Heh, I grew up on mythology, and enjoyed the Silmarillion; the Bible would probably have been improved IMO by Chris's editing. Or anyone's editing.
Just going by the Lord of the Rings... I consider the Appendixes part of the work, and they're enough to tell you that the Blood of Numenor kind of messed up on multiple occasions and that's why there's no king in Gondor. And the Samwise/humility subversion of heroic tropes and being on top is in the story. Not sure about the rest, it may play straight. Well, the detailed description of the Shire is IIRC in the *Prologue*, and the Shire seeming the last bastion of untainted, unangsty civilization is in the story.
Even orcs as Evil is slightly subverted by itself; there's plenty of statements where they're said to hate life and beauty, and they're not attractive up close and personal, but they also seem rather human, in an ugly way, up close, and they think elves are backstabby cannibals or something, which makes one wonder about properly informed choices.
I haven't read much Heinlein, but I've heard about redheaded ubercompetent sex kittens who adore the fat wise man. So, sex kittens. OTOH, ubercompetent and not docile in the home, for 1950s America. Or reverse that.
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Date: 2008-08-21 09:19 am (UTC)Just going by the Lord of the Rings... I consider the Appendixes part of the work, and they're enough to tell you that the Blood of Numenor kind of messed up on multiple occasions and that's why there's no king in Gondor. And the Samwise/humility subversion of heroic tropes and being on top is in the story. Not sure about the rest, it may play straight. Well, the detailed description of the Shire is IIRC in the *Prologue*, and the Shire seeming the last bastion of untainted, unangsty civilization is in the story.
Even orcs as Evil is slightly subverted by itself; there's plenty of statements where they're said to hate life and beauty, and they're not attractive up close and personal, but they also seem rather human, in an ugly way, up close, and they think elves are backstabby cannibals or something, which makes one wonder about properly informed choices.
I haven't read much Heinlein, but I've heard about redheaded ubercompetent sex kittens who adore the fat wise man. So, sex kittens. OTOH, ubercompetent and not docile in the home, for 1950s America. Or reverse that.