Tuesday, October 08, 2024
American University
A project of the Rev. James B. Simpson Fellowship at American University’s School of Communication

Ruling is hard. This was maybe my answer to Tolkien, whom, as much as I admire him, I do quibble with. Lord of the Rings had a very medieval philosophy: that if the king was a good man, the land would prosper. We look at real history and it’s not that simple…Real-life kings had real-life problems to deal with…. My people who are trying to rule don’t have an easy time of it. Just having good intentions doesn’t make you a wise king.

american-unversity
Ruling is hard. This was maybe my answer to Tolkien, whom, as much as I admire him, I do quibble with. Lord of the Rings had a very medieval philosophy: that if the king was a good man, the land would prosper. We look at real history and it's not that simple…Real-life kings had real-life problems to deal with…. My people who are trying to rule don't have an easy time of it. Just having good intentions doesn't make you a wise king.
— George R. R. Martin