C Elegans writes:
I perceived Tolkiens descriptions of the world and the races as containing racist, imperialistic and very Euro-centric/"Christiano-centric" values.
I don't really see the "Christian thing" as some writers do, but you're spot on for the rest. I posted briefly about this in another topic area. There is a definite series of Edwardian social values that stick in my craw whenever I read 'em--things like Frodo's remark about a fallen Saruman (I'm paraphrasing from memory) being one of the great, whose like, even in his fall, is beyond such as us to criticize. Such as us? Well, that same sense of "the little people who can't understand the doings of the Great and Noble, and must be protected for it all" runs throughout LOTR. Such wisdom as the hobbits have is supposed to be the little wisdom about planting, and nurturing, and they're not intended to think Great Thoughts or engage in Noble Deeds--when they do, they end up like Frodo, falling ill before their time, unable to relate to others.
It's precisely this kind of BS that has allowed governments to both justify all kinds of monstrous behavior and hide it from their citizens: just sprout nonsense about "making tough decisions on the spot" while sweating that somebody will find out you've been attempting to kill off aborigines, or saved high-ranking Nazis after WWII to aid in the Cold War, or stolen the Inuits' children to resettle them and kill the culture--gods, the list is endless. I can never read this sort of stuff in Tolkien without shuttering at the evil done behind the cover of such an idea.
The music of Tolkkien's language is wonderful, though borrowed from Dunsany. The larger-than-life characters are fun, too. I can't stand the deux ex machinas, like the reappearance of Gandalf when the party's hope is at its lowest ebb, or the double (let alone single) use of Eagle Airlines to appear at just the right moment and save the heroes.
As to whether you should read LOTR or not, that's entirely up to you. It's a lot better than most of the TSR/AD&D trash that's being peddled on the market today--fantasy-writing by corporation--but if you didn't like it initially, I'd suggest something which is more culturally neutral, or presents an entirely different set of values: perhaps Cabell, or Dunsany (who, though he lived during the Edwardian era, was less a part of it than Tolkien), or Vance (a fascinating author).
[ 06-30-2001: Message edited by: fable ]
