Heroism in Lord of the Rings, its Character Structures, and Aragorn's Relationship to Strider

My response to a conversation on Twitter regarding heroism, its conceit, and Aragorn's relationship to Strider (see Stina Leicht's post.)

Heroism is one of the most unifying themes in fantasy literature.  Even those stories that reject it do so in recognition of it.  This tradition begins with Joseph W. Campbell's monomyth, a term borrowed from James Joyce's Finnegan's Wake, that he expanded on in his 1949 treatise The Hero with a Thousand Faces.  In this seminal text he sets out what the hero's journey is:

A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.

If this is the accepted definition of The Hero, and I would argue that it is, who then is The Hero of J.R.R. Tolkein's Lord of the Rings?  By my estimation there are four candidates -- Frodo, Samwise, Gollum, and Aragorn -- and only one answer.  Aragorn.

While Frodo and Samwise are heroic hobbits, neither are The Hero of the story.  In the end, Frodo yields to the ring, putting it on his finger in triumph instead of casting it into the pit.  Only through Gollum's intervention is the ring destroyed.  This failure doesn't diminish the trials Frodo suffered, but it invalidates him as The Hero.  Likewise, Samwise does not bear the burden that Frodo does, despite his attempts to share it.

Obviously, an argument exists that there are many types of heroes, both in literature and reality, beyond that proscribed by Campbell.  I would agree, and I think there's a case to be made that Frodo, Samwise, Gollum, even Arwen, are part of Tolkein's heroic conceit.  However, under Campbell's definition, The Hero is Aragorn.  He consciously chooses to set forth from a common world into a conflict with supernatural forces.  He wins a decisive victory and returns to his people with the power to set right the wrongs wrought by Sauron's influence on the world.

From a structural perspective, Tolkein wrote his series with two protagonists who operate independently of one another beginning mid-way through The Fellowship of the Ring until the series' conclusion.  Frodo and Aragorn drive the two pronged narrative.  Both suffer from the same antagonist, Sauron and his minions, and both have distinct foils that serve to couch all that they do.  In Frodo's case, the foils are obvious in Gollum and Samwise who both reveal Frodo's strength and weakness respectively.  Aragorn's is not so simple or perhaps too simple.

It's my contention that Aragorn's foil is himself, or rather his alter-ego Strider.  Aragorn is surrounded by other characters in the story, but none that challenge his value as The Hero.  Only he can do that as Strider.  His fears, his acceptance of the inevitable, and the loss of Arwen, are all tied to Strider.  Strider never manifests himself completely once Aragorn accepts his legacy, but the remembrance of him and what he represents never leave entirely.  My argument isn't that Aragorn has a second personality, or that Strider isn't part of who Aragorn is, but rather from a structural perspective Strider and Aragorn exist in the heroic conceit as separate and distinct characters.

Is the entire discussion semantics? Probably.  If I accept my argument is true though, I begin to look at things differently, specifically Gollum's relationship to his former self which is probably an actual multiple personality situation.  He too suffers from many of the same fears exhibited by Aragorn/Strider, but reacts quite differently.  I wonder now if there's a case to be made that Gollum is as much a foil to Aragorn as he is to Frodo.  Something to think about anyway.

Now, feel free to tell me I'm full of shit.

An Interview with a Legend of Literary Fiction (Not Really)

This is my response to one of the more ignorant and inflammatory comments I've read with regard to genre fiction. In last Sunday's New York Times, Glen Duncan reviewed Colson Whitehead's Zone One. The review led off with this: "A literary novelist writing a genre novel is like an intellectual dating a porn star." Believe it or not, the rest of the review is even more demeaning.  After reading Duncan's review, a NY Times review of Duncan's novel The Last Werewolf, and several interviews with Duncan himself, I felt prepared to discuss the subject with him. Below is the account of that conversation which may or may not have actually happened.

[For the uninitiated Cheryl is my imaginary personal assistant.  She makes a mean latte and has a limitless Rolodex of industry contacts.  Additionally, this is a fictional account of a conversation that never took place.  I did however read every interview I could find to best capture the voice of the interviewee.]

