Alterity in Central and Eastern European Illustrations for The Lord of the Rings 1981-1993

Abstract

The 2001-2003 cinematic release of Peter Jackson’s movie adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings heralded a period of widespread pictorial homogenisation in Tolkien visual culture. Propelled by the conceptual design of veteran “Western” Tolkien artists Alan Lee and John Howe, Jackson’s vision of Middle-earth became the hegemonic model by which other depictions are measured. Consequently, the potential for undertaking a scholarly examination of an alternative, specifically non-Western Tolkien vision (with all the implications for visual difference and/or commonality this might involve), has been largely ignored. This dissertation, however, seeks to foster a deeper understanding of the possibility for visual difference (alterity) to exist between non-Western and Western Tolkien illustrative models. The goal is achieved through the comprehensive analysis of five Central and Eastern European illustrated translations of The Lord of the Rings published between 1981 and 1993. Each case study has its roots in the socio-political milieu of the late Soviet Union, with two originating from the former Soviet Republic of Russia (featuring artists Gennadij Kalinovskij and Èduard Zarjanskij) and three from the former Soviet satellite states of Hungary (Győző Vida), Poland (Jerzy Czerniawski), and Bulgaria (Yasen Panov). Throughout my analyses I focus upon the identification and evaluation of two main factors indicative of visual alterity: originality, and displacement. Both factors revolve around the use of pictorial motifs to create Tolkienian iconographies, and my investigation reveals evidence of one or more factors present within all five sets of imagery. As a result of these findings, I construe that the alterity of the editions studied is not simply a result of their 1981-1993 chronology but is also informed by their unique pictorial engagement with both Western Tolkien depictions and wider visual culture. Finally, I conclude that the imagery within these editions reinforces the argument that an alternative non-Jackson visual model for Tolkien is, and has always been, a viable option.