Tolkienists.org

Gondor in transition: A brief introduction to transgender realities in The Lord of the Rings

— Cordeliah G. Logsdon, independent scholar

Paper given 3 July 2021 at Tolkien Society Summer Seminar 2021: Saturday session № 1

Using Gondor as a basis for a closer examination, this paper outlines the presence and function of transgender realities within Tolkien’s work in ways the privileged reading of the text ignores or dismisses. Most specifically, Denethor, Finduilas of Dol Amroth, the Ruling Stewardship of Gondor as a concept, and the trajectory and timeline of Gondor’s development are examined. In the process, this paper demonstrates the way reading against the grain provides a crucial expansion of the way both fans and academics currently engage with and think about Tolkien’s work.

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date recorded 📅2021-08-13
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