Arts
4 — Wednesday, April 20, 2022

WHEN I WAS approximately 13 years 
old I wrote a “The Lord of the Rings” fan-
fiction. It never got past three chapters, 
mostly encompassing the moment Merry 
and Pippin are captured by Orcs until the 
rest of the Fellowship find them after The 
Battle of Isengard. It also never saw the 
light of day, and now collects dust in a 42 
page document on my computer titled “Old 
Stories” that makes me sick to my stomach 
every time I open it. And I’m sure the Tolk-
ien Estate would like it to stay there. 
When I logged onto Twitter on March 
7 and saw #Tolkien trending, I enthu-
siastically clicked the hashtag, hoping 
for updates on Amazon Prime’s upcom-
ing “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of 
Power.” What I got was far less desirable: 
“The Estate sure would like to make Tolk-
ien irrelevant to contemporary creative 
and consumer culture” read one tweet. 
“Tolkien estate once again in their grima 
wormtongue era” read another. There were 
hundreds more like this — statements bla-
tantly calling out the Tolkien Estate’s (who 
oversees the rights to the works of J. R. R. 
Tolkien) stance on fanwork surrounding 
“The Lord of the Rings” franchise, which 
had been reworded and brought back to 

light with the website’s relaunch.
Almost every tweet I saw had a screen-
shot or link to the Tolkien Estate’s FAQs 
attached. On fanfiction, they stated, “You 
cannot copy any part of Tolkien’s writ-
ing or images, nor can you create materi-
als which refer to the characters, stories, 
places, events or other elements contained 
in any of Tolkien’s works.” The language 
of the FAQs is a little disturbing — I’ve 
written a lot of fanfiction in my day and, 
as a young teenager, did a lot of research 
around the legality of fanwork just in case 
my writing got me into any trouble. In all 
of that time, I have never seen an author or 
estate crack down so severely on fanwork, 
and it is baffling that the Tolkien Estate, 
the manager of arguably one of the most 
successful literature and film franchises 
of all time, would want so badly to prevent 
its fans from participating in the universe 
that it protects. 
The Tolkien Estate has a long history 
of this sort of behavior. In the 2015 ver-
sion of their FAQs, the question of writ-
ing stories set in Middle-earth was posed. 
The Tolkien Estate’s response was, “The 
short answer is most definitely NO!” The 
2007 version similarly stated, “The sim-
ple answer is NO.” Both answers go on to 
state that, while tempting, the publica-
tion of fanfiction about Tolkien’s works 
is not allowed nor will the Tolkien Estate 

ever allow it on legal grounds. The Daily 
reached out to the Tolkien Estate for com-
ment on their policies, but they did not 
respond.
The truth is that the legality of fanfic-
tion is complicated. Very complicated. 
Fanfiction is technically a derivative work, 
so copyright holders are allowed to sue 
fanfiction writers on the basis of copy-
right infringement. The copyright holder 
just needs proof that the writer copied or 
used the copyrighted work in their fanfic-
tion. This is where fair use comes in: Just 
as fanfiction is a derivative work, it can 
also, in some cases, be defended under fair 
use as a transformative work. If a piece of 
fanfiction follows the original work too 
closely, seeks commercial profit or impacts 
the market of the original work, fair use is 
less likely to be a strong legal argument. 
However, if a work moves far enough away 
from the original and does not profit off of 
its publication, the argument strengthens. 
The legality of fanfiction is still murky and, 
even now, is widely subjective and often 
considered on a case-by-case basis.
Interestingly enough, the Tolkien Estate 
has yet to take any formal legal action 
against fans producing Tolkien-inspired 
writing. There are a few factors to con-
sider when discussing the Estate’s stance 
on fanfiction, and their failure to make 
good on those claims. For one, the Tolkien 

