I share your opinion with respect to the mini-rant, too, btw. (Which probably isn't particularly surprising!) One of the things I hope(d) to show with this poll is how fans tend to form a judgment of Maglor based on only a few isolated incidents from his life. I don't know, in retrospect, if this was the best group to ask, since the people who respond have done at least the study of his character that I have, and most every comment so far mentions a grave annoyance with the Maglor-as-a-wimp motif! :D I have other tricks up my sleeve, though.
In a way, I wonder if it isn't discomfort or lack of confidence with a more nuanced characterization that makes people tend to characterize Maglor as the pie-eyed wimp. The sons of Feanor, en masse, can be intimidating to characterize. It is easy and tempting to pigeonhole each into a stereotyped identity that is supported by the most written-about moments in that character's life. For example, how many people write Celegorm as cruel, basing it on his treatment of Luthien and Dior's sons, without considering his life in Aman, as a companion of Orome and a friend to all living things? Of course, everyone who reads fanfic will be somewhat affected by it; we're social beings, so it's inevitable. All those pie-eyed Maglors and cruel Celegorms come to be seen as the "right" way to look at the texts, and when reading, it is easy to see most clearly those traits or events in a character's life that support what we believe to be true of him/her. The fact that Maglor met or exceeded the same challenges as Maedhros (for example) becomes easy to overlook.
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rosecarmine
(no subject)
Date: 2009-04-23 10:29 pm (UTC)I share your opinion with respect to the mini-rant, too, btw. (Which probably isn't particularly surprising!) One of the things I hope(d) to show with this poll is how fans tend to form a judgment of Maglor based on only a few isolated incidents from his life. I don't know, in retrospect, if this was the best group to ask, since the people who respond have done at least the study of his character that I have, and most every comment so far mentions a grave annoyance with the Maglor-as-a-wimp motif! :D I have other tricks up my sleeve, though.
In a way, I wonder if it isn't discomfort or lack of confidence with a more nuanced characterization that makes people tend to characterize Maglor as the pie-eyed wimp. The sons of Feanor, en masse, can be intimidating to characterize. It is easy and tempting to pigeonhole each into a stereotyped identity that is supported by the most written-about moments in that character's life. For example, how many people write Celegorm as cruel, basing it on his treatment of Luthien and Dior's sons, without considering his life in Aman, as a companion of Orome and a friend to all living things? Of course, everyone who reads fanfic will be somewhat affected by it; we're social beings, so it's inevitable. All those pie-eyed Maglors and cruel Celegorms come to be seen as the "right" way to look at the texts, and when reading, it is easy to see most clearly those traits or events in a character's life that support what we believe to be true of him/her. The fact that Maglor met or exceeded the same challenges as Maedhros (for example) becomes easy to overlook.
Or, that's my theory, anyway. :)