Ents, Elves, and Eriador: The Environmental Vision of J.R.R. Tolkien

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