Beyond Essentialism: A Historic Account of the Academic Interpretations and Critical Reception of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Mythology

Abstract

This thesis is a test case of intellectual history which created a new - and more distant - view of a debate, evidencing there is a part to play for the discipline. The academic debate on J.R.R. Tolkien's mythology serves as an example for other historical inquiries because we can regard this case as a metaphor for the historical practice in general. This contribution shows how the meaning of intellectuals evolves over time and that historical objects are thusly not only in the eye of the beholder but also dependent on its historical context. This is exactly what intellectual history can add to a debate dominated by literary critics, fans, theologians and medievalists: a fresh, balanced and more overarching historical understanding of the object. Also, the compartmentalized nature of the Tolkien discourse offers a fine example of the legitimacy of Mark Bevir’s assumptions of postfoundational intentionalism arguing that the object of interpretation is inseparable of the subject, or interpreter. We should not be too preoccupied with a single reception of an object because even the most thorough analyses are depicted within a particular, ultimately evanescent, context. Going beyond essentialism means formulating cleaner and more self-conscious postulates and accepting that every interpretation is conditioned to its historical context.