Women & Tolkien: Amazons, Valkyries, Feminists, and Slashers

Authors

Robin A. Reid Dr., Texas A&M University-CommerceFollow

Abstract

This paper reports on an early pilot project that asks women who self identify as readers or fans of Tolkien's work and/or teachers who have taught Tolkien's work, and/or scholars who have published on Tolkien's work to answer a few open-ended questions about their reasons for enjoying his work. By "women," I mean anybody who identifies as a woman. By "Tolkien's work," I mean any of his published novels, stories, poems, or academic essays. The study arises from the question that is often asked of fans of Tolkien's work: why do women so enjoy it, given the relatively minor narrative roles women play.

Comments

This paper was given at the International Congress of Medieval Studies, Kalamazoo, MI, in 2012.

Recommended Citation

Reid, Robin A. Dr. (2018) "Women & Tolkien: Amazons, Valkyries, Feminists, and Slashers," Journal of Tolkien Research: Vol. 6: Iss. 1, Article 3.
Available at: https://scholar.valpo.edu/journaloftolkienresearch/vol6/iss1/3