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Christine Kelley

Christine Kelley writes about speculative fiction and radical politics from a queer revolutionary perspective. Currently her main project is Nowhere and Back Again, a psychogeography of J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. Her first project was the now semi-retired blog Dreams of Orgonon, a song-by-song study of Kate Bush. Support Christine on Patreon.

4 Comments

  1. Alexx Kay
    June 19, 2021 @ 7:51 pm

    For anyone who doesn’t know (as I didn’t for many years), there’s an old saying that Tolkien was riffing on with Gollum during the riddle game: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teaching_grandmother_to_suck_eggs

    Reply

    • Christine Kelley
      June 19, 2021 @ 7:57 pm

      Oh shit!

      Reply

  2. Lluvad
    June 23, 2021 @ 3:17 am

    Can’t Gollum’s death be seen as a salvation of sorts? He spends his last moments, happy and content with his Precious back in his possession and then is granted freedom from his torment by his unintended fall. That strikes me as more a merciful fate then letting him die in agony and despair from the Ring’s destruction in another way.

    Reply

    • Christine Kelley
      June 23, 2021 @ 10:32 am

      I think you’re right. It’s ultimately his actions and follies that save Middle-earth. It’s a bit like Borges’ short story “Three Versions of Judas,” where the villainous traitor is the one who sacrifices himself to redeem the world.

      Reply

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