A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Canon - Page 6
© Michael Martinez
Nonetheless, we are told with great solemnity how this letter proves that Tolkien's Elves have pointed ears. The complete and total lack of reference or relevance to any Elf in any Tolkien story aside, the letter must prove that Tolkien's Elves have pointed ears. Why else would he have used the word "elvish"? It couldn't possibly be that he knew a popular conception about Elves would provide a convenient reference, could it? The canon of the pointed ear has even been extended to allege that Tolkien was the first person to use "Elves" and "Elvish". I have occasionally pointed out that Shakespeare used those words, too.
Well, all this must seem like nothing more than a case of sour grapes to those whose sophisticated elocution and professional demeanor have been insulted time and again by my impish wit and disregard for the canon. Perhaps. I admit to having little reverence for any particular canon. I am a canon impurist. I obliterate canons with barrages of counter-canons. I debilitate profundities with objections. I deserve no better than to be ignored and treated with the utmost contempt, because I choose not to be swayed by a hodge-podge of unrelated citations. I laugh in the face of canon. I live on the edge of heresy. I look at when the books were published and ask, "Why does 50 years of literary canon vanish with one obscure reference in a text never intended for the light of day?"
The silliness of canonical arguments undoubtedly is responsible for more head-shaking than anything else in the world of Tolkien fandom and scholarship. We do take our Balrog debates seriously, seriously enough that more than one FAQ has been written about the poor beasts and their wing(edness/lessness). Nothing brings out the fangs and claws faster than a Balrog wings discussion. But mention canon in the midst of a Balrog discussion, and people are apt to reply, "Eh! Who cares?" There is simply very little passion about canon. Marriages have probably been arranged on the basis of who believes in Balrog wings (clap your hands if you do!), but what effect has the study of canon had upon our lives?
And the winged nature of Balrogs is very much a question of canon. The reason is that Tolkien changed his Balrogs. So if you're going to talk about Balrogs, it's important to note which Balrogs you're discussing. The Balrogs of The Book of Lost Tales are not the same as the Balrog of "The Bridge of Khazad-dum". A good canonist will concede this, while still arguing for or against wings. Of course, keeping the canons separate makes it difficult to argue against wings.
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