Comments on: What was Aragorn’s tax policy?

By: Toddy Cat

Toddy Cat — Mon, 28 Apr 2014 15:42:29 +0000

“Just having good intentions doesn’t make you a wise king.”

True. This is why Aragorn had to be both wise and good to rule a hundred years, not just good.

By: Isegoria

Isegoria — Sun, 27 Apr 2014 22:29:07 +0000

It didn't cover Aragorn's tax policy, but a previous post did discuss Making Mordor’s Economy Work.

By: Bob Sykes

Bob Sykes — Sat, 26 Apr 2014 11:19:54 +0000

John C. Wright has argued that the reason G. R. R. Martin and nearly all other modern writers ultimately fail and that Tolkien succeeds is that the modern writers are themselves nihilists and their works are a nihilist message. Tolkien on the other hand was a practicing, believing Roman Catholic, and beneath the surface of his great myth is a Christian message.

Ultimately, LOTR does not consider taxes and day-to-day rule because Aragorn’s triumph represents the Resurrection and Final Judgement and the reestablishment of Eden on Earth.

By: T. Greer

T. Greer — Fri, 25 Apr 2014 23:00:57 +0000

The MR thread was of fairly high quality. I agree with one succinct comment near the end of it:

Yet which will be the better and more resilient myth? Tolkien’s, surely, despite the absence of public works policy. The purpose of myth is not really to describe the detailed complexities of life.

By: Isegoria

Isegoria — Fri, 25 Apr 2014 19:45:11 +0000

I have cited Martin on things he borrowed from Tolkien, but nothing quite like that passage from his recent Rolling Stone interview. (I did have to go back and check though.)

By: Scipio Americanus

Scipio Americanus — Fri, 25 Apr 2014 19:05:10 +0000

Excuse me if I’m imagining things, but has this excerpt appeared here before? It seems very familiar for some reason.

That aside, I feel that Martin (like many) misses the point of what Tolkien was trying to accomplish. Lord of the Rings is not an attempt at a gritty, realistic portrayal of the mechanics of leadership, government, and war. It’s a fable; a synthetic myth painted in good and evil, courage and cowardice, loyalty and betrayal.

I’m the first to admit that I do like realistic portrayals of the mechanics of leadership, government, and war. However, Tolkien pausing mid-poetic-stride to explain the logistical preparations for the Ork investment of Minas Tirith would shatter the tone just as much as if Homer paused the fight between Achilles and Hector to describe the trade network that supported bronze weapon manufacturing.