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Yes, but this still doesn't support the idea that elites rule the galaxy, since there is no sign from the movies that Luke intends to rule the galaxy. In fact Luke rejects ruling the galaxy at the end of Empire.

Let us say that the Jedi do hold this view. The Jedi are all but destroyed and one can postulate (indeed, it is my view) that they are destroyed because they are doing things they shouldn't be doing (among them, being the supercops of the galaxy). So my point is that even if the Jedi believe...

Then on what do you base Brin's superiority in the area of fiction? Yes, it is certainly the case that Tiger Woods is a better golfer than Andre Ware is a football player. But given that Lucas has as much accomplishment as a filmaker, or more, that Brin has as a writer of science fiction, what...

I don't believe that the Jedi hold this view. However, even if they do hold this view, the Jedi are virtually destroyed in part because they are doing things (i.e., leading armies into battle to fight the Separatists) that they aren't supposed to be doing. So the movies themselves to not support...

Of course, I've never said nor implied that all academics, or even a morally universal subset thereof, are Tolkien-haters. Nor do Pearce and Shippey. "Critical outrage" does not imply something widespread. It implies that there is outrage from the critics (and there was and is). The overzealous...

I thought it was interesting that you brought up Ulysses because it is much more inaccessible than The Lord of the Rings, or even The Silmarillion, will ever be. Very few people would read Ulysses, or even Joyce's much shorter and more accessible Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, out of...

I wouldn't make this argument. I guess that one can, but I would find it unconvincing. Perhaps that is why Brin believes that Lucas is an elitist, because according to Brin's philosophy Vader's ultimate redemption means (in the Star Wars universe) that Luke's life is worth the lives of all those...

Well, then, that makes it clear that it is not merely a popularity contest, for if it were, then King would be at the top and Tolkien would be a few places down. Tom Shippey points out that in the British polls that ranked Tolkien and LOTR #1, that so rankled the "literati," most of the...

How does one address this argument without making reference to real-world religions? Adherents of one real-world religion in particular will have no problem with this (and note that Vader did more than kill Palpatine, save Luke, and say "I'm sorry" -- he gave his own life to save Luke), while...

Hmmm, I'm not sure what you're getting at here. What does Ulysses have to do with whether or not Tolkien's writing is "dated" (and I guess from your post that you mean, in part, "inaccessible")? It's worthwhile to point out that every time a critic has said that LOTR would not be successful or...

I suggest you read Joseph Pearce's Tolkien: Man and Myth or T. A. Shippey's J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of Century. They quote extensively from the critical outrage expressed over Tolkien's continued popularity.

Aragorn describes him [Bill Ferny, that is] as a "swarthy sneering fellow." His Southerner friend is described as "sallow" (that is, pale yellow).

Yes, in fact if we submitted the question to a popular vote, it might well turn out that Tolkien is considered the greatest author of the 20th century (which, if memory serves, was the result of just such a poll in the UK . . . prompting cries of outrage from various academics, educators, and...

On the contrary, I don't presume that Moorcock is more jealous than Tolkien's other critics, or even that he is necessarily jealous at all. That said, the tone of his essay does smack of professional jealousy. But of course it could well be that he no longer holds the same opinion of Tolkien, et...

Interesting since Tolkien was a devout Catholic himself. Not to start a religious discussion, but I know devout Catholics (including myself) who like Tolkien, as well as devout Catholics who do not (not in the sense of not liking his writing, but in the sense of believing that he is a bad...

Faramir kissed Eowyn.

I do believe that many hobbits have a somewhat swarthy complexion as they are described as having "long clever brown fingers" (either in The Hobbit or in the preface or foreword to LOTR). White people generally don't have brown fingers. Also, golden hair is said to be rare among them.

Does this describe any existing racial group?

The Mouth of Sauron is said to be from the "Black Numenoreans" (oops, there's that word "black" again! :p), so he would likely have been pale-skinned. But he is not described as such. It's also worth pointing out that most characters are not specifically described as being pale. IIRC, when the...

No, Bill Ferny is a "swarthy sneering fellow." His "friend" is described as being "squint-eyed" and "sallow" but "sallow" means pale, sickly yellow, not "yellow" as in the stereotype of Asians. I should add (though this is a bit of a tangent) that the fact that the half-orcs (those that pass...