Estate simply is not the law. So long as your 
work does not violate the laws I outlined 
above — and the countless other copyright 
laws I probably don’t know about — then 
the Tolkien Estate cannot stop you from 
writing all the Legolas fanfiction your 
heart desires. Second, takedown notices 
proffered by the Estate do not constitute 
lawsuits. Simply put, the Tolkien Estate 
can’t do much about fanfiction despite 
their proselytizing. 
And even if they did attempt legal action 
against fanfiction writers, the Tolkien 
Estate would be alienating a massive 
chunk of its audience. On Wattpad, search-
ing “Lord of the Rings” yields around 
30,000 results, and “The Hobbit” on AO3 
shows 40,046 works. To remove that mas-
sive amount of material from the internet 
is to remove the expansiveness of Tolkien’s 
worlds and works, and it would only sig-
nal to fans that they are not wanted by the 
Tolkien Estate. See, fanfiction goes beyond 
all the complicated legal jargon — it is a 
crucial element of modern fandom. 
Fanfiction provides both readers and 
writers with several experiences that tra-
ditional publication and literature compa-
nies cannot. It operates as a space in which 
authors can personalize their favorite con-
tent, experiment with diversity and iden-
tity in fictional worlds, hone written skills 
and engage in a collaborative part of the 

internet. The beauty of fanfiction is that it 
is subject to the whims of fans who wish to 
explore their favorite worlds. It allows for 
critical engagement and communal imagi-
nation about what could happen in a text, 
and it encourages readers to delve into the 
stories that inspire them to write. Creating 
fanfiction does not require money or even 
much experience — it only requires a pinch 
of courage and a good deal of imagination.
J. R. R. Tolkien left behind a world that 
has only grown with the times and has 
been passed down through generations to 
land at this exact moment when it is easier 
than ever for writers to engage with their 
favorite texts and share their work. I argue 
that the Tolkien anthology has only flour-
ished and become more well-worn and 
well-crafted with the advent of fanfiction, 
and it seems foolish that the Tolkien Estate 
would actively desire to cut off a medium 
that has helped make the modern Lord 
of the Rings fandom what it is. Of course, 
I am not a member of the Tolkien family, 
nor do I have any claim to “The Lord of 
the Rings” beyond making my roommates 
watch the movies with me, but I find it 
disheartening that the estate would seek 
to destroy meticulously-crafted fanwork 
that functions as a love letter to Tolkien’s 
universe.

HARRY STYLES HAS begun releas-
ing singles from his upcoming third album, 
Harry’s House, starting with an upbeat, ’80s 
inspired song, “As It Was.” The song is an 
obvious step forward for Styles in terms of 
experimenting with a new sound and dig-
ging deeper with his song lyrics. The words 
are melancholic and introspective, disguised 
by a synthy instrumental somewhat remi-
niscent of a-ha’s “Take On Me.” “As It Was” 
broke records within the early hours of its 
release, becoming Spotify’s most-streamed 
single in one day; the music video has already 
amassed almost 50 million views in just over 

a week.
As Styles steps out of his Fine Line era, he 
seems to step into an in-between space. “As It 
Was” is a story of loneliness, of feeling stuck 
between the past and the future. He’s run-
ning around in circles, something quite liter-
ally shown in the music video as he and his 
partner rotate in a circle, not meeting each 
other in the middle until he is all alone by the 
end. Styles acknowledges topics he hasn’t 
taken on in his music before, such as directly 
addressing his somewhat strained relation-
ship with his father in the lyrics “Your daddy 
lives by himself, he just wants to know that 
you’re well.” While Styles has frequently 
discussed the feeling of being lonely in older 
tracks like “From The Dining Table,” this is 
the first time we’ve seen him give direct ref-

erences to his personal life, and it feels like 
he is taking a step towards creating music 
that truly reflects his inner feelings.
Styles is certainly no stranger to using 
sounds inspired by older music and other 
artists, with this song taking inspiration 
from the ’80s to create something haunting-
ly beautiful. The poppy and bouncy instru-
mental perfectly counteracts the sadness 
and longing of the lyrics, creating a song that 
people will sing along to without even real-
izing what they’re saying, à la “Hey Ya.” This 
combination perfectly fits Styles’s public 
perception of just being a heartthrob with a 
good voice, so much so that fans will ignore 
his pleading in the lyrics of “As It Was.” It’s a 
strong track, hopefully suggesting a new and 
exciting direction for Harry’s House. 

