Robert T. Tally Jr: The Mismeasure of Orcs

In this episode, Mark Perzel talks with author Robert T. Tally Jr. about his book, The Mismeasure of Orcs, and what it means to rethink one of fantasy’s most familiar “enemy” figures. What begins as a discussion of Tolkien’s orcs becomes a deeper conversation about perspective, dehumanization, and the ways stories shape how we see both heroes and villains. Drawing from Tolkien’s letters and texts, Tally explores the surprising humanity of orcs—and why even Tolkien himself seemed troubled by how they were portrayed. It’s a thoughtful and unexpected look at what happens when we question the assumptions built into the stories we love.

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FEATURED TITLE

The Mismeasure of Orcs: A Critical Reassessment of Tolkien’s Demonized Creatures. McFarland, softcover (2025) ISBN: 9781476694351 mcfarlandbooks.com/product/the-mismeasure-of-orcs

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Despite its well-earned reputation as the richest world in fantasy, there exists a notable, troubling problem in Tolkien’s legendarium: the existence of a sentient, rational being for whom no sympathy or moral feeling is ever shown. Examining the origin stories of the orc, which changed over time according to Tolkien’s own worries about whether orcs were “redeemable,” this book endeavors to show that these “inhuman” creatures are, in fact, among the most human (perhaps “all-too-human”) to be found in "The Lord of the Rings." This work discusses racism and class hierarchies in Tolkien’s writings, contexts in which the characterization of orcs is particularly noticeable. But Tolkien’s own writings reveal the nature of orcs to be worthy of sympathy, despite their often dehumanized or demonized depictions. Focusing on key scenes from "The Silmarillion," "The Hobbit," and "The Lord of the Rings," this study uncovers the richly diverse cultures, as well as the distinctive personalities of various orcs, who turn out to be a far cry from the monsters they are taken to be in the popular imagination. A revised understanding of the orcs as a people presents Middle-earth’s history, geopolitics, and cultural anthropology in a new light.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Robert T. Tally Jr. is a Professor of English at Texas State University.

OTHER BOOKS BY TALLY

Representing Middle-earth: Tolkien, Form, and Ideology. McFarland, softcover (2024) ISBN: 9780786470372 mcfarlandbooks.com/product/representing-middle-earth

The Fiction of Dread: Dystopia, Monstrosity, and Apocalypse. Bloomsbury, hardcover/softcover (2023) ISBN: 9781501375866 www.bloomsbury.com/us/fiction-of-dread-9781501375866

The Critical Situation: Vexed Perspectives in Postmodern Literary Studies. Anthem Press, hardcover (2023) ISBN: 9781839988356 cambridge.org/core/books/critical-situation/7B631E6745DC607B7E35E5E2B6421C47

J. R. R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit": Realizing History Through Fantasy: A Critical Companion (Palgrave Science Fiction and Fantasy: A New Canon). Palgrave Macmillan, softcover (2022) ISBN: 9783031112652 amazon.com/J-Tolkiens-Hobbit-Realizing-Companion/dp/3031112652

For a Ruthless Critique of All That Exists: Literature in an Age of Capitalist Realism. Zer0 Books, softcover (2022) ISBN: 9781789048544 www.collectiveinkbooks.com/zer0-books/our-books/for-ruthless-critique-all-that-exists

Topophrenia: Place, Narrative, and the Spatial Imagination. Indiana University Press, hardcover/softcover (2018) ISBN: 9780253037664 iupress.org/9780253037664/topophrenia

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