The International Relations of Middle-Earth: Learning from the Lord of the Rings
2013; Mythopoeic Society; Volume: 32; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
0146-9339
Autores Tópico(s)Themes in Literature Analysis
ResumoTHE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS OF MIDDLE-EARTH: LEARNING FROM THE LORD OF THE RINGS. Abigail E. Ruane and Patrick James. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2012. 256 pp. $19.95 (pbk). 978-0-472-05182-3. IF ONE DOES NOT OBJECT TO THE OBVIOUS ANACHRONISM of the project, the geopolitical landscape of Middle-earth during the final years of the Third Age offers fertile ground for thinking about international relations. Distinctive cultures, if not modern nation-states, abound in J.R.R. Tolkien's world, and the commerce, conflict, and alliances among them provide the background for and add color to the adventures depicted in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. One might argue that, with The Hobbit in particular, the clash of these cultures animates the narrative. Whereas the quiet, discernibly Edwardian, English countryside of the Shire is home to a good-natured, if somewhat xenophobic population, an exiled company of Dwarves pines for its lost homeland, and the adventures along the way to the Lonely Mountain are marked by the encounters with various foreign civilizations, as Bilbo Baggins discovers. These unique nations include two different Elven cultures, the hidden kingdom of Elrond's Rivendell and the sylvan city-state of Elvenking (Thranduil) in Mirkwood, along with perhaps two distinct Goblin tribes (one in the lair of the Great Goblin in the Misty Mountains, the other in the armies of Bolg of the North which appear in the Battle of the Five Armies), the mercantile Men of Lake-town, and the assorted races of Trolls, Wolves, Spiders, and Eagles, not to mention the odd loners, Gollum, Beorn, and Smaug the Dragon. Further in the background, the more cosmopolitan heirs of Numenor established a network of cities and holdfasts ranging from the mouth of the Anduin in the south to the northern kingdom of Arnor, including great citadels such as Minas Ithil and Isengard, and the deep history of their sorrows lays the foundations for the events that culminate in the War of the Ring. As the more limited geography and history of The Hobbit's Middle-earth gives way to that of The Lord of the Rings, many more cultures and kingdoms come into view: Galadhrim, Rohirrim, Druedain, and Haradrim, to name but a few. Much has been made of the various races in Arda, and each has its own recognizable set of characteristics, but even among Elves, Men, Dwarfs, and Orcs, cultural differences distinguish, and sometimes cause tension between, various nations of the same race. Hence, for Tolkien scholars and fans, a study of the international relations of Middle-earth would likely prove of great interest. Unfortunately, The of Middle-earth: Learning from The Lord of the Rings by Abigail E. Ruane and Patrick James does not deliver the goods. In fairness to its authors, the main project of this study is less an examination of the international relations of Tolkien's imaginary world than an introductory course in the disciplinary field of International Relations (or IR) which merely uses examples from The Lord of the Rings to make this or that point. As such, it is a book aimed at exposing students to IR scholarship and theory, but it offers little of value for students of Tolkien's work. Ruane and James take care to note that their use of The Lord of the Rings deviates sharply from Tolkien's own views. They duly note Tolkien's cordial dislike for allegory (or, in their phrasing, his adamant rejection of it), but they nevertheless believe that Middle-earth can help teach lessons about world politics that Tolkien himself did not intend, and that it is useful in understanding events that occurred both during his time (e.g., World War I) and afterward (e.g., the War in Iraq) (10). Thus, Ruane and James announce at the outset of their study that Tolkien's Middle-earth is to be understood as a reservoir of examples that can be profitably taken out of context, rather than a place to be explored in its own right. …
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