Defending Middle-Earth: Tolkien: Myth and ModernityA scholar explores the ideas within The Lord of the Rings and the world created by J. R. R. Tolkien: “A most valuable and timely book” (Ursula K. Le Guin, Los Angeles Times–bestselling author of Changing Planes). What are millions of readers all over the world getting out of reading the Lord of the Rings trilogy? Defending Middle-earth argues, in part, that the appeal for fans goes far deeper than just quests and magic rings and hobbits. In fact, through this epic, Tolkien found a way to provide something close to spirit in a secular age. This thoughtful book focuses on three main aspects of Tolkien’s fiction: the social and political structure of Middle-earth and how the varying cultures within it find common cause in the face of a shared threat; the nature and ecology of Middle-earth and how what we think of as the natural world joins the battle against mindless, mechanized destruction; and the spirituality and ethics of Middle-earth—for which the author provides a particularly insightful and resonant examination. Includes a new afterword |
Contents
| 1 | |
Culture Society and Politics | 24 |
Nature and Ecology | 48 |
Spirituality and Ethics | 87 |
5 Fantasy Literature and the Mythopoeic Imagination | 112 |
Hope without Guarantees | 139 |
Afterword | 151 |
Back Matter | 161 |
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already ancient Angela Carter Aragorn become Bilbo C. S. Lewis Christian contemporary course critics cultural destruction Disney E. P. Thompson Earth ecological Elves enchantment England English essay evil example Faërie fairy Fairy-Stories fairy-tales fantasy feel fiction forest Frodo Gandalf global gods Gollum green Guin Harrison heart History hobbits hope human imagination J.R.R. Tolkien Kane Kilby kind land Letters literally literary literature living London Lothlórien Luling Mabey magic meaning ment Middle-earth Minas Tirith modern modernist moral Mordor myth mythic mythology natural world nostalgia once Orcs Orwell Oxford P. L. Travers pagan political postmodern problem quoted re-enchantment readers realization religion religious Richard Mabey Rings Romantic Ecology sacred Saruman Sauron secular seems sense Shippey Shire Silmarillion social spiritual story symbolic tale things tion Tolkien’s books Tolkien’s world Tom Shippey tradition trees true truth University Press Valar values Williams wisdom wonder words writes Zipes