Me: Cheryl, get me Duncan on the phone - stat.

Cheryl: Yes, Mr. Landon.  That's Hal Duncan, right?

Me: No, no.  Hal's the smart one.  The other one.

Cheryl: Dave Duncan?

Me: Good lord woman, he's eighty!  Do you expect me to do a hard hitting piece on a man old enough to be my grand father?  What kind of monster am I?  No, no.  I want the other one.

Cheryl: Glen Duncan?

Cheryl is a real professional.

Me: Obviously.

Cheryl: One moment please.

[intermittent secretarial pause]

*ring*

Cheryl: I have Glen Duncan on the line.

Me: Thank you, Cheryl.  That'll be all.  Good morning Mr. Duncan.

Duncan: What the bloody hell do you want?

Me: I was hoping to take a few minutes of your time to talk about your recent New York Times book review of Colson Whitehead's Zone One.

Duncan: That was quite a cock up, wasn't it?

Me: The novel or your review?

Duncan: ....

Me: Right.  Well, do you have a minute?

Duncan: I might have one or two moments to belittle my readers and aggrandize myself.  I've an Arcade Fire concert to get to though, so make it snappy.

Me: Sure. I'll be as short and to the point as a Glen Duncan novel.  Do you know Charlie Sheen?

Duncan: Who?

Me: You know, American actor, Twitter sensation, drug addict, owner of #TigerBlood.

Duncan: I don't know anything about #TigerBlood.

Glen Duncan, sitting.

Me: You're sure? I think the two of you share a passion for porn stars.

Duncan: Are you referencing my comparison of genre fiction to a porn star?

Me: Am I that transparent?

Duncan: *snort*

Me: So you pretty well slated Whitehead's novel..  But while you did it you took a blatant shot at your readers.

Duncan: Well, my readers aren't very bright are they?  Yes, I wrote genre fiction, but there are literary conceits in there, man.  I used big words, and all people can focus on is that I have werewolves.  Bloody hell, I wanted to be the next Don DeLillo, now I'm a literate Stephanie Meyers, do you have any idea how badly I want to shoot myself?  Go read my interviews, I end them all by saying, 'if I don't put a silver bullet in my brain first.'  Seriously, I'm not joking.

Me: Huh.  Justin Cronin, another intellectual turned porn star to use your terminology, wrote a review of The Last Werewolf for the NY Times and took a far more professional approach.  How do you respond to that?

Duncan: Justin Cronin is bollocks.  His books are readable.  Not to mention he used vampires, how tired is that? 

Me: If you have such contempt for genre fiction, why did you write it?

Duncan: Daddy has to pay the bills.

Me: Please God, you haven't procreated have you?

Duncan: Daddy as in someone who has sex a lot.  God I have to spell out everything for you philistines.  Anyway, I wrote the book because no one bought my literary works and they didn't win anything.  I seek validation despite my exterior that would lead you to believe I'm above such things.  Once I got into it though, the hooker found herself turned on by her trick so to speak.

Me: So if you got into it, why denigrate the genre so much?

Duncan: Because it's not hip to care.  In case you didn't notice I've put a lot of work into cultivating this 'fuck the world' mentality.  I did drugs.  I get drunk.  I traveled the world after dropping out of college.  I believe in the States you call it, emo.  If I'm going to write something 'marketable', I can't be happy about it or they'll take my skinny jeans and knit cap away.

Me: Well, thanks for being so candid, Mr. Duncan.  I'll look forward to watching you self destruct.

Duncan: Sod off.

More Hilariously Similar Covers

While I'm traveling around California for work, I thought I'd take a look at some covers that seem too similar for mere coincidence!  Check in later this week for reviews of The Traitor's Daughter by Paula Brandon, Shadow Prowler by Alexey Pehov, and Miserere by Teresa Frohock.  If I have a particularly productive flight home there might also be a review for Robert Holdestock's classic, Mythago Wood.  You never know!

