Tolkien vs Morrison

6 thoughts on “Tolkien vs Morrison”

1. That last point from Kim is super important. Our entire cultural understanding of history and literature can be dramatically warped by one scholar or one scholarly movement. How would Old English lit and history look different without Beowulf? Because without Tolkien’s work, we’d be talking about Beowulf a lot less, or at least a lot differently. This is why it’s important for everyone to put their oar in and talk about these issues.

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2. that is interesting about Grendel and his mother being different races, I wonder what that signified in the story. Also I’m wondering if it directly says that in the text or if she used some other evidence to determine this. It is important to read other scholar’s takeaways from literature in order to grasp a full understanding of the text, but it is a good thing to remember not everyone is going to interpret it the same way; so analyzing two view points is beneficial.

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3. One of the main things that struck me about this post is the idea of different perspectives and analysis. Usually, I think of perspectives as incorporation of ones own opinions or views. So when there’s a critical analysis and examination, is it “fair” to include ones own opinions or views? Or does that further confuse what is being said all together and make it further complex than it may have already been to begin with. It’s also very interesting that you did mention the fact that Morrison’s analysis was more “interesting”. If one can make an analysis of any sort of text, give me advice to do such as well…Considering close readings and analysis’ can be a chore on their own, so to make it fun and interesting? That’s a whole other chore than the original analysis was originally.
   Nice post.

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4. Your second paragraph connected a bit with how I read Beowulf. It depends on the context of race that is being talked about. Race as in species? I pictured that but not necessarily race as a different color which I could understand when the meetings were going on and when I listened to Hodes’s “Orcs, Britons, and the Martial Race Myth.” On your third paragraph, is it limited analysis because of accepted ideas about Beowulf or is it limited because Black scholars don’t talk about it? I honestly don’t remember, I can’t even remember if I read Kim’s “The Question of Race in Beowulf”. I think I did but at this point I’ve forgotten more than I’ll ever remember.

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5. I always enjoy scholarly responses and takeaways. Personally, it really helps me understand the deeper meanings of stories and literature that I never could’ve come up with on my own. I never would’ve considered that Grendel and his mother are different races, which honestly makes me want to re-read the whole thing. It completely throws me off of how I originally interpreted the story. I also wonder where she got this interpretation from, but that’s why I love people smarter than me; they always pick up on stuff I missed. I think your last point is super important, it’s crucial to consider all perspectives and points of view; regardless of the author’s background.

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6. You may be asking yourself why am I commenting on a post that already has 5 comments and was made on Nov 4. The answer is that you do bring up a really good point that allows a deeper understanding of the text if they didn’t read the extra reading that was included for the week. Its interesting that Tolkien homed in on white England when his most popular texts are about nature and the destruction of it. Orcs are man destroying nature to pave the way for industry. Its amazing to think that authors of those time periods can paint these pictures of these real world modern day problems. Thanks btw, I have too reread Beowulf over break to see if the Grendel race thing alters the text. It probably will.

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