Tolkien, Marmite and “The Rings of Power”

Or, the necessity of broadening appeal

Photo by Ergo Zakki on Unsplash

Marmite, for those who may not know, is a savoury spread; an extract of malt produced from the by-products of beer-making. You can spread it (thinly) on hot buttered toast, use it in sandwiches (expecially with cheese) or stir a teaspoonful into a casserole or stew. Its powerful, salty flavour makes it one of the most divisive substances on Earth — it divides families, friends and perhaps even nations! Just as its’ advertising says, you either love it or hate it, no middle ground! As such, it has moved into popular culture. The term ‘marmite’, used as an adjective, means something that inspires extremes of opinion on both sides. One can speak of ‘marmite’ books, films, fashions, wallpapers and politicians, and everyone knows what you mean.

JRR Tolkien is a marmite author. People either love his work, or hate it. Except for those who have never attempted to read Tolkien, you will seldom find anyone with a purely neutral opinion. It is either ‘brilliant’, or ‘rubbish’.

Now, of course, there are caveats around this. Quite generally speaking, those who read, or try to read, Tolkien are those who are already drawn to the Fantasy/SF genres. Among the ‘haters’ are the hard SF bunch, who don’t want to know if it isn’t about science and technology; the Dark Fantasy…