An uncharted land: female characters in J.R.R. Tolkein's The Lord of the Rings and related writings
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1993
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Abstract
Earlier versions of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings exist in a multitude of drafts, outlines and scribbled notes. This is a textual archaeology of these many drafts, analyzing how the textual change over time manifests itself in/through the female characters. The focus is on the process of writing rather than the product. Feminist theory of the construction of the self and narratological theory concerning characters and focalization form a backdrop for this analysis. I begin with a discussion of female absence in Tolkien's Middle-earth, then examine the major female characters-Arwen, Eowyn and Galadriel-represented in The Lord of the Rings. The final chapter investigates textual change connected with minor female characters. There is not only a great diversity in character development, but Tolkien also subverts traditional hierarchy in his depictions of women: Lord cannot be pinned down to any concrete position regarding female characters.
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Bibliography: p. 117-121.
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Citation
Hanslip, A. (1993). An uncharted land: female characters in J.R.R. Tolkein's The Lord of the Rings and related writings (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/22761