Using Tolkien to Score Some Points

[Bêthberry]

Now, I am being mindful of the rules. I respect the "no politics here" part of our Barrow culture and I"m not trying to set up a discussion about the alleged author of this article.

So, I'm not posting this link to make an uproar about the upcoming American caucuses, primaries, town halls, debates, voting regularities or irregularities, or election. So, please don't tell me I can't post anything insulting Mr. Multiple Towers, because my interest isn't in him. My interest is in how this piece of writing works--how Tolkien is being used to structure parody--how he has become an intertextual device.

What I am curious about is how Tolkien is being appropriated here, how his characters are being portrayed or described and whether that portrayal or description sheds any light on Tolkien. Or darkness for that matter. Does the parody work only to ridicule the alleged author (the political candidate) or does it say something also about Tolkien? Is Smaug used the same way that Gandalf is? Do any of the jokes about elves and men reflect back on Tolkien?

Does the parody "work" only if we know the original Tolkien? And how do we know that the parody is meant to ridicule the alleged author (the candidate) and not Tolkien (leaving aside the "Humor" headline and the source of the article).

I think it is fascinating that the real author of the piece--the satirist or parodist himself--has made certain assumptions about his readers' knowledge of Tolkien. There aren't many twentieth century authors who could be used this way.

Donald Trump: Let me tell you about Smaug.