One does not simply ‘write’ Lord of the Rings fanfiction

‘As It Was’ marks a new era for Harry Styles
Emily Henry’s newest 
romance is the dream for all 
‘Book Lovers’

BOOKS ABOUT BOOKS are 
like the main character of a 
movie saying “my life is so not 
a movie” — they’re oddly self-
aware and reassuring. You meet 
characters who also love the 
musty smell of libraries and 
appreciate the rush of purchas-
ing a new book. Emily Henry’s 
newest contemporary romance 
“Book Lovers” is exactly what 
its title suggests — it’s a book 
about book lovers talking about 
books like it’s their job (hint: it 
is).
At the beginning of the story, 
Nora Stephens meets Charlie 
Lastra, and the two don’t exact-
ly hit it off. She’s a no-non-
sense literary agent and he’s a 
brooding book editor, but their 
potential working relationship 
immediately turns sour the 
moment Charlie says he isn’t 
interested in editing Nora’s 
favorite client’s book, “Once in 
a Lifetime.” Much to Charlie’s 
dismay, the book becomes a 
bestseller two years later.
When Nora’s younger and 
very pregnant sister, Libby, 
convinces her to take a much-
needed girls’ trip, the two trav-
el to the small town of Sunshine 
Falls, the setting of “Once in a 
Lifetime,” for a month. Inspired 
by the book, Libby comes up 
with a vacation bucket list 
to ensure the two have their 
own life-changing small-town 
adventure. Nora’s plan to lie low 
and enjoy her vacation is ruined 
when she bumps into Charlie — 
again and again. As if Sunshine 
Falls wasn’t small enough, they 
are thrown together to work on 
her client’s new book, but Nora 
can’t ignore the biggest plot 
twist yet: she and Charlie actu-
ally work well together. Just as 
Nora and Charlie grapple with 
their connection in a new set-
ting, they begin to wonder if 
their relationship will survive 
back home in New York. Does 
what happens in a small town 
stay in a small town? 
It should come to the sur-
prise of no one that “Book 
Lovers” was considered one 
of the most anticipated books 
of 2022 by pretty much every-
body, myself included. As the 
New York Times bestselling 
author of young adult and adult 
romance novels, Emily Henry is 

the queen of fun and emotional 
summer reads, and “Book Lov-
ers” is no exception. 
“Book Lovers” is an ode 
to the Miranda Priestlys and 
Meredith Blakes of the world. 
You know, the Ice Queens and 
career-driven women we love 
to hate in pop culture. Nora fits 
this archetype: At work, she’s 
known as the Shark, and she 
hasn’t cried in 10 years. How-
ever, instead of villainizing her, 
Henry gives us a well-crafted 
and 
sympathetic 
character. 
Nora is incredibly sarcastic, 
which makes her first-person 
narrative enjoyable and her 
millennial-esque quirks (a.k.a. 
being obsessed with her Pelo-
ton) not that annoying. Nora 
knows she’s not the heroine of 
her own story — she’s success-
ful but overly committed to her 
job, and she puts the needs of 
others, specifically Libby and 
her clients, before her own. She 
usually dates workaholic guys 
just like her, until it inevita-
bly doesn’t work out and those 
exes go on to marry Nora’s 
complete opposites. But that 
all changes when Nora gets to 
know Charlie. Nora and Charlie 
understand each other because 
they’re both competitive within 
the literary world and they’re 
both New York City people until 
they die. 
The 
trickiest 
part 
about 
incorporating the “rivals-to-
lovers” trope is the transition 
from the characters hating 
each other’s guts to enjoying 
the other’s presence, but Hen-
ry’s execution is seamless. The 
animosity between Nora and 
Charlie quickly fades, but the 
chemistry and impeccable ban-
ter is constant throughout the 
story. You can’t help but say 
“Oh my god” after every single 
scene involving Nora and Char-
lie. From the start, their con-
nection is obvious; but as the 
story progresses, their romance 
flourishes. Filled with scenes 
of intimacy (in every sense 
of the word), their romance 
is inspired. Charlie is always 
quick to remind Nora that he 
wants her to have everything 
she’s ever dreamed of. It’s such 
a simple-sounding notion, yet I 
can’t help but wonder if that is 
what we can only hope for in 
our romantic pursuits.

