Ents, Elves, and Eriador: The Environmental Vision of J.R.R. Tolkien (Culture of the Land) - Softcover

Dickerson, Matthew T.; Evans, Jonathan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0813129869 ISBN 13: 9780813129860

Publisher: University Press of Kentucky, 2011

Synopsis

With a Foreword by John Elder and an Afterword by Tom Shippey Though not often recognized as environmental or agrarian literature, the writings of J. R. R. Tolkien demonstrate a complex and comprehensive ecological philosophy. The ecology of Middle-earth portrayed in The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion brings together three potent and convincing elements of preservation and conservation--sustainable agriculture and agrarianism, horticulture independent of utilitarianism, and protection of unspoiled wilderness. Throughout his work, Tolkien reveals his vision of the natural world and environmental responsibility. Ents, Elves, and Eriador examines the underlying environmental philosophy in Tolkien's major works as well as his lesser-known stories and essays. Matthew Dickerson and Jonathan Evans evaluate Tolkien's writing, especially his Middle-earth legendarium, in the context of modern environmental literature. The authors compare Tolkien's work with that of some of the most important environmental scholars and nature writers of the past century, including Wendell Berry, John Elder, Aldo Leopold, and Scott Sanders, highlighting Tolkien's intellectual depth. A vital contribution to environmental literature and an important addition to Tolkien scholarship, Ents, Elves, and Eriador offers all fans of Tolkien a new way to understand his writings.

About this title

Review:

Ents, Elves, and Eriador should...be praised for drawing attention to the multifaceted portrayal of the natural world in Tolkien's work. --Folklore

This book is a major new contribution to the subject of Tolkien's work in relation to the natural world and environmentalism...The authors have devised an ingenious and useful distinction between agriculture for food (the domain of the Hobbits), horticulture for aesthetic beauty (that of Elves), and feraculture...for wilderness preservation (Ents). Also original is the application of certain concepts from the interface of ecology and literary studies: liminality, ecotones, and thick margins. More generally, the thorough discussion of Christian stewardship as an environmental ethic, and especially its central role in Tolkien's through and writings...is lovingly detailed and well-supported by a good grasp of Catholic theology. --Tolkien Studies

The writing style is engaging, and the book presents the first fully developed study of Tolkien and the environment at the same time that it offers insights into a range of Tolkien's major and minor works. --Choice

About the Author:

Matthew Dickerson, professor and member of the environmental studies program at Middlebury College, is the author or coauthor of several books, including Following Gandalf: Epic Battles and Moral Victory in the Lord of the Rings and From Homer to Harry Potter: A Handbook on Myth and Fantasy. Jonathan Evans, associate professor of English and director of the medieval studies program at the University of Georgia, is a member of the Environmental Ethics Certificate Program faculty. His essays on J. R. R. Tolkien have been published in J. R. R. Tolkien and His Literary Resonances, Tolkien the Medievalist, and The J. R. R. Tolkien Encyclopedia.

About this edition

• Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0813129869
• ISBN 13: 9780813129860
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 344