                             

Would you like an apple?  It will attract supernatural creatures and help keep your husband from wandering.  It also keep you from starving last time I checked.  I have absolutely no idea what the apple represents in either of these ridiculous covers.  Given Myers' background I imagine it has something to do with the "forbidden fruit".  Really?  Give me a break. #TooLiteral

                             

So, let me see if I've got this straight.  We've got two guys sort of straddling a rocket.  The title of one is Manseed and the other is The Secret of Saturn's "Rings".  Ok, I added the emphasis quotes around rings, but still... I think I see what's going on here.  Salt Lake City and the FCC do not approve!

                             

This items have wolves on them which makes them intrinsically sweet and worth 5 stars by itself, but once I really look at it, that's when the magic happened.  I walked from my trailer to Wal-mart with the books in my hands and was immediately approached by women. The women knew from the wolves on my books that I, like a wolf, am a mysterious loner who knows how to 'howl at the moon' from time to time (if you catch my drift!). The women that approached me wanted to know if I would be their boyfriend and/or give them money for something they called meth. I told them no, because they didn't have enough teeth, and frankly a man with a wolf-book shouldn't settle for the first thing that comes to him.

I arrived at Wal-mart, mounted my courtesy-scooter (walking is such a drag!) sitting side saddle so that my wolves would show. While I was browsing tube socks, I could hear aroused asthmatic breathing behind me. I turned around to see a slightly sweaty dream in sweatpants and flip-flops standing there. She told me she liked the wolves on my books, I told her I wanted to howl at her moon. She offered me a swig from her mountain dew, and I drove my scooter, with her shuffling along side out the door and into the rest of our lives. Thank you wolf covers.  (Credit to B. Govern's brilliant review of the 'Three Wolf' T-Shirt')

Hilarious Cover Art Juxtaposition

Time for Justin's weekly session of bad jokes, bad covers, and questionable writing.  Enjoy!

                 

Wow, I didn't realize butter (fly) faces were so in... here I'd been avoiding them for years!  Get it?  But-her-face.  Oh God, I'm hilarious.  In all seriousness though, to Casi McLean, if you get a butterfly tattoo on your face the only kinds of guys you're going to attract are jerks.  I feel like this is a self fulfilling prophecy.

                 

Alright, I may have edited this one slightly, but I felt compelled to include Split Infinity which might be the most awesome and simultaneously awful cover I've ever seen.  Personally I feel that unicorns have had a free pass for far too long.  It's time our government did something about it.  Piers Anthony was truly ahead of his time.

                 

Dennis Schmidt and Kameron Hurley both seem be into floaty people in white coming out of a circular gate thing with a sword in hand.  I wonder if Wanderer also features dismemberment and emasculation - somehow I doubt it.

Hilariously Similar Book Covers

Disembodiment: I'm pretty sure these two novels were done by the same artist 15 years apart.  Floating head? Check!  Mustachio? Check!  Planets in or around head? Check! It's really a shame that Star of the Gypsies ran out of room the requisite starship battle.  As far as I can tell the only real difference in the art here is the invention of Adobe Photoshop.

                           

Animal Cruelty: I'm sure you're saying to yourself, come on Justin, these covers really aren't that referential to one another.  And Michael Moorcock is a pretty big deal so maybe you should lay off him. You know what's a bigger deal? Being towed by around by animals while swinging a large metal object.  That's how you know you've made it as a raper and pillager.  Also, is it just me or is the Daggers of Darkness guy a pirate with two tigers instead of a galley?  Very strange.

Ummm, I think see where I'm going with this: This is self explanatory isn't it?  Artists, I know you get a sick excitement out of hiding the male genitalia in images.  We've all seen the Little Mermaid.  But could you at least be SLIGHTLY more subtle?  I don't think this is too much to ask.

Hilariously Disturbing Similarity in Covers

Sometimes aimless internet trolling pays off.  I came across this cover...

It of course immediately reminded me of...

Long story short, Terry Goodkind prevents cancer.  Or not.