SCRIBBLE
Minorities in Fantasy Fiction
T
he fantasy genre is one that has been present since before written fiction was even conceived. It is one grown out of our individual folklore and myth, rooted in oral tradition, and cultivated by some of the most wellrenowned authors in literature. It is also home to some of my favourite books that have left a massive impression on me and influence my writing and worldview to this day.
Many will argue that these descriptions are, in effect, harmless because, as Tolkiengateway.net describes;
“Orcs however, are not men. Unlike the wicked men who serve the Enemy, who might have been enslaved or beguiled, orcs are portrayed as irredeemably evil, or at least having a redemption outside the scope of the narrative. The origin of orcs is not clear, but they may be products of Morgoth's sorcery, or the descendants of tortured and ruined elves or men. Regardless of their origins they are not presented as a natural race.” Tolkien himself even spoke about his views on allegory, saying “But I cordially dislike allegory in all its manifestations, and always have done so since I grew old and wary enough to detect its presence.”
Artist's impression of an Orc of Mordor with the Eye of Sauron on its shield. Source: Wikipedia The Uruk-hai by JohnHowe. Source: Tolkein Gateway
Despite this rich history and acclaim, much criticism has been levelled at the genre in recent years about ignorance towards marginalised groups, even in the genre’s most recent iteration of urban fantasy. These claims are not unfounded, the history of the treatment of people of colour, women, and the LGBTQIA+ community is well chronicled. For example, in the works of JRR Tolkien, possibly the most seminal figure influencing modern fantasy. It is in his work that we find the first widely discussed examples of racializing a foreign species in fiction, a common phenomenon when considering identities of colour within the category of fantasy. Tolkien’s Orcs and Uruk-Hai are described as “black” and “black-skinned”, all orcs are often described as "slant-eyed", and in one of his letters Tolkien described Orcs as "...squat, broad, flat-nosed, sallow-skinned, with wide mouths and slant eyes; in fact degraded and repulsive versions of the (to Europeans) least lovely Mongol-types."
by Lily Harding
This would remove any suspected intent from Tolkien to have the Orcs serve as a negative representation of a particular real-life ethnic group. However, whether this is intended as harmless or not it does exist within the text, it serves both as a representation of the poor treatment of minority groups present in the genre as it began to gain popularity during the mid-20th century and creates a trend of attributing racial characteristics to fictional species that has a legacy throughout fantasy post-Tolkien. This is a problem, as it not only ohters people with those racial characteristics but then also becomes the only form of representation those races get within fantasy.
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