Ents, Elves, and Eriadors: The Environmental Vision of J. R. R. Tolkien by Matthew Dickerson and Jonathan Evans

Book Review

by LOTRfanMiguel

I love fantasy novels as much as the next guy. When I get wrapped up in the lore of an author– especially when that author is J. R. R. Tolkien– I try to learn as much as I can, and that’s why this time around I dived into Matthew Dickerson and Jonathan Evans’ Ents, Elves, and Eriador: The Environmental Vision of J. R. R. Tolkien. In this book, the two scholars really get into the nitty gritty of Tolkien's love for nature manifested within Tolkien’s work, especially The Lord of the Rings.

Dickerson and Evans’  main argument throughout the book is as follows: through his writings, Tolkien establishes a formula for environmental stewardship, and from this, we can add ways to preserve and conserve nature to the greater conversation of environmentalism. Although their argument is no surprise to Tolkien fans, these authors really shine in the depth of their research and their application to our world. All this being said, the book was far from perfect in the opinion of this reader, and I will review my favorite and least favorite arguments.

First off, Dickerson and Evans do a great deal of writing on the topic of Tolkien’s Catholic faith and its relationship to the environment. This is valid, as Tolkien did value his faith, and according to Dickerson and Evans, it appears that his faith focuses on being grateful and generous to the creations of God. However, in the introduction the authors clearly state that their reason for bringing up Tolkien’s faith is in order to disprove a persisting belief in environmentalist literature that Christianity goes against the values of environmentalism. In my opinion, this argument tends to get in the way, rather than in support of the larger argument at play (i.e. how environmentalism in Tolkien’s work can be applied in our world).

That being said, I loved Dickerson and Evans' extensive analysis on Tom Bombadil and Goldberry, despite how repetitive they may have seemed. Since Bombadill and Goldberry are given very little background in the main series, I was left wondering and theorizing what these characters could mean in a greater context, and Dickerson and Evan provided me plenty to muse over and digest. According to Dickerson and Evan, Bombadil and Goldberry represent spirits of nature, and both demonstrate “selfless love of the created order” which the authors argue is the “foundation for the most authentic form of environmentalism.”

Later, the authors go on to claim Bombadil and Goldberry as “liminal characters,” as Bombadil presents both the present Middle Earth and the “mythic world” where the difference between the First, Second, and Third Ages have “little meaning” to the spirit (158). According to Dickerson and Evans, Goldberry is liminal in that she is a present mythic character who embodies the natural world, ”akin to Yavanna” (158). These arguments are fascinating to me, and I loved how the authors connected these claims to the ecological necessity for “diverse yet compatible forms of stewardship over the natural environment” (160).

As to highlight all the fun this book has in store, I will briefly address what other arguments a prospective reader may expect from Dickerson and Evans. Through Gandalf, Tolkien advocates for stewardship over the earth, and more specifically, bad stewardship over the earth goes beyond the personal sphere, affecting the communities and generations to come.

Through Elves, Tolkien emphasizes the beauty of nature at its most extreme, and from this the Elves promote a spiritual connection to nature which Dickerson and Evans relate to Tolkien’s faith. In addition to the Elves, the Ents provide a great example of how nature’s beauty should transcend the politics of war. There are no political alliances for the forest, and thus we must not abuse their resources for we all benefit from the trees.

The last two major arguments are on the evils of Mordor and how we might defeat the Mordor of our world. That is, after extensively arguing that Tolkien views industrialization as detrimental to the natural world, Dickerson and Evans end their book with suggestions on what we can do to promote the environmentalist virtues of Tolkien in our communities.

So what can we do? To begin, I suggest this book to any Tolkien fan who just can’t get enough of fan theories and bringing virtues of Tolkien’s world into our own. Perhaps an environmentalist may become fascinated with the arguments by Dickerson and Evans, but in terms of environmental education, this book is unremarkable. Instead, read along for the fun, connecting the wonderful world of Middle Earth to our own.