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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.
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Roch Garand
reviewed Ents, Elves, and Eriador: The Environmental Vision of J. R. R. Tolkien on February 19, 2021
Ents, Elves, and Eriador: The Environmental Vision of J. R. R. Tolkien
It took me two tries before I could finish LOTR, and it took two attempts before I really got into this book - rather fitting, don't you think?
Ents, Elves, and Eriador focuses on the environmental vision of J.R.R. Tolkien, which is another way of saying that the authors read LOTR and associated works, Leaf by Niggle, Farmer Giles of Ham, and other works and analysed what Tolkien's feelings towards the environment might have been. The book goes into lots of wonderful detail, but in sum, they hypothesise that Tolkien believed that:
The created world is good because it has been created
Stewardship over the earth means taking care of the earth, not exploiting it, and hence
Small farms that have a stake in the earth (and don't have acres to waste) are better than big agri-businesses.
In terms of structure, the book starts with the value of the earth, and then zooms in into how the various people of Middle Earth treat the land (there are individual chapters for the hobbits, ents, and elves), before looking at the environment in other Tolkien works. With a view of how Tolkien built his world (and what that might say about his attitude towards ours), the book goes on to look at Modor and the consequences of environmental destruction.
As I mentioned in the start, this book took some time for me to warm up to it. It's pretty academic in nature and I just did not understand what was going on until I finished Notes from the Underground and The Double, and then suddenly my brain had gotten used to more complex sentences and I found myself enjoying the book. If you're already a huge Tolkien fan, however, you might have an easier time with this one.
Since I've only read a couple of Tolkien's works, I enjoyed learning about all the other stories that Tolkien wrote. Leaf by Niggle, for example, sounds charming and I've added that to the TBR list. For books that I have read, like LOTR, this book made me realise that I had overlooked so much and made me want to reread them.
Given the academic tone of this book, I don't think the casual Tolkien fan is going to pick this up. But if you're really into Tolkien analysis or you're interested in how Tolkien built his world/viewed ours, this is a book that you're going to want to read.
This review was first posted at Eustea Reads
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Add Ents, Elves, and Eriador: The Environmental Vision of J. R. R. Tolkien, 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 , Ents, Elves, and Eriador: The Environmental Vision of J. R. R. Tolkien to the inventory that you are selling on WonderClubX
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Add Ents, Elves, and Eriador: The Environmental Vision of J. R. R. Tolkien, 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 , Ents, Elves, and Eriador: The Environmental Vision of J. R. R. Tolkien to your collection on WonderClub |
