are quite a variation on what's in the published Silmarillion, and specifically state that there was a deliberate attempt from historians to fudge what happened to Aredhel so as to not admit that rape was a possible thing. I also gave Curufin's words about 'stealing the daughters of the Noldor' to Turgon - it makes much more sense for him to have said them.

[(Anonymous)]

This is great!

What immediately popped into my mind is Tolkien's continuous revision of the character of Galadriel. Over the years, Tolkien changed Galadriel's backstory repeatedly, such as making it ultra-clear she was blameless for the Kinslaying. According to Christopher Tolkien in the History of Middle-Earth books, Tolkien was revising Galadriel's backstory up until his death.

Since she was Elrond's mother-in-law, now I'm wondering when Tolkien began to revise her backstory; did it start after she was cast in the role of Celebrian's mother? I believe her character pre-dates that story line, since Arwen was a late edition. I don't think Arwen existed until Tolkien was in the act of writing LotR, long after he had written drafts for what became The Silmarillion. So I would explore all the references to Galadriel in the History of Middle-Earth series.

--stewardess.dreamwidth.org