Selected Book
Ents, Elves, and Eriador: The Environmental Vision of J.R.R. Tolkien (Culture of the Land)
- Hardcover
- Author: Matthew T. Dickerson, Jonathan Evans
- Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
- Release Date: November 2006
- ISBN-10: 0813124182
- ISBN-13: 9780813124186
- List Price: $35.00
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Summaries and Customer Reviews provided by Amazon
SummaryThough 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. |
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Reading Tolkien through green-colored glasses
Rating:
The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings had such a profound impact on me when I first read them many years ago, that I've spent a lot of time since then trying to figure out why. The answer to that question is always evolving; each re-reading, as the saying goes, teaches me something new about myself.
Tolkien's world is so rich that, as your own interests shift and grow, they are reflected in Middle Earth when next you return.
Lately I've been devoted to understanding climate change and meeting the challenge of putting Earth back on a course towards sustainability, so I was delighted to come across a book that explores the environmental themes in Tolkien's works.
"Ents, Elves and Eriador, The Environmental Vision of J.R.R. Tolkien" is a great read. It's part of a series called "Culture of the Land." Through this book, I returned to Middle Earth to see how those who cared for it most chose to treat it.
The Shire-folk held gardeners and farmers in high esteem; practical cultivation of the land was the rule there. A hobbit enjoyed a view of a well-tended field-- but largely in anticipation of the meals it could provide.
Elves appreciated the aesthetics of their well-ordered landscapes, as in the slow passing of the seasons in the cloistered woods of Lothlorien, but they didn't seem to worry much about growing food.
Ents appreciated wild nature for its own sake- and worked to keep it that way.
Whether Tolkien intended it or not (and there is reason to believe that he did), each culture serves to illustrate a different approach towards stewardship of the Earth. Conservation, preservation and protection are all needed in varying contexts and to varying degrees. Differences in approach sometimes divide people who share a desire to sustain the Earth and civilization. Working out these differences is the great task of "the Fourth Age," a Tolkienesque term for modern times; knowing this sheds new light on some of the themes in the stories from the Third.
Tolkien's ambivalence about unbridled technology is suggested by the hobbits' lack of appreciation for anything more complicated than a water mill. We're in a time when understanding what constitutes appropriate technology in our quest for survival is key. Understanding what we value in nature, and why, is as important. We may soon be in a position to choose what to save, if we can save ourselves. The authors do a wonderful job of pointing this out.
Fascinating read
Rating:
Ents, Elves and Eriador is a fascinating book. Dickerson and Evans take the reader through Tolkien's work detailing the beloved author's environmental vision. While even a casual reader of Tolkien's writing will recognize that industrialization accompanied evil in his books, this book reveals the depth of his positive vision of the way Middle Earth works. They discuss the various ecologies that make an appearance in Tolkien's work.
The authors:
* write not only about the ecologies themselves, but how Middle Earth becomes a character in the stories.
* also talk about how the people in the stories care (or not) for the environment around them.
* about how the Hobbits create a sustainable community in the Shire, growing food to feed themselves without damaging the soil.
* comment on how things go wrong when one person starts "owning more than is good for them"
* also talk about the role of elves in creating beauty in the world,
* Finally talk about Ent's preservation of the forest of Fangorn.
The works of Sauron are toxic and destructive of the efforts of all people who care for the world they live in. The authors draw parallels between unbridled corporate profits and kind of damage Sauron does to Middle Earth. They show how the poisoning of the earth around both Mordor and Isengard is all too similar to the damage done by industry.
Reading a non-fiction book about Tolkien's environmental vision may seem like a way to spoil the sheer fun of reading The Lord of the Rings and his other books. What I found as I read this book was that I wanted to reread every word of Tolkien to see for myself what the authors have given a glimpse of.
This book if for everyone who loves the work of J.R.R. Tolkien, and who loves the world around them.
Armchair Interviews agrees.
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