Cover art for “Book Lovers” owned by Penguin Random House

 MADDIE AGNE
Daily Arts Writer

 AVA SEAMAN
Daily Arts Writer

 GIGI CIULLA
Daily Arts Writer 

Read more at MichiganDaily.com

Read more at 
MichiganDaily.com

puzzle by sudokusnydictation.com

By C.C. Burnikel
©2022 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
04/20/22

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

Edited by Patti Varol and Joyce Nichols Lewis

04/20/22

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

Release Date: Wednesday, April 20, 2022

ACROSS
1 Nail tech’s layers
6 Open mic night 
host
11 Automated 
Twitter user
14 Fire in the belly
15 Take one’s sweet 
time
16 Dedicated lines
17 Top that!
19 Prefix with binary
20 Fair
21 Consider
22 Kabocha or 
pumpkin, e.g.
24 Make-up artist?
26 Mike who voices 
Shrek
28 David Ortiz’s 
1,768, briefly
30 Beat that!
34 Park fixture for two
36 SoFi Stadium 
player
37 Half and half
38 Caroline du Sud, 
e.g.
39 Like some angles
41 Intestinal fortitude
42 __ on the side of 
caution
43 Soon-to-be grads
44 Realm entered 
through a 
wardrobe
46 Strike that!
50 Miami-__ County
51 “Count me out”
52 Wee
54 Test versions
56 Farm skyscraper
58 Hairstyle for Nina 
Simone
62 “Kinda”
63 Take that!
66 Hoover, for one
67 Come about
68 Like a foggy trail 
path
69 Four-time WNBA 
champion Bird
70 Divulge
71 Fine partner

DOWN
1 Cornfield calls
2 Cookie that has 
a lychee flavor in 
China
3 States further
4 Slate of chores
5 __ Lanka

6 Trimming tools
7 Nutmeg spice
8 Chewy chowder 
chunk
9 Animal on 
Idaho’s state seal
10 Application that 
may help reduce 
crow’s-feet
11 Game show 
climax, often
12 Garbage feature
13 Mind, as a bar
18 Doc intended to 
prevent leaks
23 Windy City 
airport code
25 Ariana Grande’s 
“God __ Woman”
27 Gulf of Aden 
republic
28 Evoking the past
29 “Just wait a bit 
more!”
31 Tie for roasting
32 Remove, as a 
ribbon
33 Painted Desert 
landform
34 Leak out slowly
35 Stinging insects
40 Regimen with 
Workouts of the 
Day

41 Ambiguous 
point
45 Podcast 
interrupters
47 Org. regulating 
pesticides
48 Mischief-maker
49 Freestyle skier 
Gu who won 
two gold medals 
at the 2022 
Winter 
Olympics

53 Where to wear a 
metti
54 Auction actions
55 Old Testament 
twin
57 “In that case ... ”
59 Terrarium 
plant
60 Bust
61 “__-dokey!”
64 Foundry 
delivery
65 Place to retire

SUDOKU

WHISPER

“Why did my 
professor make 

last possible 
day?”

“Happy last 
week of class!”

WHISPER

04/13/22

 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

