Abstract
Queer Tolkien scholarship has seen a number of homosexual readings of Frodo Baggins. While there are indeed many elements within the text that support a queer reading, it is a mistake to insist that queer elements necessarily point to homosexuality. This article advances an alternative queer reading of Frodo: an asexual reading. Drawing queer and asexual scholarship, including Ela Przybylo, Danielle Cooper, Audre Lorde, and Jack Halberstam, this article examines Frodo’s actions, journey, and characteristics through an asexual lens, focusing on his solitary life in the Shire, the way he is perceived by the other Hobbits, his lack of any love interest, and the strong non-sexual relationships that he builds. It goes on to discuss Frodo’s relationship with Sam, arguing that asexuality can exist alongside homoromantic intimacy and unconventional family structures. Finally, it delves into the larger implications of this asexual coding, exploring what asexuality can reveal about the power of the Ring; about Tolkien’s representation of disability; and about Frodo’s departure from Middle-earth, which, when read through the lens of “queer failure,” can be seen as an act of resistance against the erasure and inadequacy of compulsory sexuality and reproductive heteronormativity.
Recommended Citation
Petersen-Deeprose, Danna
(2026)
"“As Bachelors Very Exceptional”: An Asexual Reading of Frodo Baggins,"
Journal of Tolkien Research: Vol. 24:
Iss.
1, Article 6.
Available at:
https://scholar.valpo.edu/journaloftolkienresearch/vol24/iss1/6
Included in
Literature in English, British Isles Commons, Other Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons, Queer Studies Commons