The Politics of Middle Earth - Tolkien

This year, I'm hoping to explore "The Politics of Middle Earth". Whilst the starting point will be the work of J R R Tolkien, the exploration will consider the political context (if there is one) in the development of folklore, myth and legend in major works of literature. "The Politics of Middle Earth" is, therefore, something of a working title. The following review from one of Amazon's "Top 500 Reviewers" seems a good place to begin :

Prometheus "zosimos" (EVROPA.) - See all my reviews "Defending Middle Earth: Tolkien: Myth and Modernity" by Patrick Curry is an important book which attempts to take a look at the writings of J. R. R. Tolkien and defend him from some of the attacks made against him by various critics. Critics have often looked down on Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy and attempted to pigeonhole Tolkien into various unsavory categories. This book takes a look at Tolkien from an anti-modernist perspective, particularly with reference to his love for nature and the English countryside. The author emphasizes three aspects of Tolkien's works ("The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings", "The Silmarillion" is left out of this book for the most part) "The Shire: Culture, Society and Politics", "Middle-Earth: Nature and Ecology", and "The Sea: Spirituality and Ethics".

Tolkien, who was a deeply conservative and very pious man of the Roman Catholic faith, may be understood in terms of a "radical nostalgia" which surrounds much of his writing. Tolkien had a great love for the unspoiled English countryside, for the rural life untouched by modern industry, and for small business unencumbered by the excesses of monopoly. Tolkien also was a great lover of nature, his books include much on "tree lore", and he writes of the armies of orcs who are cutting down trees and destroying forests. Politically Tolkien was conservative, but also libertarian with a bent towards anarchy. Tolkien wrote that "My [Tolkien's] political opinions lean more and more to Anarchy (philosophically understood, meaning abolition of control, not whiskered men with bombs) - or to `unconstitutional' monarchy." Tolkien also wrote approvingly of the dynamiting of factories and power-stations, and wrote that he was no socialist, entirely rejecting planning as a harmful invasion.

Many critics have made various absurd allegations against Tolkien based on allegorical readings of his books, something he warned against. For instance, critics have called Tolkien a nationalist, a racist, and even a fascist for his praise of the English countryside. Others have claimed that for Tolkien, North is a sacred direction and that he was a nordicist, while the armies of orcs coming from the South represent various nonEuropean races. In addition, some have argued that Tolkien's use of the color white to represent purity and black to represent darkness and evil is racist. Another bizarre interpretation is a Marxist interpretation of the dragon as representing monopoly capital and the hoarding of wealth. According to this interpretation, "The Hobbit" may be read in terms of class struggle, with an alliance of the lower middle class (the Hobbits) and working class miners (the dwarves) against an evil monopoly. On the other hand, Tolkien has been repeatedly called an elitist, who emphasized pure Englishness - pastoral and cozy - against the rest of the world. These interpretations are particularly absurd in light of Tolkien's own specific warning against the allegorical reading of his books, and Tolkien's specific denial that he was an "Aryan" when asked to provide evidence for this by the Nazis.

More promising readings of Tolkien emphasize his love for the earth and for nature. In fact, Tolkien was particularly appalled with the chopping down of forests and the ruin of the countryside brought about through war and excessive industrialization. The author of this book places a special emphasis on these interpretations. With a coming global ecological crisis and the complete loss of transcendence brought on by modernism, scientism, materialism, and the New World Order, Tolkien's books may prove particularly pertinent today in their distinct anti-modernism. Indeed, in one interpretation, although rejected by Tolkien himself, the Ring may represent atomic energy. Although Tolkien rejected this, it is certainly clear that the Ring represents power and probably power over nature.

In terms of religion, Tolkien was a devout traditional Roman Catholic. Many have found a Christian interpretation for "The Lord of the Rings", arguing that the story shows the working out of the Christian virtues of humility and obedience, emphasizing the role that "small people" (i.e. Hobbits) may play in the world. However, others have found in Tolkien's writings a distinctly pagan, animist, or pantheist understanding. The pagan virtue of courage certainly plays no small part in the story. Tolkien himself was an expert linguist, who had worked closely with ancient and medieval Anglo-Saxon poetry, including "Beowulf" and Cynewulf's poem "Christ" (the inspiration for the term "Middle-Earth"). In these poems and sagas, pagan and Christian elements are blended together. In addition, Tolkien's expertise in languages may have led him to create the distinct Elvish tongues seen throughout his books. In particular, the pagan notion of reincarnation is not passed over by Tolkien, who incorporates these ideas into his elvish characters.

To understand "The Lord of the Rings" one must understand the role of myth. Indeed, Tolkien may have sought to create a unique Anglo-Saxon myth, combining pagan and Christian elements. Today, Tolkien's writings remain some of the most popular ever written. While this has caused many critics to scoff at them, the author of this book believes their popularity resides in the fact that they tap into something deeper within us that rejects modernity and its crises, including especially the ecological crisis. Tolkien's books have proven especially popular among those in the counter-culture. Perhaps this is because they speak to those who look for viable alternatives to the present day dilemmas of the modern world.