Monstrous or fantastical creatures have often bee standins in stories for the wrong kind, or inferior kind, or other kind of people. The idea that moral or ethical sensibilities are dependent on superficial characteristics or typology is prongs from a deep well of racism and prejudice. Even we don’t call it directly racist, it’s very closely relate to racist notions.
Even when he was writing “history”, I believe he was far more influenced by the Icelandic Sagas and perhaps the Kalevala or even the Iliad, than what is conventionally thought of as history. Heroic history, one could say.
I think he did describe individual Elves as being pale. Pretty sure Luthien was whiter-than-white, and I want to say Elrond and Galadriel as well? I seem to have misplaced all my Tolkien books at the moment, so I can’t give you a cite.
What’s fantastic about it? I mean, I get the double entendre, but I don’t accept the first meaning.
And I don’t think I understand the question.
Fantasy and science fiction often use their settings a as a backdrop to discuss human issues. Alien species are often a stand in for other cultures and peoples. So it is not a far stretch to consider them as analogs to human races. It’s not necessarily the intent of the authors, but it can be perceived that way.
One troubling aspect of that is how these alien/fantasy species are portrayed as monolithic and simple. Dwarves/Ferengi are greedy. Elves are noble. Klingons are untrustworthy. It is like saying humans are all peaceful explorers who want to help the less fortunate and spread happiness. There’s not breath of variety. And that could feed ideas that different human races are separate monolithic identities.
That’s how they were portrayed in LOTR, but in *The Hobbit *, they didn’t come across so noble.
That’s an interesting thought worthy of consideration. We humans are taking animals and ascribing human characteristics to them, but using some concept of their “nature” as animals to color our choices of whether they are good or evil. This allows us to tell interesting stories that relate to human experience. But we are presenting these stories to our children, and they don’t have the same understanding and filters as adults. Are they getting a subconscious message about the nature of judging people?
There’s no question about that. Racists have explicitly made that analogy.
Likewise in the Silmarillion and other Middle-earth tales. There are some seriously asshole characters among the Elves, even in the most “elite” lineages.
In the Silmarillion, Noldor Elves can be greedy (see the sons of Feänor) cruels ( as in hunting Humans for sport) , selfish and paranoid ( almost every King) and downright murderous, even towards other Noldors.
Dwarves and Humans have their share too.
The influence of Morgoth is enough to corrupt/turn some of them.
In the second age, Sauron crafts the Rings, misleading Elves, Dwarves and Humans alike, leading to the fall of the mightiest empire ever see.
In the third age, Sauron came back, when the free peoples are weakier than ever.
There is no wonder that the surviving Elves and the more savy of the Humans and Dwarves in the third age have a sense of inevitable doom, therefore seeing the Hobbits as a fragile but precious bubble.
I think Tolkien portrays Hobbits not as weak or innocent or naive, but as “salt of the earth” types: usually not heroic but enduring, and embodying the worthwhile activities of everyday life that ultimately are what all the turmoil and struggle are for. In a sense, the whole thing was so at the end Sam could go home to his wife and raise a family in peace.
And he said the dwarf women also had beards so it could be hard to tell them apart.